Places of worship that you most found the spirit?

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Catholic or Non-catholic:
What houses of worship have experienced the greatest presence of the spirit?
I have both felt the spirit in a roman catholic, and an LDS chapel, but there are times when it seems like the spirit is not there, and at other times it is very strong. Not been to a catholic church in awhile since mine closed up.
 
In my own closet. Draw close to the Lord and He will draw close to you.😉
 
Geocacher said:
Catholic or Non-catholic:
What houses of worship have experienced the greatest presence of the spirit?
I have both felt the spirit in a roman catholic, and an LDS chapel, but there are times when it seems like the spirit is not there, and at other times it is very strong. Not been to a catholic church in awhile since mine closed up.
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There are Catholic churches everywhere, that is no excuse for not attending one…there is only holiness in a Catholic church. When I go into mine, as in my case, my priest leaves the doors open all day every day til 6:00 pm. I go in alone during the week, all I see is this life size crucifix, and it is dark with just the glass stained windows for light and The Tabernacle. It is so peaceful and quiet.
I sometimes wished He would appear to me just for a moment. I know that may sound crazy and I am not worthy to see Him, but they are just thoughts. I’m sure you all had those thoughts one time or another.
 
When I waas young stupid and naive, my wife and I went to London. I had been used to visiting catholic Abbeys and assumed that ALL Abbeys were Catholic.

She said she wanted to visit both Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. I wanted to visit the Abbey first [having confused this with the Catholic Cathedral].

When we arrived at the Abbey, I felt my faith had deserted me. There was a very clear absence of that lovely feeling I get when in the presence of a church with a tabernacle. My faith was in tatters.

Distressed, my wife explained that I had got it wrong, this was the Anglican not Catholic Cathedral. We went onto Westminster Cathedral. A while before we reached it, I caught sight of it from a distance. It hit me very hard in the chest. Even at a distance, could ‘feel’ the real presence of the tabernacle. I just stood and cried with emotion. I will never forget that experience.
 
mommyof4 said:
Queen of Peace Chapel.

Eucharistic Adoration (anywhere)
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I agree here!👍

Also, after Mass, when they turn out the lights, and all you see is the cruxifix and the candle lit next to the tabernacle. I never feel alone there!
 
Bear in mind, it is possible to “feel” the Holy Spirit anywhere. In the end it’s all up to God after all. 😉

Personally, Eucharistic Adoration is the most common place for me, and sometimes at daily mass, but I haven’t gone to either nearly as much as I should lately. Without getting into needless detail, I REALLY felt the Holy Spirit strongly as I prayed the divine mercy chaplet for the first time in Adoration. Of course, back then I had a lot of sins from my past I needed to get rid of and I think it was just God’s timing more than anything. I can’t really explain it very well, but it felt like a lot of stuff was “being purged”.
 
Sixtus said:
When I waas young stupid and naive, my wife and I went to London. I had been used to visiting catholic Abbeys and assumed that ALL Abbeys were Catholic.

She said she wanted to visit both Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. I wanted to visit the Abbey first [having confused this with the Catholic Cathedral].

When we arrived at the Abbey, I felt my faith had deserted me. There was a very clear absence of that lovely feeling I get when in the presence of a church with a tabernacle. My faith was in tatters.

Distressed, my wife explained that I had got it wrong, this was the Anglican not Catholic Cathedral. We went onto Westminster Cathedral. A while before we reached it, I caught sight of it from a distance. It hit me very hard in the chest. Even at a distance, could ‘feel’ the real presence of the tabernacle. I just stood and cried with emotion. I will never forget that experience.
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I know what you mean. I’ve been to both Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. Spot on. It’s the same with the California missions. Most of them are still in active use and the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the Tabernacle. You can sense the Real Presence. In the couple that don’t, because they’re run by the state (La Purissima Concepcion and San Francisco de Solano), there’s just a feeling of a sad emptiness. One other, Mission Soledad, doesn’t reserve the Blessed Sacrament, but that’s because it’s isolated and they cannot secure It (priests come sometimes, but it isn’t used every Sunday). There’s a different feel to that mission, I must say, but it may be because of the old, old statue of Our Lady of Sorrows over the altar. She’s dressed all in black with a very long black mantilla on Her head. The look on Her face makes you really think about the Blessed Mother’s agony at the foot of the Cross. There’s a different spirit there and you don’t want to leave Her alone.
 
San Clemente in Rome, the scavi under St. Peter’s, the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. at the tombs of St. Bede and St. Cuthbert in Durham Cathedral (remember those cathedrals used to be ours), Dominus Flavit on Olivet, Gethsemani, and Fatima. There are many more, basically wherever the Blessed Sacrament is. I can’t imagine an LDS chapel being inspiring though. I have been to several. Even have been to temples, but felt nothing there.
 
Definitely Easter Vigil was the time I really felt closest to God…basically, anytime that involves the Sacraments of Initiation I think it’s such a beautiful and moving moment.

Also at my childhood church I always felt close to God. Every Christmas Eve whenever the lights would be dimmed as we would close out the evening (at midnight, no less) singing Silent Night, and it was always an incredible moment.

Some other places that have been incredibly inspiring were St. Paul’s Chapel in NYC, and Our Lady of Czestohowa shrine.
 
I have been director of RCIA and Confirmation for 5 years, and active in preparing adults and youth for many years before that. I will first say that I am not by nature one who is given to very emotional religious experiences nor have I been part of the Charismatic renewal although I have been to some charismatic flavored retreats and conferences. I acknowledge that those more dramatic experiences and manifestations of the Holy Spirit are authentic for many people but not my own mode of spirituality. Nevertheless, I am spiritually, sensibly and in every other way intensely aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit at each and every Confirmation I witness. I can’t tell you exactly how I know it, but I do know the Holy Spirit is present, descending upon the candidates and lighting the whole Church on fire.
 
My parish, St. Leo the Great, in Cleveland, Ohio; St. John’s Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio; and Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Cleveland, Ohio were all wonderful spiritual experiences for me.

I also found the Spirit at a Christian music festival that was held at the Berea fairgrounds years ago. This wasn’t a “church”, but the music was all Christian (everything from Gospel, CCM, heavy metal, Southern Gospel), and there were members of many different churches there with information (Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian). I had been away from church, not practicing any religion. The Bible given to me by somebody at the festival is what led me to come back to the Catholic Church.
 
While praying the rosary or divine mercy chaplet and some times during Mass .
 
I love The divine Mercy Chaplet when they sing it on the weekends. The two white woman and the black man are great when they sing it…beautiful…
 
The Catholics will not understand this but the place I feel the Spirit of The Lord most is the church I currently attend.
Liberty First Congregational Methodist.
I have been to dozens of churches of various denominations in my life and this (so far) is the only church I have ever been in where I have not saw one person whom I believed was there “for show” and not once have I saw anyone act selfishly in church or act in a manner to draw attention to themselves.
A very loving congregation who are there for worship only and who make all visitors feel welcome, I had only been there three sundays when the pastor asked if I minded saying the closing prayer:)
I know all Methodist or even all FC Methodist Churches probably aren’t exactly the same but I am happy with the one I worship in. I actually feel guilty when I visit other churches.
WP
 
sandmountainsli said:
The Catholics will not understand this but the place I feel the Spirit of The Lord most is the church I currently attend.
Liberty First Congregational Methodist.
I have been to dozens of churches of various denominations in my life and this (so far) is the only church I have ever been in where I have not saw one person whom I believed was there “for show” and not once have I saw anyone act selfishly in church or act in a manner to draw attention to themselves.
A very loving congregation who are there for worship only and who make all visitors feel welcome, I had only been there three sundays when the pastor asked if I minded saying the closing prayer:)
I know all Methodist or even all FC Methodist Churches probably aren’t exactly the same but I am happy with the one I worship in. I actually feel guilty when I visit other churches.
WP
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I know that other posters here will disagree with me, but I believe that the Holy Spirit can be anywhere he wants to be! Not just in Catholic Church’s either.
 
Definitely Easter Vigil
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I must agree to this too. Sometimes the atomosphere is electric.

Often though, it is at the consecration that it ‘slams home to me’. By the time of communion, it is often very embarrassing being red eyed from the sheer emotion of it all. The Blessed Sacrament is just so powerful for me.

Just in the presence of the tabernacle can be enough.

Often the sacrament of reconciliation is also very moving
 
I have strongly felt the presence of the Spirit in a variety of settings, Catholic churches, Christian concerts, Other Christian houses of worship, at outdoor worship services, even non-Christian ones, in meditation centers etc. It has depended more on the activity taking place, and my state of mind…whether I was open to sensing the spirit, than the place itself.

cheddar

PS, oh, and sports arenas too. I have felt the spirit there too
 
Sixtus said:
When I waas young stupid and naive, my wife and I went to London. I had been used to visiting catholic Abbeys and assumed that ALL Abbeys were Catholic.

She said she wanted to visit both Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. I wanted to visit the Abbey first [having confused this with the Catholic Cathedral].

When we arrived at the Abbey, I felt my faith had deserted me. There was a very clear absence of that lovely feeling I get when in the presence of a church with a tabernacle. My faith was in tatters.

Distressed, my wife explained that I had got it wrong, this was the Anglican not Catholic Cathedral. We went onto Westminster Cathedral. A while before we reached it, I caught sight of it from a distance. It hit me very hard in the chest. Even at a distance, could ‘feel’ the real presence of the tabernacle. I just stood and cried with emotion. I will never forget that experience.
Click to expand...
Well, I’m in full agreement there. Having been to the Abbey and the Cathedral I know the feelings. Then again, I have a love affair with Westminster Cathedral - which can’t be fulfilled much as I don’t live near London. The building itself is superb and I love praying before the Blessed Sacrament there, in the Sacred Heart chapel, the very gorgeous Lady Chapel and some of the others. And the Mass is wonderful there, whether quiet and spoken or with the full choir.

Then again I like the other Catholic churches I’ve been to in London - one on Soho Square, the French one, the Jesuit one in Mayfair and the Oratory.

I’d love to be able to get to them more often, but the Spirit and the presence of Jesus is alive and well here too - in the church building, when meeting with others, and when praying alone.
 
Hi,
Usually when I am praying and also when in my car listening to and singing praise music.

When I am praying-the time I feel the Holy Spirit the most is when I am giving something up to God and finally letting Him deal with it.👍
 
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