Non-Catholics: Have You Ever Attended A Catholic Mass?

[DrPiano]

I started attending Catholic Masses the day Pope John Paul II died. My mom and I attended that one together. It was partially because of the sad occasion of the day and partially because my Christian Worship class required that I attend several services at churches that were unfamiliar to me.

My (Protestant) mom and I were both surprised at how “evangelical” (and true to the Gospel) the message and service were. I fell in love with the liturgy - it had everything my class had been talking about (by the way, my class was at a calvinist college). Anyway, I was hooked then and I have since attended MANY Catholic masses (everything from Saturday evening Masses to daily Masses to the occasional Sunday Mass). I think it was the first real true door that I walked through that led me to my current situation - dipping my toes in the Tiber. Who knows - maybe I’ll eventually cross??

 

[mayra_hart]

to pixie dust : about the pews here in texas the pews are wood. iam a cradle catholic an back in new jersey the pews were cushion. but this church is small. but after a while i get use to it.anyway i will pray for you. to dr piano an the rest is nice to hear from your experienced about mass. i truly enjoy them all. to drpiano i hope you jump in. i will pray for you. to church militant i will order that cd. i also have scott hahn lamb supper this is also a good book. he take the mass an break it in part. thank to him i know can say i like going to mass. V. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed are thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
R. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

 

[Pixie_Dust]

to pixie dust : about the pews here in texas the pews are wood. iam a cradle catholic an back in new jersey the pews were cushion. but this church is small. but after a while i get use to it.anyway i will pray for you.

Just to clarify - I wasn’t complaining about no padding in the pews - I was just saying that since you don’t sit for a 45 minute sermon in a Catholic Church, the padding isn’t as necessary. It doesn’t bother me at all because there’s really not much time spent sitting during the Liturgy!

I do thank you for your prayers!

 

[buffalo]

The very first thing that appealed to me about liturgical worship was all the Scripture that was read. So-called “Bible” churches don’t read anywhere close to the same amount of Scripture as I hear at one Mass. Instead of one or two verses and then 30 minutes of the preacher’s ideas about those verses, God’s Word is allowed to speak for itself.

The Mass is Biblical

Read this and see just how much scripture is in the Mass.

 

[clmowry]

I have attended Mass a number of times when I have visited my in-laws, so it is always the same church. I did not find it a lot different from the Presbyterian Church which I belong to except for the music. The music at the Mass was mostly guitar and led by a cantor which seemed to result in little congregational participation. Our congreagational singing is done to a magnificient pipe organ.
The Christmas eve Mass we attended had one of the best homilies I had heard on Christmas eve,
I found the actual communion at the Mass rather undignified with people jostling and talking in line. This may just be this particular church.

Unfortunately, the quality of the music ministry varies temendoulsly from Catholic Church to Catholic Church.

It’s a shame too. A good music ministry can add so much to the celebration (though I have seen it swing too far the other way where it almost becomes “about” the music.)

A far as jostling and talking during communion goes, I can’t say I’ve seen much of that. Thankfully this lack of reverence has been awfully rare, at least in the circles I travel in…

From the flip side, I was rather amazed at the similarities between a the Lutheran and Methodist services and the Catholic Mass. Practically identical in many ways.

Chuck

 

[Pixie_Dust]

The Mass is Biblical

Read this and see just how much scripture is in the Mass.

Yes, I’ve seen something similar, called Scripture in the Order of the Mass. It doesn’t seem to be online anymore, so thanks for that link! I’m saving that one!!

 

[clmowry]

St. Clare of Assisi - Clear Lake, TX

Padding to your hearts content.

Now the AC was designed to handle the Church exapansion, so occasionally it’s reffered to as St. Clare “of Alaska”, but that’s another story.

Chuck

You know the saying, “The mind can only absorb what the behind can endure.”

I have yet to see a Catholic church with padded pews.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

St. Clare of Assisi - Clear Lake, TX

Padding to your hearts content.

Now the AC was designed to handle the Church exapansion, so occasionally it’s reffered to as St. Clare “of Alaska”, but that’s another story.

Chuck

OK, OK, I take it back! Catholic churches in some places have padded pews!! Actually, it just came to mind that (IIRC) the little chapel at the Sisters of St Francis convent had padded pews. I was there for a retreat in February. I’m almost certain of it.

 

[betsygrace]

Hi jmcrae, pixiedust, and catholig,
Just wanted to thank you for the advice about the holy water and genuflecting! I put it into practice at mass last Sunday and feel like I am getting a little more into the swing of things
teflon93, I’ve found a few promising looking guides to the Mass on Amazon and think I’ll order one. Thanks for the tip!

 

[jmcrae]

Hi jmcrae, pixiedust, and catholig,
Just wanted to thank you for the advice about the holy water and genuflecting! I put it into practice at mass last Sunday and feel like I am getting a little more into the swing of things
teflon93, I’ve found a few promising looking guides to the Mass on Amazon and think I’ll order one. Thanks for the tip!

Great stuff!!

Keep asking questions - that’s how we learn.

Another tip for you - sit near a parent who is teaching her children how to behave at Mass. You’ll be amazed what you’ll pick up on, and you’ll look just like a “cradle Catholic” in no time at all.

 

[Proton]

I live in Belgrade, we have few Roman-Catholic parishes, including one with the bishop, i never attended it. I was even raised to fear the place. When it is Catholic Christmas, State Television reports live from the mass with Catholic Bishop of Belgrade live serving. My mom and i would watch it on TV, and we would make fun of bishop’s broken Serbian, because he is Slovenian. LOL He speaks it really funny.
Kids know how to be mean. I was 7, 8 years old, there is small female Catholic monastery in Belgrade, and when Catholic nun would walk through the park, we would cross ourselves and then run away screaming, pretending to be in terror of her presence, to make her feel bad. Then Orthodox priest saw us once doing that stupid prank and criticized us, so we stopped. lol War time… we really disliked Vatican back in the 1990s. I remember, the state wouldn’t decorate city before 27th of December, because in 25th of December was Roman-Catholic Christmas. Now city is decorated already in 1st of December. And there is no hate on Roman-Catholic Church anymore, just big distrust.