Odd Mass at Different Parish

[BeluvdLily]

Today I didn’t quite get ready to go to Mass at my parish so I attended another at a church an equal distance from my home.

It was just very odd. I don’t think there was anything liturgically wrong. Being a relatively new Catholic I don’t profess to be an expert but some of the things I didn’t care for were:

• They just had a huge Jesus with his arms raised (not on the cross) and just kind of odd and different/artsy looking. The statues of Mary and Joseph were also odd looking.
• If you’d just plunked me down there, I would probably have had no idea it was a Catholic Church.
• The pews were more like benches with a board running along the back. Very uncomfortable.
• Only about half of them had kneelers.
• Few people knelt before the Eucharist but almost all did after. Can’t remember what the people without kneelers did.
  It was just very odd to me and not what I’m used to.

On the other hand, I really liked the priest and his homily. Everything did follow the Mass exactly as I’m used to and as it should. It was just the few things I mentioned that seemed odd. I suppose I’m used to something that I would consider more traditional. They did use the same hymnal that we use at our parish though. No odd music, etc.

Any opinions?

Amie

 

[Cari]

I can address the first one, at least:
That particular statue is referred to as the “Risen Jesus”.

A lot of newer (or churches built from the 60s on) are of the “this is a Catholic Church??” variety. It’s bland and vanilla. Personally, I find it gross, but then again, I have a fondness for old Churches that look, sound, and smell like Catholic Churches.

 

[bpbasilphx]

The pews were more like benches with a board running along the back. Very uncomfortable.

Probably to discourage sitting and encourage standing. I have been in an Eastern Catholic church deliberately like this.

 

[dconklin]

The pews were more like benches with a board running along the back. Very uncomfortable.

Probably to discourage sitting and encourage standing. I have been in an Eastern Catholic church deliberately like this.

I have been at churches where the priests openly wished the pews were backless. I attended Franciscan Univ and while I was there we built Portiuncula Chapel. It is modeled after Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, a church restored by St. Francis in Assisi. There are no kneelers. I bet many churches back then were like that.

Parishes/dioceses hire designers that definitely put their own style into the church.

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Now playing: Decyfer Down - Break Free
via FoxyTunes

 

[JMBNH]

I don’t use the kneelers usually anyway, I just kneel on the floor, unless there’s someone else in the pew wanting the kneeler. At my old church they had kneeler pad hung on the chairs in front so if you were at the front you didn’t have one anyway and some chairs had them missing

then again I’ve got relatively young knees so I can get away with stuff like that

 

[PatienceAndLove]

I have been at churches where the priests openly wished the pews were backless. I attended Franciscan Univ and while I was there we built Portiuncula Chapel. It is modeled after Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, a church restored by St. Francis in Assisi. There are no kneelers. I bet many churches back then were like that.

Parishes/dioceses hire designers that definitely put their own style into the church.

But there are carpet bits for kneeling on.