My First Visit to Mass

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missEsmtih

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Okay, so I’m new here and not even sure if this is the right place to post. I’ve lurked a little,but not too much.

Anyway, I am exploring Catholicism and decided that perhaps I should visit Mass. I’ve been wanting to for a while, but have not been able to. I set out to go today though, on a Thursday at 12:05. Firstly, there are several Mass times, some days at 8:00 am, some days at noon, some days in the evening, and of course several on Sunday. Do they have these at all different times so everybody has a chance to go, or do different ones have different significance?

Anyway, I slept in a little late (yes, I slept until 11:00, but the day before it was 1:00pm, that is another story for another day). I had a lot to do in the afternoon after I attended Mass, so I had to have all of my stuff together. But anyway, I got there just in time (when really, there should have been no way I could have made it). I slipped in the back with several other people who were just coming in. The Priest was at the back of the church so everyone who came in late just stood in the back for this part, until he went to the front and we slipped into pews. I sat near the back. I picked up a book, because everyone had one,a little prayer book. I had no idea how to find out which page we were on, so I just watched and followed the lead of everyone else on when to sit down and stuff. I finally found dates, but they were all Sundays! (I later discovered the weekdays were further on in the book, about the time the service was over). There were not very many people at all, which I suppose is due to the fact that it was noon on a weekday. It was not long, only 30 minutes. I did not get a chance to speak to anyone, I don’t know what I would have said though. It felt odd being there and not doing everything everyone else did. I didn’t kneel when everyone did, I sat quietly to myself. I didn’t do anything with the Holy Water, because, well, I was just visiting. It was very nice, but I still felt very shy there. Overall, it was a very good experience.

I will probably post more of this later, but I was raised Protestant, so it was all very familiar to me, but completely different. I wonder though if this is normal for Mass or are they usually longer, and what I should do when I visit again so I do not feel so out of place. I have called before, their RCIA classes do not start until August, which I plan to attend. So anyway, I just wanted to share and I had a few questions…
 
Hi,

First of all. Glad you enjoyed Mass. I remember my first on in April of 2003. I was Protestant before coming into the Church. You were a lot braver than I was, I drug one of my friends there to Mass with me. I was kinda nervous that I was doing something heretical and made him promise to pull me out if he found or saw anything that was wrong. Well he did not pull me out and here I am a thankful member of the Catholic Church.

Hey I am kinda envious of ya, you figured out the Missaletes [the prayer books you picked up in the pew] before I did. I remember me and my friend walking up with our bibles, and telling him that we were the only 2 with bibles. That concerned us until we found out that we were the 2 odd ones out. 😊

The thing that I was told during my first Masses, that I could just sit there and did not have to kneel when everyone else did. It put me at ease. If you are not comfortable at first, then just sit there like you did. It takes time.

Daily or weekday Masses take usually 30 minutes. On Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation Masses usually take around 1 hour or more [depending on how many communicants there are.] The Sunday Masses and Holy Days of Obligation Masses usually have sung music with them. These Masses usually have three readings to them as opposed to just only the two readings that you heard today. The Easter Vigil Mass and Midnight Mass are usually much longer.

Masses are held at different times so that people can have a chance to come if they wish. Also they may be held at different times in respect to the needs of the parish priest or the parish. On Sundays more than one is held becuase many go to Mass and they split things up. Sometimes on Sundays there may be a Mass in Spanish, or the Tridentine Mass, or Life Teen Mass, ect. It depends on which parish you go to.

Not many people attend Daily Mass. Though I would heartlily advise you, if you have the blessing and time to attend Daily Mass make it, or attend as much as you can. The Mass is wonderful and so many graces are present during the Mass.

Hope this helps.

God Bless.
Little One0307

Welcome to RCIA. You are in my prayers.
 
missEsmtih said:
Okay, so I’m new here and not even sure if this is the right place to post. I’ve lurked a little,but not too much.
Click to expand...
Welcome!
Anyway, I am exploring Catholicism and decided that perhaps I should visit Mass. I’ve been wanting to for a while, but have not been able to. I set out to go today though, on a Thursday at 12:05. Firstly, there are several Mass times, some days at 8:00 am, some days at noon, some days in the evening, and of course several on Sunday. Do they have these at all different times so everybody has a chance to go, or do different ones have different significance?
Click to expand...
Only on a couple of days of the year, like Christmas and Easter, do Masses at different times have a particular significance. For normals days, the difference in times has to do either, as you say, with giving people a chance to go at different points of the day (before work, on their lunch break, etc.), or with the time commitments of the priest. If the priest goes in the mornings to do prison ministry, or teaches classes in the afternoons at the local Catholic college, or if he has to travel between several parishes under his care, then that will affect what time he can be available to say daily Mass.
Anyway, I slept in a little late (yes, I slept until 11:00, but the day before it was 1:00pm, that is another story for another day). I had a lot to do in the afternoon after I attended Mass, so I had to have all of my stuff together. But anyway, I got there just in time (when really, there should have been no way I could have made it). I slipped in the back with several other people who were just coming in. The Priest was at the back of the church so everyone who came in late just stood in the back for this part, until he went to the front and we slipped into pews. I sat near the back. I picked up a book, because everyone had one,a little prayer book. I had no idea how to find out which page we were on, so I just watched and followed the lead of everyone else on when to sit down and stuff. I finally found dates, but they were all Sundays! (I later discovered the weekdays were further on in the book, about the time the service was over). There were not very many people at all, which I suppose is due to the fact that it was noon on a weekday. It was not long, only 30 minutes. I did not get a chance to speak to anyone, I don’t know what I would have said though. It felt odd being there and not doing everything everyone else did. I didn’t kneel when everyone did, I sat quietly to myself. I didn’t do anything with the Holy Water, because, well, I was just visiting. It was very nice, but I still felt very shy there. Overall, it was a very good experience.
Click to expand...
I’m glad you were able to figure things out at the end. Normally I wouldn’t recommend that someone make their first trip to Mass on a weekday, since weekday Masses tend to be done somewhat speedily (people have to get back to work, after all), generally don’t have music, and often don’t have much of a homily either.

As to your other point, it has long been recognized that Catholics, by and large, do a worse job with things like welcoming and fellowship than places like your local evangelical church. Part of it has to do with the meaning of the Mass, versus a Protestant service. Consider that a priest will go ahead and say Mass even if only one person – or nobody at all – shows up. It’s hard to imagine a Protestant pastor putting on a service for an empty church, isn’t it?

But for us, the Mass itself is the supreme act of worship. So people who go to Mass – if they are thinking about it the right way, at least – are not really going to meet people, or hear a sermon, or anything else, simply to participate in that act of worship. I think that’s especially true of a weekday-Mass crowd.

That said, we could certainly do a better job than we usually do of identifying new people and giving them an opportunity to at least say hello and learn more. Even then, many Catholic parishes are quite large, and Catholics travel and parish-hop so much that most of the time an unfamiliar face is just someone who is in town on business or whatever. I know some parishes are exceptions, but most of the time if you really want to meet people and get involved you have to be a bit of a self-starter: look into things like parish service projects, Bible study, choir, lecture night, or things like that. The parish bulletin, and sometimes, the website, will have information about those things.
I will probably post more of this later, but I was raised Protestant, so it was all very familiar to me, but completely different. I wonder though if this is normal for Mass or are they usually longer, and what I should do when I visit again so I do not feel so out of place. I have called before, their RCIA classes do not start until August, which I plan to attend. So anyway, I just wanted to share and I had a few questions…
Click to expand...
The length of Mass depends on a lot of things, like the presence of music, how long the priest’s homily is, and just generally how fast or slow people move. Half an hour for daily Mass and an hour for Sunday Mass would be a reasonable ballpark, though.

A couple of things you can do to not feel so out of your element:
  • You can review the readings before you go here from the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
  • You can look over the “Order of Mass” – the texts that don’t vary from day to day (though there are a number of options that the priest can choose from on any given day) here
  • You can go a few more times! Nobody feels totally at ease with something like this their first few visits. 🙂
 
Firstly, congratulations on attending. It is always courageous taking that first step into the unknown.

Catholics tended not to have such a fellowship as the Protestant churches where the strange face is greeted and assisted though this may not be the case everywhere anymore.

Perservere and attend the different timed Masses in order to see what if anything is different. Pick up the bulletin which all churches post on the Sunday…often there will be an abundance of information so you may find pointers to what you would like to do.

In the meantime pray and ask for the graces needed in perserverance and trust in the Lord.
 
You sound at about the same stage as me. I am moving in September and will probably start RCIA then. I haven’t got to mass as yet, but am planning to go soon.

A book I have heard which really brings alive mass is the lambs supper by Scott Hahn, I am planning to read that.

I think we will get more help getting to know how things work when RCIA starts. 🙂
 
Congratulations on your first mass!

I went to mass by myself, not knowing anyone, and never being to Church before so I can really sympathise with you! I ended up sitting with the nuns who showed me what to do and became good friends of mine. 🙂 I’ve gone every Sunday since September 2010 (the date I joined this forum to get the courage to go!)

For me, my journey started when I came on this forum out of curiosity, and they supported me to my first mass and through RCIA, which I completed just in time to be baptised and confirmed this Easter! Stay on this forum, they really do love helping new converts. 🙂

There is a converting to Catholic group on here, did you know that? They’re very good. 😃 forums.catholic-questions.org/group.php?groupid=841

Don’t worry about not knowing what to do or feeling uncomfortable. These things are remeded with time and confidence. How about watching some Masses online? As other posters have suggested, the readings and order of the Mass is never going to be a surprise. The words the Priest says and the Bible readings are (for the most part) exactly the same, no matter where you go. So you can read along and plan before you go. Some missals even give you directions of when to sit, kneel, stand etc. So you’ll be fine!

If you are serious about converting, I would suggesting buying “Catholicism for Dummies”. Don’t be insulted, it is a really good book and many others here will recommend it to you. It certainly was a godsend for me!
 
welcome home to all of you, sorry you have to wait to start a forma RCIA, but that waiting is an extremely graced, blessed time. You can spend it well by reading or re-reading the gospel, beginning with Mark, the shortest, and by doing what you are doing, attending Mass whenever possible.

one book to get in the meantime, if you want one is Catholicism for Dummies by Fr. Trigilio and his sidekick whose name I never remember (the yellow one, you can get it from amazon). it answers all those questions about what on earth are Catholics up to when they do this or that.

I like the remark from poster who said, it is all familiar, but so different. That captures it in a nutshell.
 
puzzleannie said:
welcome home to all of you, sorry you have to wait to start a forma RCIA, but that waiting is an extremely graced, blessed time. You can spend it well by reading or re-reading the gospel, beginning with Mark, the shortest, and by doing what you are doing, attending Mass whenever possible.

one book to get in the meantime, if you want one is Catholicism for Dummies by Fr. Trigilio and his sidekick whose name I never remember (the yellow one, you can get it from amazon). it answers all those questions about what on earth are Catholics up to when they do this or that.

I like the remark from poster who said, it is all familiar, but so different. That captures it in a nutshell.
Click to expand...
When you said the yellow one, I thought you were talking about the sidekick whose name you could not remember. :rotfl:
 
First of all, congratulations. I think you will find the forum to be a great place to ask questions and to make friends and to ask all your questions. Realize that there is no stupid question and that people are here for you and will be praying for you as you begin your journey into the Catholic faith. I too would recommend the book Catholicism for Dummies. It is a book that will help answer some of your questions. Since you might be attending daily mass , I would recommend that you buy the Magnificat. It is a monthly booklet. It has the masses of the day, along with Sunday’s that is easy to follow. Along with that, it has morning prayers, and evening prayers and opens up to you the richness of saints’ lives. I would check out the local Catholic bookstore to see if they carry it. . I often recommend this with Catholicism for dummies when I am working with people who are interested in going through the RCIA process.
 
missEsmtih said:
Okay, so I’m new here and not even sure if this is the right place to post. I’ve lurked a little,but not too much.

Anyway, I am exploring Catholicism and decided that perhaps I should visit Mass. I’ve been wanting to for a while, but have not been able to. I set out to go today though, on a Thursday at 12:05. Firstly, there are several Mass times, some days at 8:00 am, some days at noon, some days in the evening, and of course several on Sunday. Do they have these at all different times so everybody has a chance to go, or do different ones have different significance?

Anyway, I slept in a little late (yes, I slept until 11:00, but the day before it was 1:00pm, that is another story for another day). I had a lot to do in the afternoon after I attended Mass, so I had to have all of my stuff together. But anyway, I got there just in time (when really, there should have been no way I could have made it). I slipped in the back with several other people who were just coming in. The Priest was at the back of the church so everyone who came in late just stood in the back for this part, until he went to the front and we slipped into pews. I sat near the back. I picked up a book, because everyone had one,a little prayer book. I had no idea how to find out which page we were on, so I just watched and followed the lead of everyone else on when to sit down and stuff. I finally found dates, but they were all Sundays! (I later discovered the weekdays were further on in the book, about the time the service was over). There were not very many people at all, which I suppose is due to the fact that it was noon on a weekday. It was not long, only 30 minutes. I did not get a chance to speak to anyone, I don’t know what I would have said though. It felt odd being there and not doing everything everyone else did. I didn’t kneel when everyone did, I sat quietly to myself. I didn’t do anything with the Holy Water, because, well, I was just visiting. It was very nice, but I still felt very shy there. Overall, it was a very good experience.

I will probably post more of this later, but I was raised Protestant, so it was all very familiar to me, but completely different. I wonder though if this is normal for Mass or are they usually longer, and what I should do when I visit again so I do not feel so out of place. I have called before, their RCIA classes do not start until August, which I plan to attend. So anyway, I just wanted to share and I had a few questions…
Click to expand...
Your post put a smile on my face this morning. Ask the priest if you could take home one of the misselettes so you can get a feel of how it is laid out. They usually have older ones that they will give you also. It has all of the prayers that are usually said during a Mass. Familiarize yourself. Please don’t be shy to ask another parishioner to help you with anything you need help with or don’t know.
 
Welcome!! To those of us raised as Catholics,we might not really appreciate what it might have taken you to make that first step.Welcome again and i hope you attend more masses. It will definitely get easier especially if you are committed in understanding the faith. Read as much as you can on catholic literature.I know from personal experience that the mass is often not enough to understand our faith.God bless you.
 
Wonderful post!

Sometimes Catholics underestimate the anxiety non-Catholics feel when they attend Mass for the first time. One is stepping into twenty centuries of Christian worship and taking a place next to the saints and angels on the threshold of Heaven. It is sometimes inexplicable but there is a tremendous amount of spiritual pressure.

Remember that Mass is not like most Protestant worship. Mass is participatory. We worship with our ears, our voices and our bodies. We do not sit passively at Mass. We participate in worship and all have a role to play in the liturgy.

Balance that weekday Mass with a huge, formal Mass on Sunday. My Baptist friend was amazed when he heard several hundred people say “AMEN!” in unison, said it felt like the walls shook.

And welcome home.

-Tim-
 
I don’t really have anything to add to the wonderful answers you have already received, but I just wanted to say: Welcome! 👋
 
First, I would like to thank all of you for your replies!

I will have to look for the yellow “dummies” book, it apparently comes highly recommended. I will have to look online or maybe at a barnes and noble, there are no Catholic bookstores where I live. Actually, I can get an ebook of it from either Amazon or Barnes and Noble, I think I will do that.

I feel completely lost, because I am not coming from a perspective of someone who is not familiar with Christianity, as I was quite well educated in Protestant Christianity. In fact, I have probably studied the Bible more than a lot of people. But, I still feel lost. Where I live, it is not very popular to be Catholic. In fact, my state is over 85% Protestant. I told a friend I went to Mass yesterday, and they were like “why? people make fun of Catholics here”. It is very frustrating. I was raised Protestant, so that is all I knew for a very long time. But anyway, again I thank you for your kind replies!
 
TimothyH said:
Wonderful post!

Sometimes Catholics underestimate the anxiety non-Catholics feel when they attend Mass for the first time. One is stepping into twenty centuries of Christian worship and taking a place next to the saints and angels on the threshold of Heaven. It is sometimes inexplicable but there is a tremendous amount of spiritual pressure.

Remember that Mass is not like most Protestant worship. Mass is participatory. We worship with our ears, our voices and our bodies. We do not sit passively at Mass. We participate in worship and all have a role to play in the liturgy.

Balance that weekday Mass with a huge, formal Mass on Sunday. My Baptist friend was amazed when he heard several hundred people say “AMEN!” in unison, said it felt like the walls shook.

And welcome home.

-Tim-
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First, I’d like to echo that sentiment: Welcome Home!!! 👍 😃

Second, I defnintely had a hard time following along my first several times. My wife (who was my girlfriend at the time), who’d studied the Liturgy at our Protestant college (that was their first mistake; their second was to teach her Church history ;)…), was much more well-versed in the use of the missalette. Actually, I got so frustrated one time that we had a little mini-fight about it afterward. It’s kind of funny to remember that now. Anyway, as I began to get used to it and to listen to Catholic Answers Live with her, I quickly began to realize the truth of what Tim said above. One of the things that helped draw me Home (there are sooooo many!) is the deep and profound reality of the communion of saints, especially at Mass. I could just sense that “so great a cloud of witnesses” were there with us every single time. They’re always there. You can go to a totally new parish in a completely different city on the other side of the planet, and the Saints that are with you at Mass - the people you’ve met through reading the Bible and whom you’ll meet as you draw closer to the Church this year and for the rest of your life - are always there, sitting next to you, floating above you, praising God for His Magnificent Sacrifice of Love with you. (My wife sometimes sees them, especially during the Great Amen!) Keep this Truth in your heart every time you go, and you will always feel safe and loved. :grouphug:

May God richly bless you in this time! :signofcross:
 
Well, I read the Catholicism for Dummies Mini - the very very short version of the Catholicism for Dummies. It was $0.99 so I picked it up qucikly and read it tonight. I think I will get the full version soon. It was quite informative. Thank you again!
 
Hi there! 👋

This site explains a lot of things (like the mass and the Eucharist).

catholicscomehome.org/

Just run your pointer over the “Answering Your Questions bar” and it will drop down. There is also a section (to the right side) titled, “I’m Not Catholic”. That sounds like a good place to start. 😉

I will pray for you. 🙂
 
Thanks. I will check it out
I went back again today, I will write about it later.
 
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