Horrible mass experience

[Redratfish]

First off let me say I like the OF form of the Mass when it is done at my home parish, and a parish close to my house. I think when done properly it is just as reverant as an EF Mass.

That said:

Today at the end of my Diocesan Catholic Youth conference, the Bishop arrived to say Mass. Also, keep in mind this was still in the same building as the conference, so people still had the partying atmostphere. When the music began playing, instead of singing, there was clapping moving back and forth almost to the point of dancing in the aisles, and acting as if the conference never ended. Also, the songs were sung in Spanish with no translation at all, and then some songs were in English, making it difficult to know what we were suppose to sing. Finally, I know a few of you on this forum has discussed the organ vs the guitar as liturgical music, and after this Mass, I must agree. The guitar felt out of place, and not reverant at all. I honestly felt like I was at a Protestant service.

The bishop in his normal fashion delievered a very weak homily (but I’ve come to expect this from him). The rest of the mass followed as i have mentioned, and I was quite disappointed.

The only silver lining in this was for the first time I decided to recieve on the tounge, and I must say it feels different, but in a good way

I do not think there were any abuses per se, but for the first time at a OF Mass, I felt as if there was.

I apologize if this offends anyone, as I said before this I was an advocate of the OF, but if this is how it is celebrated in most other Churches in my area, I must agree with those who prefer the EF form for its reverence. I just needed to vent

 

[Oneofthewomen]

I’m sorry if this sounds judgmental- I am not judging you, but the attitude.

Any Mass in which I receive my Lord & Savior, IMHO, cannot be described as horrible.

There are many things that may not suit my personal tastes, and I am learning to offer those up.

I am in the process of trying to validate my marriage through Radical Sanation-
if this is not granted, I will have to refrain from receiving, probably for the rest of my life.

So Mass wasn’t perfect, at least you were able to receive Jesus.
If He was there, that’s all that matters.

 

[corsair]

My heart goes out to the poster and I disagree with oneofthewomen. This will probably make the “Mod” mad, but a Mass celebrated in a non-reverent manner can indeed be “horrible”.

 

[PatriceA]

Although I can sympathize with the OP, there’s a part of me that wants to say “what did you really expect?” Any Catholic conference that I’ve ever attended that had a Mass during its program has always been a little disorganized and a little bit out of the ordinary or less reverant than one held in in a typical Church structure. From the time I was involved in youth ministry to the more recent years that I’ve attended adult Catholic conferences, I’ve just come to expect that the Mass experience at these conferences is not going to be “follow the book” and just go with the flow. I may never see these fellow Catholics again, but at least I get to share Jesus with them in an unusual setting for a brief period.

 

[Will_S]

I am in the process of trying to validate my marriage through Radical Sanation-
if this is not granted, I will have to refrain from receiving, probably for the rest of my life.

You would only have to refrain from receiving if you are living in sin, so I’m just not getting why anyone would decide to continue to live in sin with a high probability of eternal damnation after death rather than just stop living in sin.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

You would only have to refrain from receiving if you are living in sin, so I’m just not getting why anyone would decide to continue to live in sin with a high probability of eternal damnation after death rather than just stop living in sin.

I am not going to derail this thread with my private business.

Suffice it to say, there are quite a few extenuating circumstances-
and that I love my husband enough to trust that, in the end,
God will take care of everything. However, it is not God who will make this decision,
it is my Bishop. I can only pray that my request is granted, if not, I will humbly submit to the consequences.

 

[Corki]

I’m sorry if this sounds judgmental- I am not judging you, but the attitude.

Any Mass in which I receive my Lord & Savior, IMHO, cannot be described as horrible.

There are many things that may not suit my personal tastes, and I am learning to offer those up.

The OP didn’t say the Mass was horrible, he said his experience of the Mass was horrible.

Offering it up is great but there is a lot to be said for the beauty and reverence of a well said Mass, OF or EF. All Masses are not equal in beauty even if all have valid Consecration and opportunity to receive Communion.

 

[Jim_Roberts]

Your bishop aalong with the Holy Spirit will make whatever decision arises. So, do not blame and say it is the bishop’s final decision, he has to look at facts and other material prior to making a decision

I am sure after all is given, the Bishop does pray to the Holy Spirit for a beneficial decision.

So, please do not blame your BIshop.

 

[Joan1969]

First off let me say I like the OF form of the Mass when it is done at my home parish, and a parish close to my house. I think when done properly it is just as reverant as an EF Mass.

That said:

… When the music began playing, instead of singing, there was clapping moving back and forth almost to the point of dancing in the aisles, and acting as if the conference never ended. Also, the songs were sung in Spanish with no translation at all, and then some songs were in English, making it difficult to know what we were suppose to sing. Finally, I know a few of you on this forum has discussed the organ vs the guitar as liturgical music, and after this Mass, I must agree. The guitar felt out of place, and not reverant at all. I honestly felt like I was at a Protestant service…

…I do not think there were any abuses per se, but for the first time at a OF Mass, I felt as if there was.

Hi Red,

I can sympathize, but I would not use the word “horrible”; it is just too strong a term for any of the things you described. If there were outright sacrilege and/or an invalid Mass, then the term could have been used. But not for music and behaviors that are merely inappropriate for use in Mass.

God Bless,
Joan

 

[karow]

We none of us should be going to Mass to have an “experience.” Mass isn’t the theater or a Michelin restaurant, places where one can reasonably expect to have a good or bad experience.

To be able to take Holy Communion and stand in awe of Christ’s sacrifice for us is the purpose of Mass in all of its forms. So, if you had the opportunity to partake of the Eucharist and you did indeed do so, I don’t know how you could describe that Mass, any Mass, as a “horrible experience.”

 

[Crusader4Christ]

While I do agree with the OP, I am puzzled as to the Spanish songs. Was this a mostly Hispanic conference? If so, the Church has leniency towards different cultures music and yes even celebratory customs. Clapping in Hispanic Music is part of their culture, and widely accepted in most Hispanic Liturgy. That being said, I can see where you are coming from (don’t get me started on one of our local parishes). However, we must see what the end goal is. Obviously some people will find this sort of celebration bringing them closer to God, while others like you and myself will see it as a distraction, or even offensive. A line must be drawn, but that is not for us to draw, and since I don’t know the entire context, I won’t make a specific judgement at this time.

God Bless!

 

[Oneofthewomen]

Your bishop aalong with the Holy Spirit will make whatever decision arises. So, do not blame and say it is the bishop’s final decision, he has to look at facts and other material prior to making a decision

I am sure after all is given, the Bishop does pray to the Holy Spirit for a beneficial decision.

So, please do not blame your BIshop.

Not blaming the Bishop at all, just stating that the final decision falls on him, a human being. I know him personally, I like him, and it is not his fault that I am in this mess to begin with.
Yes, he will be guided by the Holy Spirit, I don’t doubt that at all.
After all it is God’s will be done, not mine.

Please I don’t not want to derail this thread with my issues.
I only included them in my post, because it hit me today that,
depending the outcome, I may not be able to receive communion.
Armed with that knowledge, I will never take for granted a Mass again,
even if it is not celebrated with the reverence & respect that*** I think ***it should be.

 

[TheMc]

My heart goes out to the poster and I disagree with oneofthewomen. This will probably make the “Mod” mad, but a Mass celebrated in a non-reverent manner can indeed be “horrible”.

Indeed. We should not be content with a valid consecration. The Mass needs to be celebrated reverently ALWAYS.

I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again: We need the holy fear of worship and of God from Old Testament times.

 

[Prodigal_Son1]

If the guitar felt out of place, it makes me wonder what the early Church would have thought about organ music?

 

[Sarahforgiven]

Ok, we have guitar at one service it is great, up in the loft, very reverent. I am a little convicted over asking this, but has anyone noticed a trend in people bringing pets to Mass? Today there was this small dog at Mass in one of those pet purse type things. I was like ok, maybe the lady can’t leave the dog alone, or maybe it is for a health reason, or maybe she was on the way out of town & had to bring the dog.



Anyway the pup was quiet through the whole Mass, I just thought maybe this was a trend.
Maybe it is customary in some places.
Gave me a chuckle, & I had to laugh at myself. This is one of the reasons I sit in the front at Mass.

 

[benedictgal]

We none of us should be going to Mass to have an “experience.” Mass isn’t the theater or a Michelin restaurant, places where one can reasonably expect to have a good or bad experience.

To be able to take Holy Communion and stand in awe of Christ’s sacrifice for us is the purpose of Mass in all of its forms. So, if you had the opportunity to partake of the Eucharist and you did indeed do so, I don’t know how you could describe that Mass, any Mass, as a “horrible experience.”

However, sometimes the Mass can be poorly celebrated. When this happens, an injustice to the integrity of the Holy Sacrifice is committed.

It is interesting that even the Fathers (many of whom were bishops) of the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist recognized the deficiencies that occur in Masses celebrated for youth.
Here is what they observed:

In other responses some lamented the poor quality of translations of liturgical texts and many musical texts in current languages, maintaining that they lacked beauty and were sometimes theologically unclear, thereby contributing to a weakening of Church teaching and to a misunderstanding of prayer. A few responses made particular mention of music and singing at Youth Masses. In this regard, it is important to avoid musical forms which, because of their profane use, are not conducive to prayer. Some responses note a certain eagerness in composing new songs, to the point of almost yielding to a consumer mentality, showing little concern for the quality of the music and text, and easily overlooking the artistic patrimony which has been theologically and musically effective in the Church’s liturgy.

We should also call to mind what Redemptionis Sacramentum says regarding the proper celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass:

it is the right of all of Christ’s faithful that the Liturgy, and in particular the celebration of Holy Mass, should truly be as the Church wishes, according to her stipulations as prescribed in the liturgical books and in the other laws and norms. Likewise, the Catholic people have the right that the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass should be celebrated for them in an integral manner, according to the entire doctrine of the Church’s Magisterium. Finally, it is the Catholic community’s right that the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist should be carried out for it in such a manner that it truly stands out as a sacrament of unity, to the exclusion of all blemishes and actions that might engender divisions and factions in the Church.32

I would submit that young people also have the right to a properly celebrated Mass.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

Ok, we have guitar at one service it is great, up in the loft, very reverent. I am a little convicted over asking this, but has anyone noticed a trend in people bringing pets to Mass? Today there was this small dog at Mass in one of those pet purse type things. I was like ok, maybe the lady can’t leave the dog alone, or maybe it is for a health reason, or maybe she was on the way out of town & had to bring the dog.



Anyway the pup was quiet through the whole Mass, I just thought maybe this was a trend.
Maybe it is customary in some places.
Gave me a chuckle, & I had to laugh at myself. This is one of the reasons I sit in the front at Mass.

I live in a diocese not known for its orthodoxy, and even I have never seen this!
I think this is one of those places where a line needs to be drawn-
service animals are one thing (and I have seen this),
but “purse-dogs”, come on, people!!

 

[Redratfish]

So Mass wasn’t perfect, at least you were able to receive Jesus.
If He was there, that’s all that matters.

Hi Red,

I can sympathize, but I would not use the word “horrible”; it is just too strong a term for any of the things you described. If there were outright sacrilege and/or an invalid Mass, then the term could have been used. But not for music and behaviors that are merely inappropriate for use in Mass.

God Bless,
Joan

Both of you are right, the Eucharist was actually the point of the conference itself, I posted while my emotions were still high. Thank you for the correction

We none of us should be going to Mass to have an “experience.” Mass isn’t the theater or a Michelin restaurant, places where one can reasonably expect to have a good or bad experience.

To be able to take Holy Communion and stand in awe of Christ’s sacrifice for us is the purpose of Mass in all of its forms. So, if you had the opportunity to partake of the Eucharist and you did indeed do so, I don’t know how you could describe that Mass, any Mass, as a “horrible experience.”

I completely agree with you, see above that I posted this while I was quite mad and didn’t control my emotion. That was part of why I was mad myself, during the bishops homily he was talking about how it was good that all of us are here to have the experience of “this and that”, and how he hopes this Mass will be an experience we will never forget (that was his whole homily). I see now that my post appears hypocritical, and I apologize for coming off that way.

Although I can sympathize with the OP, there’s a part of me that wants to say “what did you really expect?” Any Catholic conference that I’ve ever attended that had a Mass during its program has always been a little disorganized and a little bit out of the ordinary or less reverant than one held in in a typical Church structure. From the time I was involved in youth ministry to the more recent years that I’ve attended adult Catholic conferences, I’ve just come to expect that the Mass experience at these conferences is not going to be “follow the book” and just go with the flow. I may never see these fellow Catholics again, but at least I get to share Jesus with them in an unusual setting for a brief period.

Thats just it though, the past 2 years I attended this conference it was actually very reverent, or at least what one would expect from a conference with 20+ churches. This one however, seemed to toss any organization out of it

If the guitar felt out of place, it makes me wonder what the early Church would have thought about organ music?

Believe me, I have no problem with guitar at Mass, I have heard it played where it was beautiful. And even when it isn’t amazing i am ok with it. But this was like I would hear at a concert. In fact “Dont Stop Believing” by Journey was played. Which is a song I love, and can even see certainly see why it would be played during the conference. But at Church? It is difficult to explain, but this was beyond what I am use to.

While I do agree with the OP, I am puzzled as to the Spanish songs. Was this a mostly Hispanic conference? If so, the Church has leniency towards different cultures music and yes even celebratory customs. Clapping in Hispanic Music is part of their culture, and widely accepted in most Hispanic Liturgy. That being said, I can see where you are coming from (don’t get me started on one of our local parishes). However, we must see what the end goal is. Obviously some people will find this sort of celebration bringing them closer to God, while others like you and myself will see it as a distraction, or even offensive. A line must be drawn, but that is not for us to draw, and since I don’t know the entire context, I won’t make a specific judgement at this time.

God Bless!

There are around 4-5 Churches out of 20 there that was hispanic based, but I having attended a few of them before I know most of their Masses are in English. I appreciate you telling me that clapping is accepted, when I went to a spanish Mass this was not the case, but in the other Churches it might be.

You are correct, As I have said I spoke in haste, but since no instruction was given about it, it certainly caught me off guard.

Thanks everyone for your (name removed by moderator)ut!

 

[Sarahforgiven]

Well, like I said I just didn’t know what to think & don’t want to be judgmental … So almost didn’t want to post it, but it seemed so odd, like who would have thought …
So I have chosen to laugh instead. Christ must have had animals around when he was preaching & walking in the Holy Land.
Peace

 

[Redratfish]

Ok, we have guitar at one service it is great, up in the loft, very reverent. I am a little convicted over asking this, but has anyone noticed a trend in people bringing pets to Mass? Today there was this small dog at Mass in one of those pet purse type things. I was like ok, maybe the lady can’t leave the dog alone, or maybe it is for a health reason, or maybe she was on the way out of town & had to bring the dog.



Anyway the pup was quiet through the whole Mass, I just thought maybe this was a trend.
Maybe it is customary in some places.
Gave me a chuckle, & I had to laugh at myself. This is one of the reasons I sit in the front at Mass.

I do enjoy guitar at mass, but “Dont Stop Believing” by Journey should have been left at the conference IMO

HAHA I actually have seen this once before where the lady has a dog in her purse. The dog was well behaved, except when she left for communion where he whined a little bit. Personally, animals do not bother me, St. Francis preached to animals. But since it is in a building and it is a distraction to others, I don’t think people should bring them inside the Church. I know my cousins who live in the country outside their Church have a hitching post (yes, they are sterotypical cowboys) for horses