Mass followed by fellowship hour at a Protestant Parish?

[Solomonson]

My brother asked me to help him with coffee on Easter Sunday at his Protestant parish which is about six blocks from my parish. Their “coffee social” begins a half hour after my Mass lets out and I had nothing else going on so I agreed.

I had a fun time! I saw a lot of good people I know. While his parish isn’t quite a large as my Catholic parish, it’s still huge and we dispensed a great deal of coffee, working alongside the “muffin people”, the hot chocolate people, the fruit people, etc.

His parish is extremely “Christian lite.” It’s in no way anti-Catholic. It’s more like a giant prayer and singing group that gets together on Sundays. They have no real liturgy at all.

I very much enjoy fellowship with other Christians and am now thinking about taking part in their coffee social anytime my brother has “coffee duty.” I asked if he could use the help and he said “SURE!” Can anyone think of any downside to this?

Before anyone says I should put my efforts towards a coffee social at my parish, a coffee social is not going to happen anytime soon there, whether or not I am involved. That much I am certain of.

 

[po18guy]

As long as you are strong in your Catholic faith, this is perfect! Certainly a number of them are fallen away Catholics, right? Well, by your charitable example, you demonstrate the joy of Christ dwelling within you. If anyone asks, tell them that your Christian brother asked for help, so your love of God compelled you to assist. Still, be prepared to defend your faith with again, all charity (1 Peter 3:15).

 

[dshix]

I wonder if the pastor of that community is also not anti-Catholic… Would be remarkable if somehow he could be converted, and then lead his whole community along with him.

 

[Solomonson]

As long as you are strong in your Catholic faith, this is perfect! Certainly a number of them are fallen away Catholics, right? Well, by your charitable example, you demonstrate the joy of Christ dwelling within you. If anyone asks, tell them that your Christian brother asked for help, so your love of God compelled you to assist. Still, be prepared to defend your faith with again, all charity (1 Peter 3:15).

That’s what I am thinking. 1 of 7 Sunday Masses at my parish has doughnuts after Mass, but only 8-9 months out of the year and it’s a rather painful, poorly attended event. People better than I have tried to start coffee socials after other Masses but they were either non-starters or failed for a variety of reasons. So I think this might be a solution.

I did see a few faces that I used to see at my parish years ago so I would have to deduce that they are fallen away Catholics.

 

[Solomonson]

I wonder if the pastor of that community is also not anti-Catholic… Would be remarkable if somehow he could be converted, and then lead his whole community along with him.

If I decide to help with their coffee socials from time to time, I would never tolerate being proselytized nor would I dare try to proselytize someone else there.

 

[ConfusedLucy]

I used to do this at husbands church from time to time. We had friends there and it was nice to catch up with people. I do think it’s important tobe open with them that you are Catholic though but it’s probably not going to be.a problem for anyone.

 

[SMHW]

That’s what I am thinking. 1 of 7 Sunday Masses at my parish has doughnuts after Mass, but only 8-9 months out of the year and it’s a rather painful, poorly attended event. People better than I have tried to start coffee socials after other Masses but they were either non-starters or failed for a variety of reasons.

That’s too bad.

We don’t have a formal coffee social at my parish but we do have coffee and donuts after Sunday Mass almost every week. While the majority of the people don’t hang around there would be a substantial number of unhappy people if the coffee and donuts went away.

The fact that our Church has a large courtyard/gathering area with tables and chairs does help.

 

[Solomonson]

I used to do this at husbands church from time to time. We had friends there and it was nice to catch up with people. I do think it’s important tobe open with them that you are Catholic though but it’s probably not going to be.a problem for anyone.

They would know I was Catholic and what parish I went to. No question about that.

 

[Solomonson]

That’s too bad.

We don’t have a formal coffee social at my parish but we do have coffee and donuts after Sunday Mass almost every week. While the majority of the people don’t hang around there would be a substantial number of unhappy people if the coffee and donuts went away.

The fact that our Church has a large courtyard/gathering area with tables and chairs does help.

Whenever anyone tries to start something new – say doughnuts and coffee after the 8:00 AM Mass, there are two huge hurdles. First, getting the pastor’s approval. That can be difficult for a number of reasons, but it is doable.

Second, when someone tries to start a new ministry (even with the pastor’s approval), the existing lay insiders will do all they can do to take over the ministry – even if they would have to come from another Mass to do so. I suspect they feel it infringes on their turf.

Once they have taken over any ministry, it’ll be dead in 3-6 months. Not necessarily because of malice, but because they’re not good at leading ministries and it just crumbles around them. It’s a terrible problem.

Ironically, the Protestant parish I’m talking about, once gave a seminar for the hospitality committee at my parish on how to provide fellowship after Mass. This happened almost 10 years ago. It had no impact.

FWIW, we have the space and resources to support a fine fellowship opportunity after every Mass.

 

[Rosebud77]

If I decide to help with their coffee socials from time to time, I would never tolerate being proselytized nor would I dare try to proselytize someone else there.

Thank you. For your respect which is a grace and a blessing to you and to all you meet.

 

[Rosebud77]

Cannot each of us simply invite a few others home or to a cafe after Mass?

 

[dshix]

If I decide to help with their coffee socials from time to time, I would never tolerate being proselytized nor would I dare try to proselytize someone else there.

I understand your discomfort with the idea, but I must ask: what is the source of it?

The fact is that Protestants lack the fullness of faith. Strictly speaking, they are heretics, though would never refer to them as such to their faces, since they had no intention of personally becoming heretics.

It is a mercy to share your faith with them. The manner in which you do so should, of course, be dictated by the social context and the norms of polite society, but to say that you would not share your faith with them, on principle, is contrary to the spirit of Christian evangelization.

 

[SMHW]

I understand your discomfort with the idea, but I must ask: what is the source of it?

The fact is that Protestants lack the fullness of faith. Strictly speaking, they are heretics, though would never refer to them as such to their faces, since they had no intention of personally becoming heretics.

It is a mercy to share your faith with them. The manner in which you do so should, of course, be dictated by the social context and the norms of polite society, but to say that you would not share your faith with them, on principle, is contrary to the spirit of Christian evangelization.

Evangelizing and proselytizing are not the same thing.

One can evangelize without trying to convert another. I would imagine that Solomonson has no problem sharing what he believes if he is asked.

 

[dshix]

Evangelizing and proselytizing are not the same thing.

One can evangelize without trying to convert another. I would imagine that Solomonson has no problem sharing what he believes if he is asked.

Well, Solomonson responded to my first post and used the word “proselytizing”, when I brought up no such thing. And evangelization is not only about sharing when you are “asked”, but also doing so proactively.

 

[Solomonson]

I understand your discomfort with the idea, but I must ask: what is the source of it?

The fact is that Protestants lack the fullness of faith. Strictly speaking, they are heretics, though would never refer to them as such to their faces, since they had no intention of personally becoming heretics.

It is a mercy to share your faith with them. The manner in which you do so should, of course, be dictated by the social context and the norms of polite society, but to say that you would not share your faith with them, on principle, is contrary to the spirit of Christian evangelization.

It would be incredibly bad form to offer to help with their coffee social and then try to use it as an opportunity to proselytize. In brief, it would be terribly bad mannered.

I would be helping them and in turn, they would be providing the Christian fellowship that my parish (and many Catholic parishes) do not provide.

Evangelizing (bringing someone to Christ Jesus) is a lot different than proselytizing (encouraging someone to change their Christian religion.) Here is what the Pope has to say about it:

catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/pope-churchs-mission-is-to-attract-people-to-christ-not-proselytize.cfm

 

[SMHW]

Well, Solomonson responded to my first post and used the word “proselytizing”, when I brought up no such thing. And evangelization is not only about sharing when you are “asked”, but also doing so proactively.

But as you suggest in a previous post, certain social situations would call for different types of evangelization.

If it occurred on their property, I would consider the unsolicited sharing of a Catholic position that significantly differed from a Protestant position to be proselytizing.

If the Catholic position was more or less the same as the Protestant position then it is more a matter of fellow-shipping.

 

[dshix]

It would be incredibly bad form to offer to help with their coffee social and then try to use it as an opportunity to proselytize. In brief, it would be terribly bad mannered.

I would be helping them and in turn, they would be providing the Christian fellowship that my parish (and many Catholic parishes) do not provide.

Evangelizing (bringing someone to Christ Jesus) is a lot different than proselytizing (encouraging someone to change their Christian religion.) Here is what the Pope has to say about it:

catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/pope-churchs-mission-is-to-attract-people-to-christ-not-proselytize.cfm

I do not disagree with you in that one should not show disrespect in the manner of sharing one’s faith. But I think you are narrowing the definition of “evangelizing” far too much.

It’s hard to describe the difference between “evangelizing” and “proselytizing” since the two mean very similar things; the main difference is that “proselytizing” has a negative connotation of trying to push your beliefs on others in an unwelcoming manner, and “evangelizing” has a positive connotation of trying to share your beliefs in a friendly manner.

One must ALWAYS exercise the virtue of prudence when trying to show others that their faith is incomplete and lead them to the fullness of truth. I made this clear already. Different people have the ability to do so in different ways.

My point is that we should not feel that we “cannot” or “should not” ever try to share Catholicism in the context that is being discussed in this thread. Even though you are a guest of theirs, it does not mean that you should lock away all things Catholic! So long as you can be prudent and kind, it would be very profitable and virtuous to have discussions with people there about doctrine.

 

[Solomonson]

I wonder if the pastor of that community is also not anti-Catholic… Would be remarkable if somehow he could be converted, and then lead his whole community along with him.

That would be classic proselytizing. I would never do that while helping at their coffee social.

 

[dshix]

That would be classic proselytizing. I would never do that while helping at their coffee social.

In that post in particular, I wasn’t really intending to say you should try to convert the pastor. I was actually speaking more in the sense of a hypothetical.

You adapted the conversation to talk about “proselytizing” people at the social, so I then also joined in that discussion.

 

[Solomonson]

Cannot each of us simply invite a few others home or to a cafe after Mass?

I do go to breakfast every month or two with members from my parish to the local Elk’s Lodge.

Even if the 08:00 Mass I attend had coffee and doughnuts afterwards, I doubt many would attend. As a group we seem to be fairly hardened, largely because fellowship has long been neglected at my Mass.

Even when the 09:30 Mass has coffee and doughnuts, it’s a rather strained and embarrassing event. Clergy never attend, there seems to be a lot of bickering among those “in charge” and it’s just kinda sad.