The Mass in countries outside of the USA

[Jamie_Burns]

Canada: Cathedral in Hamilton, ON

Mexico: The Basilica of Nuestra Sra.de Guadalupe, and various churches in Guadalajara, Jal.; Leon, GTO; Dolores de Hidalgo, GTO; and Guanajuato, GTO, and Matamoros, NL.

Jamaica: Sts. Peter & Paul in Kingston (we were married there); St. Richard of Chichester-Havendale St. Andrew; Our Lady of Fatima-Ocho Rios; and I also the church up in Stony Hill St. Andrew.

 

[DoctorSubtilis]

Russia: parish in St. Petersburg, very pious and edifying

Lithuania: many places, especially memorable was Mass at Ostra Brama

Poland: many places, always according to the books, and always packed

Germany: various parishes in Munich, by the books

Austria: Vienna: Stephansdom and St. Peter’s- both solid; Innsbruck - cathedral (?)- ok except they subbed the apostle’s creed (which I believe they did at the Stephansdom as well)

Hungary - Tridentine mass by a priest so old he had his face buried on the missal but seeing him drag himself up to the altar was quite moving. Can’t recall the church though, somewhere in Budapest.

Slovakia - Bratislava & Kosice - very solid liturgies

Italy - various places - always very solid

 

[Brendan]

Brendan:

Ireland, UK, Holland (Latin Mass) and Korea (Cathedral in Seoul).

Oh yea, and Canada too.

It looks like I forgot 2 countries

France ( Sacré-Coeur in Paris)

and Monaco ( Cathedral)

 

[AJV]

warrior71:

The Mass in India was somewhat different, and I’m not at all sure it was a Roman Catholic Mass, although the church was said to be in communion with Rome.

I’m interested, where was it and in what way was it different? Was it the Latin rite or a Syriac rite (The Syro-Malabar or Syro-Malankara)

 

[palmas85]

Philippines A+ VERY DEVOUT
Trinidad B VERY CONSERVATIVE
Mexico C NOT WHAT I EXPECTED
Japan D VERY STRANGE MASSES :
New Zealand D MORE LIBERAL THAN THE US
Australia D NOT AS BAD AS NEW ZEALAND
Honduras F LIBERATION THEOLOGY BIG TIME
Belize F FULL BLOWN CHARISMATIC/LIBERATION :bigyikes:
:

 

[mumof5]

Ireland - the best but over in 40 minutes! Nothing missing though and didn’t feel rushed.

Didn’t get a chance to go in London or France as we intended.

New Zealand - very relaxed, lots of talking in church after Mass.

Australia - most liberal, very irreverant congregation, priest seemed bored.

 

[mumof5]

palmas85:

Philippines A+ VERY DEVOUT
Trinidad B VERY CONSERVATIVE
Mexico C NOT WHAT I EXPECTED
Japan D VERY STRANGE MASSES :
New Zealand D MORE LIBERAL THAN THE US
Australia D NOT AS BAD AS NEW ZEALAND
Honduras F LIBERATION THEOLOGY BIG TIME
Belize F FULL BLOWN CHARISMATIC/LIBERATION :bigyikes:
:

Where did you go in New Zealand?

 

[palmas85]

mumof5:

Where did you go in New Zealand?

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of Fatima, both in Christchurch. Our Lady of Fatima was a strange place, it didn’t have a crucifix anywhere, but it did have a huge cross with what looked like a stole hanging over the arms. It hung over, well I guess it was the altar, it had no altar cloth, no candles no flowers no nothing, just a large barren table. It was a pretty stark, plain place. The hosts were kept in several wicker baskets and the wine was in glass pitchers. The homily was given by a woman who by her dress I presumed was a sister of some sort.

The Church itself was fairly modern in appearance and it did have a statue of the Blessed Mother as I recall. I’m not sure where the Tabernacle was but it wasn’t in the Sanctuary. The Mass was well attended and was a typical noisy, good feeling communal sort of thing. Hands were held not only during the Our Father but at several other times as well during the Mass including the Prayers of Petition and the Penitentional Rite. Lots of loud singing and handclapping.

 

[St.BJLabre]

I went to a mass in Honduras. I don’t really speak Spanish fluently enough (yet) to actually have understood the homily. However, on the surface it was nice. Everyone kneeled on the floor (no kneelers) and only a couple of people received communion which mean, unlike in America, the Hondurans respect the Eucharist enough not to receive it while in a state of mortal sin.

 

[PROUD_2_B_RC]

+JMJ+
I was recnetly in Rome,Italy and Assisi Italy,and I must say WOW!The mass there is awsome;especialy in St.Peter’s Basilica.The use of the latin and the mere fact of being near to the Holy Father while he was saying mass was all inspiring!O and dare I forget, Assisi at the Basilica of St.Francis.The mass was held in the upper church where some of the most beautiful fresco’s are.

God bless you and Mary keep you!

 

[Augustine]

We spent our summer vacation in our home-country, Brazil, after many years away.

I was gladly surprised to find not the dreaded Liberation Theology that infested the Brazilian Church and drove millions to Evangelicalism, but sound orthodoxy. I even wrote to the priest thanking him for the fine homilies.

Not to mention that it was really nice to go to Mass in churches built to elevate the spirit (e.g., atibaiaonde.com.br/pontosturisticos/imagens/Igrejasaojoaobatista.jpg) for a change.

 

[introibo]

The United Kingdom (London):
-Westminster Cathedral: Gorgeous. Impeccable sense of liturgy, packed Masses, excellent homilists (particularly Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor).
-St James Spanish Place: I attended St James for the Easter Vigil, mainly because we didn’t feel like fighting the crowd at the Cathedral. We were certainly in for a treat! As I understand it, St James was the church of the Spanish court in London before the restoration of the hierarchy- obviously a gorgeous building, and it’s got a gorgeous choir to boot, singing Palestrina, Mozart… oh the beauty!

Republic of Ireland (Dublin):
-St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral: Again, gorgeous. This was a Pauline Mass, but except for the readings, and the homily, it was said in Latin. There was boys’ choir which was quite talented, as well.

France (Paris)
-The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris: This was a Saturday vigil Mass, and Lent to boot, so there was not much singing. I enjoyed it because it was my first Mass in a modern foreign language, and I was able to grasp the homily pretty well.

Italy (Rome)
-San Giovanni in Laterano: A gorgeous Mass. We arrived in Rome the day after the late Holy Father’s funeral; there were many tributes to him around the city, and a large photo of him in his cathedral. It was quite moving to see the truly empty Chair of Peter, sitting alone in the back of the apse.

 

[Gearoidin]

palmas85:

Philippines A+ VERY DEVOUT
Trinidad B VERY CONSERVATIVE
Mexico C NOT WHAT I EXPECTED
Japan D VERY STRANGE MASSES :
New Zealand D MORE LIBERAL THAN THE US
Australia D NOT AS BAD AS NEW ZEALAND
Honduras F LIBERATION THEOLOGY BIG TIME
Belize F FULL BLOWN CHARISMATIC/LIBERATION :bigyikes:
:

In what way did you find the Masses in Japan strange?

Gearoidin

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

OurLadyOfEfes:

Who here has been to a Papal Mass?

In Rome for Mother Teresa’s beatification. Of the 300,000 people present, I was toward the rear, probably around the 250,000 to 275,000 mark. I still cherish my glimpse from afar of HH John Paul II.

Germany - slightly more traditional feel, excellent organ music

Austria - lived there 10 months and saw the whole spectrum. University Masses passed the Eucharist around for self-communication, most parish Masses combined more traditional ceremonial with fast-and-loose treatment of the rubrics (omitting Mass parts or substituting things), cathedral Mass very traditional with a schola, only one species, and fiddleback chasubles. I also sometimes attended the parish administered by the Servitans whose austerity shines through with their use of wooden clackers instead of sanctus bells.

Czech Republic - Divine Liturgy in Prague

Russia - in St. Petersburg, nothing stuck out about the Mass, but part of the Church was unfinished brick around a side altar, which I think was left “as is” as a reminder of the persecution under the Soviets.

Scotland - Edinburgh cathedral, seemed just like home.

Ireland - limited use of Gaelic

Northern Ireland (Belfast)

 

[InnocentIII]

Sean O L:

warrior71 wrote:

Australia is a mighty BIG country to be labelled as you have done!

Perhaps if you isolated it to Queensland - or Brisbane???

But, you must have evidence for the claim?

I admit that my home parish of Lilydale, Melbourne is pastored by a liturgical barbarian (who I reported to my Archbishop and to Cardinal Arinze - but, the surrounding parishes (Croydon, Ringwood, Mt Eliza, Heallesville) are all liturgically orthodox.

As a fellow Australian I feel for you when I read the above. Here in Smithtown we have a very holy priest and in neighbouring Kempsey our wonderful bishop has had great success in getting a more orthodox approach but frankly Lismore is still very liberal so I understand the OP’s point. I would add Sale and Ballarat to to the Qld dioceses as well as Bathurst (the only place I have seen in Australia with that horrid “altar to the side” business. Fortunately at least three dioceses have recently had sound orthodox bishops appointed (Lismore, Armidale, Adelaide) but the work of undoing the mess created by their predecessors and the priests who have dug themselves in is truly awesome. They fight ours every inch of the way.

 

[LilyM]

InnocentIII:

As a fellow Australian I feel for you when I read the above. Here in Smithtown we have a very holy priest and in neighbouring Kempsey our wonderful bishop has had great success in getting a more orthodox approach but frankly Lismore is still very liberal so I understand the OP’s point. I would add Sale and Ballarat to to the Qld dioceses as well as Bathurst (the only place I have seen in Australia with that horrid “altar to the side” business. Fortunately at least three dioceses have recently had sound orthodox bishops appointed (Lismore, Armidale, Adelaide) but the work of undoing the mess created by their predecessors and the priests who have dug themselves in is truly awesome. They fight ours every inch of the way.

Here in Sydney some of the clergy seem to have problems with Cardinal Pell himself, but I haven’t seen any liturgical abuses of any kind from the priests I’ve seen so far. Nor have I seen that the congregations are particularly irreverent, just a bit laidback.

I must say I’ve attended some beautiful masses overseas, highlights being:

Italy (I wouldn’t care if they were tapdancing in the aisles with the mindblowing churches they’ve got!),

London (the church had tiered seating rather like a theatre - I suspect it may not have been originally built as a church but it was lovely anyway)

and the best of all - FIJI (gorgeous singing!)

I attended a Papal Mass that the late great JP2 held at a racecourse in Sydney in 1986. I still have a much treasured and much used souvenir rosary from that Papal visit.

 

[megalon]

I traveled in the Navy in the 60s and 70s. I went to Mass in every country I visited. I was based Europe for three years. during the late 70s as a civilian.I have been to Mass all over Western Europe and in some countries behind the then Iron Curtain. Those were vernacular Masses. I had no problem following them since the form was the same. Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong, aboard ship, Hawaii, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, England, Holland, Belgium, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Italy.

 

[InnocentIII]

LilyM:

Here in Sydney some of the clergy seem to have problems with Cardinal Pell himself, but I haven’t seen any liturgical abuses of any kind from the priests I’ve seen so far. Nor have I seen that the congregations are particularly irreverent, just a bit laidback.

Sydney where I lived for most of my life is fairly orthodox, especially since Pell arrived. Whatever priests think of him they know they had better toe the line if they want to rise. Also Pell has had some success in getting orthodox priests into parishes. However there are still pockets, especially with the religious priests who answer to their own orders. Erskineville church hs been completely destroyed. Parramatta has major areas of liberalism, especially in the newer north-western suburbs. Kenthurst looks like a protestant prayer hall. However it is true that NSW in general is liturgically orthodox with only individual liberals unlike Qld which is a liturgical nightmare from the top down.

 

[mspencer]

Two years ago I married a women in the Philippines. Before she was able to immigrate to the United States, I was there for a total of several months. One of the great things that first attracted her to me is that she went to daily mass. And I was at Mass every day with her. The Philippine people are very religious; a priest I talked to (who is one of the two priests presiding at our wedding) said this is because it is a poor country. The people at Mass are very devout. The people in the province of Bohol are particularly devout. Families like to have their oldest son become a priest. I stayed by St. Joseph’s cathedral in Tagbilaran when we visited Behol last January, a large building, and every mass on Sunday was so crowded that many people stood outside the doors during Mass. Even Sunday evening there was a Mass every hour on the hour until late.
Next to the main church in my wife’s city there is a Eucharistic adoration chapel, not large, and I was surprised to see when I first went by there that there were 30 or 40 people inside, filling it so that some of them sat on the floor.
It is a shame that some places are in liturgical disarray so that the main thing to say about Mass there is whether or not there are liturgical abuses. However, there are no such liturgical abuses during Mass in the Philippines, and the thing that stands out is the devoutness of the people during Mass.
Some Masses are in English and some in Filipino. Mass there is quite like Mass in the United States, except the people bow to one another during the kiss of peace, something actually that I much like.