Praying in a Protestant Church

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Rob_Christopher

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The town where my new college is has a number of churches. Among these is a beautifully grand, old Church of England overlooking the river - open most of the time. There is a Catholic church but it appears not to be open much, though I’ll check again.

I would love to go in the C of E church during my free time & pray.

Please pardon my naivety, but, being Catholic, is there anything wrong with doing this?
 
Rob_Christopher said:
The town where my new college is has a number of churches. Among these is a beautifully grand, old Church of England overlooking the river - open most of the time. There is a Catholic church but it appears not to be open much, though I’ll check again.

I would love to go in the C of E church during my free time & pray.

Please pardon my naivety, but, being Catholic, is there anything wrong with doing this?
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Absolutely no problem. God will hear you. Obviously you can’t partake in their “sacraments”, nor can it excuse your Catholic obligations. However I have done so. I leave you with this image of St. Senara’s church in Zennor, North Cornwall, England. It was built something like 1400 years ago though rebuilt in the 12th century. Of course it used to be a Catholic church, but still, it is hard not to feel a sense communion with the medieval miners and seafarers who worshipped their during their very harsh lives. It was a deeply moving place to visit. The atmosphere was silent and very conducive to prayer, in spite of a near gale and rain outside.

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/9847f801-676b-43cd-88c1-f98c43791427_zpsij41p5ri.jpg
 
Rob_Christopher said:
The town where my new college is has a number of churches. Among these is a beautifully grand, old Church of England overlooking the river - open most of the time. There is a Catholic church but it appears not to be open much, though I’ll check again.

I would love to go in the C of E church during my free time & pray.

Please pardon my naivety, but, being Catholic, is there anything wrong with doing this?
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I don’t want to know the right answer, but I say go for it. I once accidentally sat through a whole Anglican Mass thinking I was in a Catholic Church (Ireland). (not a Churchgoer at the time) I prayed just fine.

I will say that a lot of Protestant Churches are pretty bare. The older the better. I finally went into a Lutheran one that had candles as I recall, water too I think, and the altar area was quite nice. Also there is a lovely little Anglican Church nearby where I hear concerts - very charming. I will say that trying to pray in Protestant Churches is tough for me and was actually what I came to seriously see as a sign to go home. 😃 I sit there and wonder why the Church is so split, where are the saints, where are the crucifixes. I feel empty. Sad. Orthodox I can pray in but I feel like a tourist doing it.

But some Protestant ones do work quite well, and yes, I think God hears you - you can pray to God in the car, at the dentist, on a run, in your living room, wherever you like. I don’t think he’s particular in that way. (besides some modern Catholic Churches are really awful - pardon my saying so - but that presents the same issue more or less)
 
I had to meet someone after work and we decided on a conveniently located protestant church.

I was early so I went inside and prayed.

The feeling I got was that the church building was empty.

But, however, when I visit a Catholic church, even if I am the “only one” there, I can feel the presence of another person.

Other people, even non-Catholics, have said the same thing.

We can feel the presence of Jesus.

There are some Catholic churches, where they “hide” the tabernacle. Can’t even find the candle.

But I have ALWAYS found myself being pulled to where Jesus is.

One day, I was traveling for business in Paris and our hosts, needing to get some work done, dropped us off near Notre Dame.

So I invited the non-Catholics in our group to go inside.

Could not find the Blessed Sacrament.

But I felt a “pulling” and went around and around and behind, and there was this huge crowd of people on their knees … kneeling before Jesus in the Monstrance … I joined them. I didn’t care about what the non-Catholics in our group felt. I was so happy to find Jesus.
 
Not at all. Popes in recent history have went into Synagogues and Mosques and respected their traditions and prayed. Speaking to God has nothing to do with the physical Church. The Church is made up of the people and speaking to God.
 
OraLabora said:
So are most Catholic monastic conventual churches 😉

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/EgliseVND.jpg

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/EgliseAbbatiale.jpg

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/clear-creek-abbey-divine-office-new-church_zps2dd5cb50.jpg

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/eglisesbl.jpg
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Indeed. We had Mass at the convent behind the basilica in Assissi.
Very spartan, almost like a cave or grotto, and it was beautiful. I would post a picture if I knew how.
 
Humorous note: sometimes when I make a visit to a Catholic church, and if they are getting ready to have a Mass, they will come over to me and ask me to concelebrate.

It is extremely flattering, … I guess I just “look like” a priest … “oh, father, where are you assigned?”] … whatever that means … threadbare clothing … but I just explain that I’m not a priest.

Not a deacon either.

But for some time, I used to carry the text of a Communion Service in my pocket because on occasion there has been no priest or deacon and they would ask me to do a Communion Service. Even had my own tabernacle key. [Approved by the pastor and by the bishop.]

[yeah, I spend a lot of time praying.]
 
By all means do, but do bear in mind that many people in the CofE, especially the higher church end, would not appreciate being called “protestant”. Anglican would be a preferable term.
 
I see nothing wrong with it. I’d pray for Christian unity while you are in there.
 
Pray wherever you are.
It is quite permissible to pray in non-Catholic churches.
I have opened my Liturgy of the Hours while traveling on buses and been asked if I was reading the Bible.

As others have mentioned, you may even join in liturgical services with our non-Catholic brothers and sisters. The only caveat is that you also meet the Sunday obligation and receive Communion in those churches not in full union with Rome.
Join in worship with my non-Catholic brothers and sisters has given me opportunities to more fully share my Catholic Faith and set aside misconceptions others have.

I do much prefer praying in Catholic churches before the crucifix, however, than before the bare cross that is most often displayed in non-Catholic churches—the full reminder of Christ’s humanity and sufferings that make the resurrection that much more real. There is also a richness in Catholic liturgy that I don’t find elsewhere.

St. Paul admonishes to “pray without ceasing.” That includes parks, bus stops, while walking, and, yes, that beautifully inviting non-Catholic church or hospital chapel.
 
Phemie said:
The first is the new Trappist Abbey isn’t it? The one that replaced the Oka Abbey?

The last is your Abbey, IIRC.

Where are #s 2 & 3?
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Yes that’s correct for the first and last. The Trappist Abbey is the one replacing Oka and is called Val Notre Dame and located in Saint-Jean-de-Matha, Québec. Fairly off the beaten path.

The second one is Douai abbey in England, near Reading. I took that photo while attending a meeting there in 2012, for the planning of the 2013 World Oblate Congress.

The third one is Clear Creek abbey in the US. It uses the traditional Benedictine Office, and the EF Mass. It is in the same congregation as my abbey (Solesmes).

The last one I’m sure you recognized quickly 🙂
 
EricF said:
Indeed. We had Mass at the convent behind the basilica in Assissi.
Very spartan, almost like a cave or grotto, and it was beautiful. I would post a picture if I knew how.
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I love what you call bare. Simple, clean, no distractions.

Was looking online at the churches near where I am hoping to move and the really lovely one is the Church of Ireland,… the two Catholic ones are modern and ugly…
God is everywhere there is prayer and the love of Him.
The trappings are what we are used to is all…
 
OraLabora said:
So are most Catholic monastic conventual churches 😉

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/EgliseVND.jpg

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/EgliseAbbatiale.jpg

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/clear-creek-abbey-divine-office-new-church_zps2dd5cb50.jpg

i179.photobucket.com/albums/w312/OraLabora/eglisesbl.jpg
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Is the top one Trappists? Ah - I read a bit further and see you answered it. It reminds me a bit of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Made it out to the abbey in Utah Our Lady of the Holy Trinity. They wioll be closed by next year, I believe; I am not sure there are ten monks left, and several of them are near death. I believe they are selling either to someone associated with U of Utah, or Utah State. The individual who is heading up the purchase has agreed to maintain the graveyard.

An interesting tidbit; if that agreement were not in place, the graves would be opened, the remains cremated, and the ashes sent to another abbey in the mid West.

Sad to see it happen; but it is a remote and humble abbey in a remote location, and a life that has never drawn huge numbers.
 
Rob_Christopher said:
The town where my new college is has a number of churches. Among these is a beautifully grand, old Church of England overlooking the river - open most of the time. There is a Catholic church but it appears not to be open much, though I’ll check again.

I would love to go in the C of E church during my free time & pray.

Please pardon my naivety, but, being Catholic, is there anything wrong with doing this?
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The problem might be if other people were to see you ad think that that church was a Catholic church or that you had converted to that religion.
 
poche said:
The problem might be if other people were to see you ad think that that church was a Catholic church or that you had converted to that religion.
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Problem? What problem? I go into any Church that is open here… . :confused::rolleyes:
 
What has happened as a result of my being seen in churches of other Denominations?
A greater understanding of the Faith that we share with our separated brothers and sisters.
The last prayer that Our Lord prayed was “that they one.”
The Vatican II Document on Ecumenism begins by noting that the divisions within Christianity present a “scandal to the world.”
As has already been noted by others, as well as myself, praying in a hospital chapel, or any non-Catholic church, to include participating with our separated brothers and sisters in their worship services is apart from the ordinary weekly Mass and other services in which we participate. Just as non-Catholics are excluded from Communion, we are to refrain from participating in non-Catholic Communion services that lack the same meaning.

The lines of communication are opened, and those who have seen me have been more open to learning about the Catholic Faith. I am asked questions about what the Church actually teaches and can correct much misinformation that is out there.

This happens as well when people see me praying while traveling, as I open my Christian Prayer to pray the Morning or Evening Prayer, or am seen reading the Bible on my daily commute. Pray anywhere and any time.
 
DebChris said:
What has happened as a result of my being seen in churches of other Denominations?
A greater understanding of the Faith that we share with our separated brothers and sisters.
The last prayer that Our Lord prayed was “that they one.”
The Vatican II Document on Ecumenism begins by noting that the divisions within Christianity present a “scandal to the world.”
As has already been noted by others, as well as myself, praying in a hospital chapel, or any non-Catholic church, to include participating with our separated brothers and sisters in their worship services is apart from the ordinary weekly Mass and other services in which we participate. Just as non-Catholics are excluded from Communion, we are to refrain from participating in non-Catholic Communion services that lack the same meaning.

The lines of communication are opened, and those who have seen me have been more open to learning about the Catholic Faith. I am asked questions about what the Church actually teaches and can correct much misinformation that is out there.

This happens as well when people see me praying while traveling, as I open my Christian Prayer to pray the Morning or Evening Prayer, or am seen reading the Bible on my daily commute. Pray anywhere and any time.
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If you go to a Protestant service on Sunday you still have the obligation to attend Mass jn a Catholic church.
 
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