Mormon Missionaries at Mass Sat. Night

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Well, an interesting thing happened at my church Saturday night at the vigil Mass. Two Mormon missionaries came in and sat near my family and me, in a back row. They sat and stood as we did and I noticed they paid very close attention to the priest’s actions during the Eucharistic prayers. Even though I live in a heavily LDS area, I have never noticed the missionaries coming to see a Mass.

What do you think were their intentions? Do you think they have a Catholic they are working with? Is this standard? I haven’t talked to my priest yet about it.
 
Rockymom said:
Well, an interesting thing happened at my church Saturday night at the vigil Mass. Two Mormon missionaries came in and sat near my family and me, in a back row. They sat and stood as we did and I noticed they paid very close attention to the priest’s actions during the Eucharistic prayers. Even though I live in a heavily LDS area, I have never noticed the missionaries coming to see a Mass.

What do you think were their intentions? Do you think they have a Catholic they are working with? Is this standard? I haven’t talked to my priest yet about it.
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Are you sure they were LDS and not simply a couple of seekers?
 
Oh, yes. They were Mormon missionaries. I saw their name tags. We have a lot of them in our town and so I know what the name tags look like and made a point of looking for it. My entire family agreed they were. Dh is a former Mormon now Catholic.
 
you know…whatever the reason the two were there; it is great for them to be there to learn something about a Catholic Mass. Who knows they are seeking something and find the truth. 🙂

There are many out there who never know what a Catholic mass looks like, yet they speak as if they know a lot.

I hope that you would see them next time. It would be nice.
 
I bet they have a Catholic they are trying to convert…or maybe they were just curious… Let me know if you ask your priest! I would like to know!🙂
 
ask your preist and say what? The churhc is banned from no one… they didnt receiev communion unworthingly… they have just as much a right to be there as anyone else!
 
First time I attended a Catholic Mass was as a missionary in Lambayeque, Peru back in 1986. The cathedral was at least 300 years old. There was a strong scent of flowers and incense. I remember several statues of saints with arrows through them and some of the most bloody representations of Chirst I had ever seen.

I remember one little old lady sitting in front of the saint with the arrows through it, and saw how tears were in her eyes as she caressed the image.

My companion and I sat on the back row and listened to Mass. My favorite part was the guitar and the upbeat music. Because of the echo I couldn’t understand much of what the priest said. All of it was a bit overwhelming for a young kid from Bountiful, Utah.

Since then I’ve attended a Mass in the main cathedral in Puebla, Mexico. Had a Catholic friend with me on a climbing trip and we were in the Cathedral at the start of Mass. The highlight of that Mass was someone played the old pipe organ.

Went to another Mass in Oaxaca, Mexico. Some one in my wife’s family had a mass because they had their 15th birthday. I’ve even been to the Basilica to see the Virgin in Mexico City. Had to make sure I didn’t trip over the guys making the multiple block trip to the Basilica on their knees.

Sometimes I think the Catholocism you guys are talking about is not the same one I’m familiar with down in Mexico and South America. A couple of months ago I went to Mass here in Gallup becuase I had never heard it in English. My LDS friends have called me El Padre ever since.
 
I think it’s a wonderful blessing that these Mormon young men were able to behold a Catholic Mass. I’m sure we would be welcome in their churches too. Only their temple is forbidden, I think. I’ve met these young missionaries, they are very courteous young people who have always impressed me with their dedication.
 
IAMLDS said:
Sometimes I think the Catholocism you guys are talking about is not the same one I’m familiar with down in Mexico and South America. A couple of months ago I went to Mass here in Gallup becuase I had never heard it in English. My LDS friends have called me El Padre ever since.
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I’m sure you’re right about this, IAMLDS. Catholicism looks different in various places around the world. There are differences due to culture and national experience. The American version of Catholicism, like much of the rest of American culture, is white bread and sandwich-sliced cheese food product. We haven’t suffered the persecution that the poor Mexicans have endured over centuries of anti-clerical gov’t behaviors. Those people have had to have bloody knuckle Catholicism. Because of the lack of persecution here in the U.S., we tend to be less devout, and less attuned to the bloody nature of the sacrifice of the Cross.

Yet, for all the cultural variations of Catholicism, the doctrines and dogmas are identical whereever we go. All around the world, over a billion Catholics all obey the same teachings, listen to the same Pope, hear the same Mass, pray the same Rosary, eat the same Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
 
In my experience it’s nit unusual at all for mormon missionaries to attend services of other churches. sometimes it’s to seek potential converts, sometimes it’s just curiosity since many of these young people have not been exposed to other religions. I don’t see a problem with it at all. I would love to see more LDS missionaries attend mass. better yet more mormons in general attending mass. If everyone who professed a love for Christ attended mass regularly the world would be a lot better off. (and so would the people attending)
 
Actually, we’ve has Mormon missionaries coming to visit us for several months now. Usually my wife and I spend the whole time telling them about the Catholic Church. The last time they visited, one of them asked if he could come to one of our Masses. We gave them the Mass times and told them they were welcome anytime. However, as far as I know, they haven’t actually come to a Mass yet.

I think they may be trying to play this game of, “Well, we came to one of your services, so now you have to come to one of ours”. Because I noticed they keep trying to invite us to their social events or baptisms. I’m tempted to ask if they are inviting us to a baptism for a person who is actually living:D .
 
I think they may be trying to play this game of, “Well, we came to one of your services, so now you have to come to one of ours”.

I wondered if that was the case. Hopefully, some Catholic won’t feel obligated to go to theirs now.
 
Rockymom said:
I think they may be trying to play this game of, “Well, we came to one of your services, so now you have to come to one of ours”.

I wondered if that was the case. Hopefully, some Catholic won’t feel obligated to go to theirs now.
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When they ask me if I want to go to something, I just say, “Not really” without much explanation. Besides, we usually have something else going on and there is no way I would subject my children to their twisted and baseless belief system. I just don’t have much time for silliness anymore. You would think they would have gotten a clue by now. I certainly don’t believe I’ve done anything to lead them on.
 
The best thing to do is to pray for them that the sacrifice of the Mass will break their hearts and that they will come home.

Once, in the library, I over heard a man talking to his friends, and he said that he is not Christian but Jain (a small eastern religion), but since he had no temple where he lived, he would pray every morning in the local Catholic Church. I remember praying that he, just by being in the building, would be moved by God to come home. (This is also a reason why we need traditional churches rather than overly simple churches that can’t be distinguished from any other building!)
 
The elders visit different churches all the time. I’m not surprised when I hear that even though they ask about the times and such, they might not visit. They have very rigorous schedules and if the time doesn’t fit into their sunday plans, they may not be able to make it. Sunday is often the busiest day for an elder. Most missionaries will try to make it out to as many different churches as they can just so they can learn more about different religious customs - mostly looking for similarities with Mormonism because they try and talk only about things that will make Mormonism look positive to a potention “investigator.” The theory is that if you feel good when you are around them, you’re more likely to join. For that reason, they also leave out the part of the first vision where Satan attacks Joseph. Anyway, I suppose that’s getting a little off topic, but essentially the Elders are going for all the purposes I’ve seen listed in this thread.
 
This brings up an interesting problem that I had when I was a teenager in the early 1970’s. I loved the Walton’s. But the Walton’s were baptist. And since I was a good catholic as a boy, I had a desire to go into the baptist church to be like John-boy but I knew that it was a mortal sin to do so. And so I didn’t. Is it still a mortal sin to go into a different church?
 
isaac.madsen said:
The theory is that if you feel good when you are around them, you’re more likely to join. For that reason, they also leave out the part of the first vision where Satan attacks Joseph. Anyway, I suppose that’s getting a little off topic, but essentially the Elders are going for all the purposes I’ve seen listed in this thread.
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Isaac, I don’t know why people would join a different faith if they would feel bad around the people with a different faith. To feel good around people and see that the people are great and good people who have the peace of christ inside them would be a draw to want to know more regardless of the faith.

I knew about the devil’s appearance from the very beginning. That made the most sense to me.
 
why_me said:
This brings up an interesting problem that I had when I was a teenager in the early 1970’s. I loved the Walton’s. But the Walton’s were baptist. And since I was a good catholic as a boy, I had a desire to go into the baptist church to be like John-boy but I knew that it was a mortal sin to do so. And so I didn’t. Is it still a mortal sin to go into a different church?
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I hope not, because the pope’s going to be in trouble!

It is never a sin just to physically go inside another church, nor it is a sin to take part in their worship services, provided you do so cautiously and you don’t do anything that would violate the rules of the Church, or go against our faith. For example, taking part in “sacraments” of another church, such as “the Lord’s supper” or the “receiving of tongues.” Sit back, watch, and learn. Nor should you sing songs with words that are heretical (that goes for singing in Catholic Churches, too-God help us!) And never unite your prayers with someone when they pray for something evil (saying “Amen” means you are putting your life and soul on what was just said!)
 
why_me said:
This brings up an interesting problem that I had when I was a teenager in the early 1970’s. I loved the Walton’s. But the Walton’s were baptist. And since I was a good catholic as a boy, I had a desire to go into the baptist church to be like John-boy but I knew that it was a mortal sin to do so. And so I didn’t. Is it still a mortal sin to go into a different church?
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Two things about what you’ve written here.

First, no, it is not a sin, mortal or venial, for a Catholic to go into a different church.

Second, it is not likely that you were a “good Catholic as a boy.” In an earlier post, I think from yesterday, you stated that your family do not practice the Catholic faith very well (or words to that effect). The fact that you fell into a false religion is telling of this lack of good Catholic instruction. It wouldn’t have been possible for you to be captured by Mormonism if you’d have been properly catechised and nurtured in the true Catholic faith as a young man.
 
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