Finding a Church

[SuscipeMeDomine]

By checking masstimes.org you will find all Catholic Churches in the area, but you also run the risk of finding some that are Catholic in name only.

I think you’re treading on VERY thin ice here. If a parish is in union with the local bishop and the pope, it is Catholic. Period.

The liturgy may or may not be to your liking, the architecture may or may not be to your liking, the music may or may not be to your liking, the language may or may not be to your liking. It really doesn’t matter if you like it or not or if you would be happy to be a parishioner there or not. It’s still a Catholic Church. Period.

The last thing someone inquiring about the Catholic faith (as in the OP) needs is to be subjected to opinions about what is or isn’t sufficiently Catholic.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

By checking masstimes.org you will find all Catholic Churches in the area, but you also run the risk of finding some that are Catholic in name only.

The OP originally posted because he was interested in the Catholic Church and was being scared away by someone’s definition of what the liturgy should be. I don’t think it’s going to help him to add to that by calling churches Catholic in name only.

If a church is in union with the local bishop and the pope, it is Catholic. Period.

It doesn’t matter if it has a certain form of prayer available or not, a certain form of liturgy available or not, or a certain form of music available or not. If the diocese says it’s Catholic, then it’s Catholic. Period.

 

[FrDavid96]

Hi all,

Over the past year I’ve become deeply interested in Roman Catholicism and have been strongly considering being received into the Church. During this time I’ve been attending Mass on Sundays and Holy Days at a Cathedral- namely, Westminster Cathedral, London- that I felt I could strongly trust to conduct their Mass services in accordance with the requirements for Mass set by the RCC. But now that I’ve moved from London to North Carolina, I’m faced with the basic question of how I know that the Church I decide to attend is “the real deal”. Hopefully the sense of this expression is clear enough- I just want to make sure that the Church I attend is in full communion with the RCC and that its practices are in accordance with the requirements set by the RCC. There may be an easy answer to this, but I am admittedly a complete beginner.

One worry was flagged for me by this interesting article on music at Mass from Crisis Magazine: crisismagazine.com/2012/catholic-music-its-time-to-stop-making-stuff-up. The author writes,

“The second Vatican Council plainly stated: Gregorian chant is to have first place at Mass (Sacrosactum Concilium). This statement has profound significance if you understand something of the structure of the liturgy and the purpose and applicability of Gregorian chant within it… The trouble is that hardly anyone does understand this.”

So, for instance, insofar as this is right at least, I would want to make sure that the Church I decide to attend gives the proper place to Gregorian Chant in its Mass proceedings. What else do I need to be looking out for? Or should I only be worrying about whether a Church is in full communion with the RCC and assume that this takes care of the rest? If so, how does one make sure that a Church is in full communion with the RCC?

Any help is appreciated!

If you live in the western part of N.C. (roughly Interstate 73/74 and westward) the answer is here:
charlottediocese.org/index.php?option=com_parishessearch&view=parishlist

If you live in the eastern part of N.C. it’s here:
dioceseofraleigh.org/find-a-parish-by-map

Any parish listed there is a legitimate Catholic parish, in union with the local bishop and with the Holy See.

If you encounter any place not-listed, it is not-Catholic (regardless of what it might claim).

 

[Burning_Sapling]

Thanks to all for the very helpful replies! You’ve cleared up the issue as far as I’m concerned.