My experience at my territorial parish OF

[Big_Feet]

So today, I went to mass at my neighborhood parish because I’m going to miss mass tomorrow.

First, I’m going to say that I would go again, if I had to miss my Sunday EF.

The church is primarily West Indian, although there were some other ethnicities. It is not highly ornate, but there was a crucifix behind the altar (not with risen Christ and I saw a statue of the Blessed Mother with the infant Jesus and a couple of others I couldn’t see up close.

Servers

• one altar girl
  **
  EMHCs**
• one woman EMHC

Hymns/responses

• A hymn was sung for the procession (the people sung- black people sing)
• A hymn was sung for communion and for the recession
• everyone sang the responses

Collection
Now this was interesting. This is the second time I saw this done at a black church. Two teens walked up front with the collection baskets and held them and people filed up the aisles to drop their collections in (reminds me of some protestant churches I attended). Anybody ever seen this?

Homily
Good homily. The priest stressed that the same way Jesus is the good shepherd, we need to be shepherds to each other. He asked how many people know the people sitting next to them and after mass folks should say hello. We need to build relationships with each other and look out for each other. Hear that Jedquiel?

Prayer of the Faithful (Is that what it’s called?)

• the Lector read the normal prayers than the priest told us to pause a moment and offer up our own prayers. Then he had us say the Hail Mary. I have never seen that before! Have you?

Consecration

During the elevation, the tray that had the host was lifted. The host itself was not lifted. Have you ever seen this?

Sign of Peace
I was ready to offer my usual bland smile but the woman in front started to extend her hand then hesitated. I don’t know what she saw on my face, but I immediately repented and shook her hand with a smile.

**
Communion**
This is where my stomach always clenches and I have to decide whether I’m going to refrain or go up and risk being embarrassed when I go for COTT. During communion a communion hymn was sung and those who were not receiving sang and those who received sang when they got back.

Everyone received in the hand, but I did my genuflection then closed my eyes and received on the tongue. No problem there. Of course I was also the only one veiled, but no problem there either.

So in summary, it’s a small parish and he faithful seem content. Nothing happened that bothered me. It is what it is and its an option for if I miss my mass.

It’s like a 5-10 minute walk from my house. Wish my TLM was that close.

I am glad to see that you are broadening your horizons within the Catholic Church!
I am not sure why you have made such a critique of the what is the prescribed Ordinary Form of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

A couple of questions though -
You mention

Servers

• one altar girl
  **
  EMHCs**
• one woman EMHC

were there no other alter servers or EMHCs?

Also, you make it sound like you were expecting to see devil worship or something. What were you expecting to see when you walked through the doors to this church?

One should EXPECT a reverent, holy eucharistic liturgy, and if it is not, it is the EXCEPTION! - OF or EF, or any of the other rites!

 

[ProVobis]

So I decided to go to my territorial parish for confession at the scheduled time on Saturday.

I was the only one there and I stayed for about 20 minutes afterwards.

It looks like I’m the only sinner in town.

 

[Big_Feet]

So I decided to go to my territorial parish for confession at the scheduled time on Saturday.

I was the only one there and I stayed for about 20 minutes afterwards.

This is sad.

In our parish, the lines run out the door, and often (fortunately/unfortunately) Father has to turn some away inorder to celebrate mass. I believe he is looking to set up further times for the sacrament at other times of the week. (we only have one priest at our parish)

 

[TrueLight]

I am glad to see that you are broadening your horizons within the Catholic Church!

I’m not exactly broadening my horizons. In the past, if I missed my mass I had two options: 1) Attend an SSPX mass later on that Sunday, but in this case, I was gone for most of Sunday so that wasn’t an option.

1. Hop on the train on a Saturday or late Sunday and attend an OF mass that I know is reverent (Father Rutler’s mass).

Now I have a third option close to my house.

A couple of questions though -
You mention

were there no other alter servers or EMHCs?

Nope.

Also, you make it sound like you were expecting to see devil worship or something.

Where did you get that from?

What were you expecting to see when you walked through the doors to this church?

One time I was traveling and I went to an OF. The priest had the congregation acknowledge people’s anniversaries right in the middle of the mass. He asked, "Who here has been married for 10 years or less, stand up? How about over 10 years but less than 15? How about over 20 years? They stood up and people clapped and laughed delightedly.

So yeah.

If I saw stuff like that going on, I probably would not have come back.

One should EXPECT a reverent, holy eucharistic liturgy, and if it is not, it is the EXCEPTION! - OF or EF, or any of the other rites!

If you say so.

 

[TimothyH]

I really don’t see what the whole point of keeping a score card and posting it on the internet was, other than to have people nitpick it to death for every conceivable “inadequacy.” It really serves no purpose.

And I don’t really understand how the real presence Jesus Christ could be seen as simply adequate.

-Tim-

 

[EcceAgnusDei]

One should EXPECT a reverent, holy eucharistic liturgy, and if it is not, it is the EXCEPTION! - OF or EF, or any of the other rites!

Yes, one should expect it, but unfortunately, often one does not get it, at least in my neck of the woods. You are lucky that you are able to walk through the doors of any church in your diocese and have reverent, holy, orthodox Masses. Let us pray that all dioceses and parishes will be such.

• PAX

 

[EcceAgnusDei]

And I don’t really understand how the real presence Jesus Christ could be seen as simply adequate.

The Mass is more than the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. She didn’t say that the Real Presence was adequate. She was focusing on the Mass as a whole. We can’t ignore how Masses are celebrated just because there is a valid consecration.

• PAX

 

[TrueLight]

I really don’t see what the whole point of keeping a score card and posting it on the internet was, other than to have people nitpick it to death for every conceivable “inadequacy.” It really serves no purpose.

And I don’t really understand how the real presence Jesus Christ could be seen as simply adequate.

-Tim-

And I don’t see the point of posting this. Why not ignore the thread?

It was an interesting experience for me, because it wasn’t an option I thought I had. We talk about all sorts of minutiae we experience in and out of Mass on CAF.

And I guess some people like and enjoy reading other people’s experiences.