That’s good. But the protestant visitor is probably already freaked out by the time he takes his seat. Most people dip their fingers and bless themselves when entering (what is THAT all about), and, depending on the Parish, maybe half of them genuflect before sitting (why do those people do this, and others do not? Is this some bizarre caste system?) Usually, NOBODY turns and greets their neighbors before Mass (which is a courtesy, because Catholics usually engage in private prayer before Mass, but many protestants view this as “social time,” and our non-social behavior could be perceived as rude). In a typical non-dom church, the time before services begins is like being in a sports stadium - everyone is talking (or shouting) to everyone. It’s utter chaos, and it takes the pastor five or ten minutes to bring the assembly to order. No priest has EVER had to bring any Catholic assembly to order at any Mass I have ever attended, in any country I’ve ever visited.
Before Mass even begins, they probably
already feel like outsiders (and perhaps they feel insulted). Are they gonna pick up and read a tract titled something like “For New Catholics?” When NOBODY around them is reading this tract? At this point, I think most non-liturgical protestants are trying to “blend in” and are looking for the soonest opportunity to escape.
Then Mass begins, with the priest saying, “The Lord be with you,” and the congregation actually
responds, and everyone is (mostly) saying the exact same response (some still forget, and say “And also with you,” but I digress). But nobody seems to be reading this from a book (in the Archdiocese of Seattle, where my family sometimes attends Mass due to scheduling constraints (Washington is actually only four miles away), pew missals have been “banned” by the Bishop) As the Mass progresses, Catholics demonstrate an amazing capacity to recite, in unison, the Act of Contrition, the Nicene Creed, etc, usually without referring to any text. We can even sing them! Catholics sometimes loose sight of how foreign a liturgical, responsive service seems to people who have never experienced such a service.
Non-liturgical protestants have NEVER experienced
anything like this! They might punctuate a two-hour homily in their own church with an occasional shout of “Amen” or “Wonderful Savior,” but they have no experience with any sort of liturgy, much less full-blown Catholic liturgy (God help them if they ever visit a Greek Orthodox church!)
Out of curiosity, how would you spot the Mormons? I doubt they would have flashed their Mormon ID cards at the door (you probably know what I’m talking about, but for the benefit of others, I’m not being sarcastic here - Mormons really have such cards, which they call
Temple Recommends - the image is outdated; modern Recommends have barcodes. Mormons who are not known by sight are required to show these cards (which undergo verification) before entering a temple)).