Orthodox parishes for the orthodox

[Confiteor]

Reading some of the comments from various threads, I was hoping to hear from people the names of parishes and locations that they’ve found to be excellent in terms of orthodox liturgies, insightful homilies, etc. Plus a few descriptive comments as to why they fit the bill. (I hope that hasn’t been done before, but I haven’t seen anything like that lately.) It doesn’t need to be your home parish or even one in your diocese, but it might help those of us visiting or living in the area of those recommended parishes.

One parish I’ve been impressed with is St. John in McLean, VA (it is NOT mine, unfortunately, but I have visited). There is exposition there daily before the 9 am Mass; altar servers with patens at daily mass; confessions on Wed evening and Saturday afternoons during which they sometimes play Gregorian Chant in the background. I have heard the new pastor preach in his old parish, and he is erudite and always interesting. The former one was also very good. They have traditionally held a Tenebrae service (kind of the inverse of the Easter vigil) during Holy Week at which the Washington Cappella Antiqva ensemble sings. During the week approaching the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, they have nine days of Holy Hours/Masses which include Marian talks by visiting priests. Latin lessons on Sat am, and lots of good orthodox adult programs. The only drawback is the design of the church which is circular so not everyone gets to view the sanctuary from the same perspective. That’s a shame, because the gold engraving on the ambo (In principio erat verbum), on the altar (Et verbum caro factum est) and in front of the tabernacle (Et habitavit in nobis) is a succinct catechism lesson in itself.

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Assumption Grotto,
Detroit, MI

assumptiongrotto.com/

Features the Novus Ordo in Latin at the 7:30 and 8:30 am weekday Masses, and English at 7:00 pm. Then on Sundays, English at 6:30, Latin at 9:30, and then English again at Noon followed by Benediction. We have a duplicate of the Lourdes Grotto. On nice days in the warmer weather, we have our 7:30 am Mass out at the Grotto, and Benediction on Sundays during the summer months is also held at outside with a procession.

Mass is celebrated, ad orientem here, with traditional vestments, and about 12-14 altar boys and men dressed traditionally. All are trained by the pastor and are highly disciplined and well choreographed. No talking amongst these folk during the Mass. The pastor is rumored to have eyes in the back of his head and it earns them a month off. These kids seem to like it and they get good pastoral support. Many are seen with prayer books after communion, made especially for them.

Confessions are a real interesting thing at this parish. In addition to Saturday confession, there are up to 4 confessionals running before each of the Sunday Masses, with lines of people (from very young to old) waiting. Priests also spend much impromptu time in the box and people just come. Confession is inviting at this parish.

Priests are all in cassocks at this parish and there are several. There is a Diocesan pastor and co-pastor, but a Holy Order operates on the grounds (Order of the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross). It is like a base for them and they come and go, but help out extensively with pastoral issues like confession, spiritual direction and the like. The priests don’t have a residence on the grounds and live nearby, but they spend the day there.

There are also sisters of the same order who live on the grounds - a foursome (yes, long habits). In their small convent there is a chapel which has adoration from 9:00am until 7:00pm when Benediction is held. Holy Hour is encouraged regular. I go on Wednesdays at 6:00 after the admonishment in our bulletin from the pastor and a homily by one of the “Canons”.

Homilies: Let me leave you with some of the words of my pastor from his June 26, 2005 Bulletin, which will soon disappear off the website (he only keeps 8 weeks of articles up at a time). Tell me you don’t feel sheepish if you’ve been putting off Adoration if it is available after reading this:

For today, my message concerns the adoration schedule in our Eucharistic chapel. Surely all of you must know that we have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in our convent chapel Monday through Saturday for the greater part of the day. This is a great grace for us and it exists precisely for your (i.e. the parishioners’) benefit. I have heard of many wonderful things that have happened to people’s lives on account of their devotion to the Blessed sacrament. I am also aware that, no matter how much talk they may hear about it and however much they may agree to it in principle, some souls never get around to making the commitment of a weekly hour of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Even if they would be convinced that they are doing spiritually just fine as is without adoration (a very dangerous presupposition), yet they ought to consider the advantages for other needy souls who would profit by their prayers and merits in making that weekly hour. Truly this is a work of supererogation (look it up in the dictionary) and not an obligation. The Church only imposes what it deems bottom-line necessary for one to be saved (Sunday Mass, the annual confession and communion, etc.). But these minimal requirements do not mean that one should not try to do more. “Enter by the narrow gate,” says the Lord. The general rule is that in order to be able to meet the base requirements of God’s law in keeping the commandments, one must do at least some things over and above what is strictly speaking obligatory. You simply must pray daily and practice the virtues, and do some other religious acts beyond what can be regulated by law just to remain in a state of grace. As the oft-heard cliché goes, there are no plateaus in the spiritual life. People often make the strategic mistake of trying to do only the minimal requirements of religion. Our Lord’s warning is apropos here: “if your holiness does not exceed that of the scribes and pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” I am not suggesting that those who fail to make a weekly holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament will not be saved. (We don’t need the invention of new heresies.) But I can say confidently that those who do not do this will have a harder time to grow spiritually. Thus my exhortation remains: please consider giving one hour weekly in adoration.

To read more articles and “sermons”, including Mass Talks which are great, click on “Fr. Perrone” at the home page.

 

[Anima_Christi]

-One extremely orthodox parish is St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Nicholasville, KY, just oustide of Lexington. The whole parish is very eucharistic and orthodox. Masses are always celebrated reverently with no liturgical abuse, and the parish has a chapel for perpetual Eucharistic adoration.
-In Lexington, the indult traditional Latin Mass is now celebrated every Sunday at the beautiful St. Peter’s Church.
-I’ve never been there, but I am told that St. Martin of Tours parish in Louisville is the best parish in America. The music is very traditional (they use the Adoremus hymnal, same as EWTN), they have a great choir, and they use a lot of Latin and Gregorian chant in their Novus Ordo Masses. The choir and altar boys all wear cassocks and surplices. Also, it’s the indult traditional Latin Mass parish for the Archdiocese of Louisville and the building itself is gorgeous, with plenty of statues, marble, stained glass, relics, and gothic architecture. They also have perpetual Eucharistic adoration.

 

[Catholic29]

And if you ever happen to be passing through the Twin Cities(Mpls/St. Paul) metro area, be sure to stop by St. Agnes parish in St. Paul, I’ll eat my shoe if you can find a parish more orthodox in the entire country.

Here is their website with directions: stagnes.net/church/Main.do

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Catholic29:

And if you ever happen to be passing through the Twin Cities(Mpls/St. Paul) metro area, be sure to stop by St. Agnes parish in St. Paul, I’ll eat my shoe if you can find a parish more orthodox in the entire country.

Here is their website with directions: stagnes.net/church/Main.do

Yeah, be sure to check out the homilies they have recorded and uploaded at this site. Fr. Zuhlsdorf you see in the list is the same one who writes a column in The Wanderer.