Shaming a beautiful church

[Brain]

I had a wild hair saturday and so I took a city bus to downtown Seattle so i could go to the cathedral for mass. Unfortunatly i got turned around and ended up at Seattle University. Well SU is at the base of 2 hills and sits on Marion street and broadway. so by standing at the gate of SU you can see a large church with 2 belltowers at the top of a hill, which to my knowlege was the shape of the cathedral. Well the cathedral was up the OTHER hill, but the impostor chuch was catholic as well so i went in.Immaculate Conception is the oldest church and parish in Seattle. Beutiful building, vaulted ceilings, shrines galore, still has its side altars (not used of course) they still have the huge central altar, never tore up the pre-vatican 2 altar (the big marble kind that take up the entire front of the church) but they have added a second altar for the NO mass. So i sat in awe at how wonderful the place was, that was until the mass started.
It seemed to progess fine until i noticed that i was literally the only person besides the deacon and priest who were actually SAYING the prayers! the deacon would intermittently note what part of the mass we were in, for those who werent paying attention. then came the homily, the opener was the joke about the guy getting a tour of heaven and when they pass the catholic area St peter tells the soul to be quiet because “they think they are the only ones here” NOT APPROPRIATE. the point is that the Church does not have a monopoly on salvation (HAVE YOU READ THE CHATECHISM FATHER?) Then he started railing on the Pope for being a homophobe, and how 50+% of catholic clergy are gays and most are proud of it and sad that they cant be public, and about then i stopped listening and started praying for the priest. I was tempted to leave but i didnt want to walk out on the sacrifice, as that would be a horrible thing to do.
Then at the petitions one prayer was “for medical practitioners that they protect all human life, infants through senior citizens.” ARRRG!!!
Then at the concecration, the priest prayed for “The Pope, Benedict XVI, The Archbishop, Alexander, The auxilliary Bishops, Joseph and Euscebio, and ***OUR dear ***retired Bishop Raymond (Raymond Huntausen is our infamously liberal archbishop emeritus).” Betraying he was one of bishop Hunthausen’s cronies and doesnt care much for our current leadership.
But the mass was valid. though at the end i was furious, almost crying for the scandal perpetrated, and feeling very veunerable and insecure (feelings that seem contradictory if one has just been to mass).

sorry, i just wanted to let it out.

 

[Lorrie]

Oh dear. Oh dear. I’m not sure what I would have done during all of that. I’m kind of speechless here, sorry. I want to say that I will pray for everyone involved (especially the priest) but where does one begin??

Edited to add: I just read your post again and yes, I’m still speechless and actually almost nauseated. Just horrible. I would immediately contact your bishop on this if I were you, this should not be tolerated, seriously.

 

[cheese_sdc]

It seemed to progess fine until i noticed that i was literally the only person besides the deacon and priest who were actually SAYING the prayers! the deacon would intermittently note what part of the mass we were in, for those who werent paying attention.

That’s too bad, there are so many opportunities for grace in the Mass.

then came the homily, the opener was the joke about the guy getting a tour of heaven and when they pass the catholic area St peter tells the soul to be quiet because “they think they are the only ones here” NOT APPROPRIATE. the point is that the Church does not have a monopoly on salvation (HAVE YOU READ THE CHATECHISM FATHER?)

I have, and don’t remember anything about only Catholics in heaven.

Then he started railing on the Pope for being a homophobe, and how 50+% of catholic clergy are gays and most are proud of it and sad that they cant be public,

I don’t know about 50%. The number is probably closer to 15-20% (a number derived from my observations during four years in the seminary). But I don’t have any solid numbers b/c the bishops refuse to look seriously at the issue. If they were serious about finding out what is going on in the church, they could commission an anomyous study and get a real understanding about what’s going on with their clergy. But they don’t.

 

[Brain]

cheese_sdc:

I have, and don’t remember anything about only Catholics in heaven.

yes, but those people rely on invincible ignorance, he denied that the innocently ignorant could be saved through the grace christ has given to the church, rather that religion in general was the true path to God.

Lorrie:

I just read your post again and yes, I’m still speechless and actually almost nauseated. Just horrible. I would immediately contact your bishop on this if I were you, this should not be tolerated, seriously.

Funny thing about that, I am in a vocation discernment group that is taught by the auxilliary bishop, Josep Tyson. we had dinner as a group (there are only like 6 of us) after the class and I did mention that I was unlikly to ever go to that church again. “was the liturgy too long?” he asked, and so i told him that it was not long, but short silent and scandalous. But i stopped being explicit there because i had not talked to the offending priest and so i didnt want to rat him out to the bishop (but i think the hints I gave made it painfully clear what my problems were, and I think the bishop is well aware of the situation anyway, especially because for the rest of the night the bishop kept making disparaging jokes about that church).

 

[cheese_sdc]

Brain:

yes, but those people rely on invincible ignorance, he denied that the innocently ignorant could be saved through the grace christ has given to the church, rather that religion in general was the true path to God.

I tend use the principle “Judge not, and you shall not be judged”, and “Don’t worry about the speck in someone else’s eye”.

 

[Brain]

im not critisizing those who are not catholic nor am i judging them.
It is a fact that they do not have the whole truth at their disposal, yet dispite that, they have hope if they respond to whatever truth they have been given. I make no judgement of any person’s particular disposition.
Im thanking God that he has the mercy to take honest ignorance into account, and hoping that he will mercifully forgive my weakness even though i know the rules and i have no excuse exept to try my best not to fail again.

please people, Always assume a person’s words and intentions are of a good/friendly/loving nature (especially on the internet where you cant hear the voice inflection), unless it is painfully clear that they are being ironic/mean.
(even with that priest, i assumed that he was saying what he thought waht was right to say, the problem was that he was objectvly wrong for doing it, but if he didnt know it was wrong he didnt really sin. My prayer was that he be enlightened and realize what he is teaching is incorrect, i did not ask God to strike him dead!)