Catholic worship vs Protestant worship?

[phil19034]

A) You’re explaining traditions and beliefs I already know. I’ve been around the Church for 13 years now.

B) I’ve laid out how I’ve been treated as Mass/in Parrishes on the board before. I’m not sure why any Parrish wouldn’t welcome visitors either. Like I’ve said before, the experiences were/are pretty strange to me.

I don’t want to sidetrack this, but I felt a reply was warranted for you, the OP, and future readers of this thread.

From what I’ve experenced I think the “unfriendly” vibe is an American (English speaking) thing, it’s not world wide. In other parts of the world, things are very different. And in America, Spanish communities and ethnic parishes (like Italian) are super friendly. Also, in America, it depends on the parish and community demographics.

If you live in Palm Beach County, FL, where everyone is from some place else, he communities are very friendly and the parishes are very welcoming. But if you move to a place where everyone has known everyone for 50 years, and they are not in “I need friends mode,” parishenors may not notice new people (esp if the parish is several hundreds or thousands people in size).

That’s why at my parish, after every mass, the Pastor invites new parishenors to meet him after each mass.

Because Catholic parishes are typical geographical, they tend to have people from all walks of life, with different spiritual needs, different likes, different economic/social status, etc. So the fellowship interests and activities are not always going to match everyone’s likes. On the other hand, Protestants tend to “church shop” and pick a church that fits their personality and likes. Catholics don’t usually do that (though in some areas they are starting to do that) and historically did not. Again, this is because Catholic parishes have geographic boundaries. While a Catholic can attend Mass at any Catholic Church, the major sacraments (baptism, first reconciliation, first communion, confirmation, marriage, all typically must take place in your “home parish.” Also visitation of the home bound and funerals typically are reserved for people who live in the parish boundaries too. The point is, most Catholics don’t pick their parish they go to the one they one in, like public school districts; while Protestants typically pick their church and frankly MOST Protestant churches are smaller than Catholic parishes.

Furthermore, Catholics tend to have fellowship activities during the week and not on Sundays. So after mass, people might say hello to people they know, but they tend to be focused on heading home or to brunch, grandma’s etc to spend time with family.

However, parishes that have a lot of transplants or converts often have many donut Sunday’s and other fellowship activities after mass. This is because in these parishes, the parish knows that many parishenors may not have other family / friends to spend The Lord’s Day with. But in areas where parishes are filled with cradle Catholic who have lived their whole lives in the area… Most parishenors are leaving to spend time with their Catholic family members and many of them still have Sunday traditions (brunch, dinner with grandma, etc).

As for a priest not having time for a non-Catholic; I don’t know. Maybe father was having a bad day? But I do know some older Catholic lay people (and I have met some) who are “afraid” of Protestants because they have seen friends and/or family members leave the Church over mis-information about what Catholics believe and don’t believe. So some of them might come across a little cold. But that’s not the majority of people in the pews.

Finally, I can’t understand why a priest would not marry you unless BOTH you and your wife were not practicing Catholics. A priest might say no to a wedding if he felt that the only reason you were getting married in a Catholic Church was to satisfy a mother or grandmother, but if your wife was a practicing Catholic there shouldn’t be a reason to deny the wedding (again, unless he felt you didn’t believe the vows or there was an impediment)

God Bless

 

[WJeffrey]

Welcome Home, Nat!

 

[10gr8kids]

I can only write about the differences I have experienced between Protestant and Catholic worship - in the best tradition of both.

For me, a loved filled Protestant worship is like going on a picnic in the mountains with family and friends and being part of a wonderful picnic, praising God and enjoying the fellowship of like believers.

For me, Catholic worship is like leaving the party, going beneath the tall dark pines and listening to God’s voice in the wind.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

I’m not comfortable with Pentecostal either. Just try a mainline church - such Reformed Evangelical Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Anglican.

I think we have a couple of conversations going on here. One is the style of worship. Is it free form, such as the one the OP described? Somewhat structured, such as a Methodist or Presbyterian service, where you have Scripture readings, prayers, the sermon, etc. Or is it liturgical, such as a Roman Catholic mass, Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern rites? All three are very different in style. And we should probably know what makes each style unique and to our taste (or not to our taste). Me? I am liturgical all the way. When I go into non-liturgical services, I tend to lose my focus a bit.

Anyway, the second conversation is about hospitality and welcoming during and after the service. We all have our stories and reasons why we think some congregations tend to be more welcoming than others. I have been in Catholic churches where the minute mass was over, people shot up out of their pews and were out of there. The sanctuary was empty in no time flat. And I come from a tradition where we have coffee hour and people stay and schmooze.So much for that! I have also been in Presbyterian churches where visitors were asked to stand up and introduce themselves at the beginning of the service, which made want to cringe. It really all depends, I think.

So it seems to me that finding the right mixture of style of worship and friendliness of the people is important.

 

[nat_c1990]

Thanks for all the helpful and positive comments everyone.

and HelenRose, I loved the comparison you made.

 

[ltwin]

I talked a little bit about this in a different thread but for anyone that didn’t see it, I will explain my situation.

Sounds like you were attending a Pentecostal/charismatic church. It isn’t for everyone.

There are a lot of things this church does that I do not agree with. For one, there is no structure whatsoever. If at any time during the service, a member of the church wants to come up in front of everyone and speak, they are allowed to do so.

Well, if you’re coming from a Baptist church, it may seem like there is no structure, but there probably is a lot of structure you’re just not picking up on. It maybe nuanced, but given enough time in that church you’d likely learn the ropes.

The reason for the lack of any formal structure is rooted in our reading of Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 14:26 Paul speaks of “each one” having a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, etc. for building up.

The pastor’s reasoning is that if the Holy Spirit is calling someone to say something, he doesn’t want to interfere with that.

Yes, we do not want to “quench the Spirit” or to “despise prophecies” in the language of 1 Thessalonians 5:19. At the same time, we should “test everything and hold fast to what is good.”

I won’t make judgments about the specific church since I don’t know how they operate, but that is some of the thinking behind it.

 

[rcwitness]

Thanks for the replies, guys!

My husband has been studying Catholicism for the past year or so and he says he has known for a while now that he would eventually convert to Catholicism. Growing up Protestant, we both have heard a lot of negative things about Catholics (they don’t believe in Jesus, they worship Mary, they worship statues,etc…) but when we actually started doing the research on our own, we realized that basically everything we have ever been taught about Catholicism was a lie. After attending Mass last Sunday, it just kind of confirmed everything we have learned and we have actually already decided to become members there. I’m really excited about it and I feel like I’m finally where I am supposed to be!

I grew up non-denom/Evangelical Free, and I was rather ignorant of Church history and where we came from. I had a little resentment about it, but it wasn’t an agenda, so to speak. It was more of them not knowing. And I appreciated the Scripture I learned.

I did have some funny impressions, not unlike yours, about Catholicism. It took a friend I worked with to answer question and refer me to listen to the likes of Fr. John Corp and Dr. Scott Hahn. They dispelled many misconseptions I had, and just opened my eyes a bit about “the whole” Bible and the Church’s history, devotion, and interpretation of all of Sacred Tradition.

So, like yourselves, I went to Mass (after trying some local churches) and prayed for Jesus to open my heart. I heard a lot of Scripture and a very Christmas oriented worship. I also felt order and a sense of global (universal) worship. We participate with the Mass, as opposed to a lot of singing or a bible study.

So I looked at the bulletin and saw the information about RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation). I went, and was fortunate to meet with a very wise, kind, patient, Christian man.

I knew it was where I wanted to be, from then on.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

… Growing up Protestant, we both have heard a lot of negative things about Catholics (they don’t believe in Jesus, they worship Mary, they worship statues,etc…) but when we actually started doing the research on our own, we realized that basically everything we have ever been taught about Catholicism was a lie…

I was never bothered much by anti-Catholicism as I didn’t become a Christian till I was 28 (in the real sense) and the first (and outstanding) pastor wasn’t particularly anti-Catholic.

In any case my father was Catholic by birth (he lost his faith, but by the same token he once remarked to me that if there is a “real Church”, it was the Catholic Church. His sarcastic comment was that “the Protestants can’t even agree among themselves what they believe!”). So I didn’t grow up with an anti-Catholic attitude at home either. On the other hand, I didn’t grow up with a Christian home atmosphere either.

The old pastor also said to me “… Protestants tell a lot of lies about Catholics and the Catholic Church …” and in an echo of my father’s comment, remarked “When it comes to theology, Protestants couldn’t agree how far to spit!”

And he was Protestant!

I think GK Chesterton is on record somewhere as saying “they (Protestants) lied merrily all day long…” or something to that effect, in regards to their attitude to Catholics.

Having said all that, I sometimes think Catholics could put a bit more effort into the music side of things, but I’m being a bit hypocritical as I’m not putting much effort into it myself at the moment. My wife goes to a Baptist Church, and they put a *lot *of effort into their music. On the other hand, they wouldn’t tolerate for a minute a woman going up and grabbing the microphone to give her exalted opinion.

 

[TC3033]

I don’t want to sidetrack this, but I felt a reply was warranted for you, the OP, and future readers of this thread.

From what I’ve experenced I think the “unfriendly” vibe is an American (English speaking) thing, it’s not world wide. In other parts of the world, things are very different. And in America, Spanish communities and ethnic parishes (like Italian) are super friendly. Also, in America, it depends on the parish and community demographics.

If you live in Palm Beach County, FL, where everyone is from some place else, he communities are very friendly and the parishes are very welcoming. But if you move to a place where everyone has known everyone for 50 years, and they are not in “I need friends mode,” parishenors may not notice new people (esp if the parish is several hundreds or thousands people in size).

That’s why at my parish, after every mass, the Pastor invites new parishenors to meet him after each mass.

Because Catholic parishes are typical geographical, they tend to have people from all walks of life, with different spiritual needs, different likes, different economic/social status, etc. So the fellowship interests and activities are not always going to match everyone’s likes. On the other hand, Protestants tend to “church shop” and pick a church that fits their personality and likes. Catholics don’t usually do that (though in some areas they are starting to do that) and historically did not. Again, this is because Catholic parishes have geographic boundaries. While a Catholic can attend Mass at any Catholic Church, the major sacraments (baptism, first reconciliation, first communion, confirmation, marriage, all typically must take place in your “home parish.” Also visitation of the home bound and funerals typically are reserved for people who live in the parish boundaries too. The point is, most Catholics don’t pick their parish they go to the one they one in, like public school districts; while Protestants typically pick their church and frankly MOST Protestant churches are smaller than Catholic parishes.

Furthermore, Catholics tend to have fellowship activities during the week and not on Sundays. So after mass, people might say hello to people they know, but they tend to be focused on heading home or to brunch, grandma’s etc to spend time with family.

However, parishes that have a lot of transplants or converts often have many donut Sunday’s and other fellowship activities after mass. This is because in these parishes, the parish knows that many parishenors may not have other family / friends to spend The Lord’s Day with. But in areas where parishes are filled with cradle Catholic who have lived their whole lives in the area… Most parishenors are leaving to spend time with their Catholic family members and many of them still have Sunday traditions (brunch, dinner with grandma, etc).

As for a priest not having time for a non-Catholic; I don’t know. Maybe father was having a bad day? But I do know some older Catholic lay people (and I have met some) who are “afraid” of Protestants because they have seen friends and/or family members leave the Church over mis-information about what Catholics believe and don’t believe. So some of them might come across a little cold. But that’s not the majority of people in the pews.

Finally, I can’t understand why a priest would not marry you unless BOTH you and your wife were not practicing Catholics. A priest might say no to a wedding if he felt that the only reason you were getting married in a Catholic Church was to satisfy a mother or grandmother, but if your wife was a practicing Catholic there shouldn’t be a reason to deny the wedding (again, unless he felt you didn’t believe the vows or there was an impediment)

God Bless

We’ve actually “Parrish Shopped”, but there isn’t much to choose from here. My wife hasn’t like how I’ve been treated as well, so we’ve moved back and forth a bit. It doesn’t help that we only have two Parrishes to choose from.

The Father at the Parrish in town was so anti non-Catholic we went to her home Parrish in the country. But when I started getting asterisked and singled out from Parrish acivities she didn’t want to stay there. We ended up coming back into town. The new Father there seems to be more progressive, but I still don’t feel welcome or comfortable there. Those feeling mainly come from being one of probably less than 5 non-Catholics in the entire Parrish, so I now stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[jane_doe]

I talked a little bit about this in a different thread but for anyone that didn’t see it, I will explain my situation. Jane just shortening this for length]

Nat,

(I’m a mind-reader here, so I’m just offering up some possibilities, you’ll know where you fit).

I would urge you NOT to join the Catholic church because of social reasons (music, layout, extra/introverted, etc). A real church is far more than a social club, and you can find a Baptist t/non-denom/etc to fit your social needs.

Rather, a proper reason you SHOULD join the Catholic church is if you feel in the core of your being that her teachings are true: that you hunger for the Eucharist, believe the pope is Christ’s representative on Earth, the perpetual virginity of Mary, etc. That is the true call of conversion.

 

[nat_c1990]

Nat,

(I’m a mind-reader here, so I’m just offering up some possibilities, you’ll know where you fit).

I would urge you NOT to join the Catholic church because of social reasons (music, layout, extra/introverted, etc). A real church is far more than a social club, and you can find a Baptist t/non-denom/etc to fit your social needs.

Rather, a proper reason you SHOULD join the Catholic church is if you feel in the core of your being that her teachings are true: that you hunger for the Eucharist, believe the pope is Christ’s representative on Earth, the perpetual virginity of Mary, etc. That is the true call of conversion.

I agree. And in fact, I have been to Baptist churches that were more structured and made me feel more comfortable than the non denominational church that I went to. However, I can’t honestly say that any of those churches made me feel like they were 100% right for me. I’ve always kind of questioned some of the Protestant teachings. For example, all my life I’ve heard that through faith in Jesus alone, you’re saved and you will go to heaven. A lot of people like to refer to the bible verse John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. But I have always felt like there was something missing. I had always heard that good works dont play a part in your salvation but something about that just didn’t really seem right to me.

Then I started reading about Catholicism and found out they believe that both good works and faith play a part in our salvation. It’s funny how in school I would always hear the bible verse John 3:16 but I don’t ever remember my teachers talking about the verses James 2:22,24 which states “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works” and that “a person is justified by works and not faith alone”.

Also the fact that there are seven books that were taken out of the Bible during the Protestant Reformation. There’s the book of Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Macabees, Baruch, Sirach, and Wisdom. Growing up Protestant, I’d never seen any of these books in any Bible or even heard about them. The Catholic Bible, however, includes all of these books. I think that says a lot about the Catholic teaching.

So yes I do think that what the Catholic Church teaches is the truth, I do hunger for the Eucharist, I want to grow closer to Jesus. And I really feel like being part of the Catholic Church is the best way for me to do that. All the other stuff I mentioned about them, like the fact that they are more structured and things like that, that’s just a bonus. I believe I would go there regardless because I do believe that what they teach is the truth. I appreciate you for making that comment though because it is important to always remember the true meaning for why we go to church, which is to grow closer to the Lord.

 

[jane_doe]

I agree. And in fact, I have been to Baptist churches that were more structured and made me feel more comfortable than the non denominational church that I went to. However, I can’t honestly say that any of those churches made me feel like they were 100% right for me. I’ve always kind of questioned some of the Protestant teachings. For example, all my life I’ve heard that through faith in Jesus alone, you’re saved and you will go to heaven. A lot of people like to refer to the bible verse John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. But I have always felt like there was something missing. I had always heard that good works dont play a part in your salvation but something about that just didn’t really seem right to me.

Then I started reading about Catholicism and found out they believe that both good works and faith play a part in our salvation. It’s funny how in school I would always hear the bible verse John 3:16 but I don’t ever remember my teachers talking about the verses James 2:22,24 which states “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works” and that “a person is justified by works and not faith alone”.

Also the fact that there are seven books that were taken out of the Bible during the Protestant Reformation. There’s the book of Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Macabees, Baruch, Sirach, and Wisdom. Growing up Protestant, I’d never seen any of these books in any Bible or even heard about them. The Catholic Bible, however, includes all of these books. I think that says a lot about the Catholic teaching.

So yes I do think that what the Catholic Church teaches is the truth, I do hunger for the Eucharist, I want to grow closer to Jesus. And I really feel like being part of the Catholic Church is the best way for me to do that. All the other stuff I mentioned about them, like the fact that they are more structured and things like that, that’s just a bonus. I believe I would go there regardless because I do believe that what they teach is the truth. I appreciate you for making that comment though because it is important to always remember the true meaning for why we go to church, which is to grow closer to the Lord.

I am happy for you Good sailing on your journey.