I went back to Sunday evening mass with Father Fire and Brimstone for the second week of Advent. There's been a big push to welcome people back to church when they turn up for Christmas. I'm all for that. In fact, send them my way. Looking for church with organ music? With an older crowd? On a winding road? I can get you there. Oh, wait, you want them to come to this church...
The word being tossed about has been stodgy. We were told for two weeks in a row that we were too cold and too uptight and that people like other nearby churches because they are all warm and fuzzy. I've been to some stodgy churches, and I don't think this is one of them. In fact, I don't think it's stodgy enough. I wear jeans half the time I'm there for goodness sake.
But really, when I find myself searching, I could use a little more order in my mass and a little less open mike night. So I took a break from Sunday evening mass and checked out Sunday morning. The mass itself was a little more me, but I'm not so sure about the crowd.
In other news...
I went back to Nativity for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and it was lovely.
I have finally been to see Handel's Messiah. It was amazing and of course left me with lots of questions. The biggest being why do we sing this at Christmas? It was written for Easter tide. Christmas last year, I commented that Rick "we can't change manger to feed box because that would be ridiculous" Hilgartner has a nice voice. Turns out I was right. He sang the Messiah with the rest of the Baltimore Symphonic Chorale.
I'm glad I included book club for one on my to do list for this year. Rebuilt: The Story of Building a Catholic Mega Church (okay, that's not the real title) will be hitting an online bookseller near you in February. I'm writing a book too. It's called Demolished. Or Already Built. Well, it's a work in progress.
And lastly Theology on Tap has gotten off to a sputtering start. If at first you don't succeed...
Here's to finding joy in the third week of Advent. Until next week...
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Year Two
Advent begins the liturgical year, and so I begin year two. I was trying to roll things about by November 1, but you, loyal readers, know about my slothfulness. So here I am. In this past year, I wanted to establish the habit of going to church. So far so good. I've been every week since finishing up my tour at the Basilica.
I've been to two old standards and some how managed to get to stewardship Sunday at both. At one, the pastor pointed out that the Sunday evening mass collects $2000 in one dollar bills. "This isn't planned giving," he said. I would argue. I had some crumpled up dollar bills in my pocket. That was pretty amazing, because cash is kind of a novelty item for me. And more importantly, there are churches where $2000 in pennies would be welcome.
This first week of Advent, I made it to another old favorite. Or at least a place I want to be a favorite. But it was driving me a little crazy. And Father Fire and Brimstone didn't leave me feeling all warm and Christmasy. But I'm too stubborn to give this up. (By the way, why do people say stubborn like it's a bad thing?)
I don't know that I can come up with an idea as great as this last one or even if the new year has to top the old one. I tried getting ideas from my friends, who proved to be less than merciful. I'm not, for example, attempting to start a prayer group for pagan babies.
It's not much, but here's what I've got. 52 new things. New churches. Parish activities. My own personal book club. Acts of service. The best part? I make the rules, so I say what counts.
And then I got to thinking, if I can put this part of my life in order (well, sort of), can I launch another personal project? More on that later. For now, my gift has been placed under the sharing tree and I'm reading (very slowly) The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything. Happy Advent.
I've been to two old standards and some how managed to get to stewardship Sunday at both. At one, the pastor pointed out that the Sunday evening mass collects $2000 in one dollar bills. "This isn't planned giving," he said. I would argue. I had some crumpled up dollar bills in my pocket. That was pretty amazing, because cash is kind of a novelty item for me. And more importantly, there are churches where $2000 in pennies would be welcome.
This first week of Advent, I made it to another old favorite. Or at least a place I want to be a favorite. But it was driving me a little crazy. And Father Fire and Brimstone didn't leave me feeling all warm and Christmasy. But I'm too stubborn to give this up. (By the way, why do people say stubborn like it's a bad thing?)
I don't know that I can come up with an idea as great as this last one or even if the new year has to top the old one. I tried getting ideas from my friends, who proved to be less than merciful. I'm not, for example, attempting to start a prayer group for pagan babies.
It's not much, but here's what I've got. 52 new things. New churches. Parish activities. My own personal book club. Acts of service. The best part? I make the rules, so I say what counts.
And then I got to thinking, if I can put this part of my life in order (well, sort of), can I launch another personal project? More on that later. For now, my gift has been placed under the sharing tree and I'm reading (very slowly) The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything. Happy Advent.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
week two
This is the week I landed back at St. Pius X and back at 5:30 mass. The rundown...
Old Friends: Check.
Clock time: One hour. (Fr. Sam had a train to catch or something. With this week's "sell all, give to the poor, and come follow me" reading, I thought we would experience one fired up homily about the evils of greed. I hate to admit I was a little disappointed.)
Crying babies: Allowed. (Lauren threatened to sign me up for Children's Liturgy.)
Boxtops: Tithed.
Music: Shine FM. No tambourines. (if they could back off, just a little...)
Is parish life for me?
Old Friends: Check.
Clock time: One hour. (Fr. Sam had a train to catch or something. With this week's "sell all, give to the poor, and come follow me" reading, I thought we would experience one fired up homily about the evils of greed. I hate to admit I was a little disappointed.)
Crying babies: Allowed. (Lauren threatened to sign me up for Children's Liturgy.)
Boxtops: Tithed.
Music: Shine FM. No tambourines. (if they could back off, just a little...)
Is parish life for me?
Monday, October 8, 2012
week one (kidding,kidding...)
How do you measure a year?
churches: 52
Sundays skipped: 2 (careful readers will note the Epiphany and well, um, Easter are not quite accounted for. Those are stories for another time.)
non-Catholic churches: 1
number of people suckered into coming to church with me: 7
states: 2
counties: 6
dioceses: 4
tambourines: 4?
tuxedos: 1
priests: 51
Obviously this requires more thought...so for now...Week 53.
This week, the question "where are we going to church this week?" took on whole new meaning. I had let myself out of my self opposed obligation to go to a new church every week. I've decided I'm not done yet, but have also decided that this pace is getting annoying. Maybe one a month for the next year. I hope to role out the next phase of my crazy ideas soon.
I felt strangely compelled to go back to Nativity. Once upon a time, I had a lofty idea that I would go back to 5:30 mass at St. Pius and celebrate with dinner(beer) afterwards. But how was I supposed to know that Sunday would be cool and rainy and that the Orioles would be in an afternoon playoff game?
So then it was down to the monastery and Nativity for a morning mass. I mean they are both easy, largely in part because they are right here.
There were a few things that bummed me out about Nativity. I didn't notice last time, or maybe they hadn't done it yet, but the shelf below the pew that holds hymnals has been removed. It looks like an end to Gather books forever.
It was loud in there. Really loud. (To quote me to me, I was looking for protected, quiet time.) There was significant pre-mass chatter and high volume music. The lector is a member of the parish staff and seems to read at all the masses. Kids are pretty well kicked out, and it makes me kind of sad. Somewhere out there, there are adults who put up with the likes of me in church. And so much for fasting before mass, I saw a lady actually bring coffee into church with her.
But there was an amazing, albeit lengthy, homily based on First Corinthians: Love always trusts. I think if you go to their website, you can watch it too.
I left thinking about all the things that I just wanted to fix. I wondered about all the old friends I had hoped to see, but didn't. Instead, I decided it's time to stop searching for memories and start making new ones.
See you Sunday.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Basilica of the National Shrine of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
So here we are. 52 churches and 52 weeks later, I'm trying to figure out how to sum up this year. Tambourines? Favorite guides to the New Roman Missal? Odometer readings? For now, I'll stick to the usual post.
The Basilica is the last stop on the official tour. They offer a Sunday afternoon mass. We were reminded to turn off our cell phones so not to disturb the liturgy as someone leaned on a car horn outside and sirens of all kinds blared. The dome has suffered earthquake damage and the church is full of scaffolding and curtains. Figures, I have visited many beautiful buildings under construction. I haven't actually seen the new renovations, been on the tour, or spent any time in the John Paul II garden.
The crowd trickled in and there was a talented cantor and organ. Familiar songs seemed a little slow and formal set to organ music. Apparently there is a sign in the sacristy that says: Danger. Work Zone. Hard hat required. Apparently there is a prayer in there too: Celebrate this Mass as if it were your first Mass. Celebrate this Mass as if it were your only Mass. Celebrate this mass as if it were your last Mass. Put those two ideas together, and you've got the homily. All in all, a fitting end to one crazy idea.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saint Vincent de Paul
The last two weeks of this adventure have fallen into busy weekends. Figures. The penultimate stop was Saint Vincent de Paul. Many of you will know it as the green and white church at the end of 83. I went to Saturday evening mass at 7:15. They even have a midnight mass (actually midnight fifteen) on Sundays. How cool is that?
Weekly midnight mass brings up an interesting point. So let me ask you, Archdiocese of Baltimore, why are all of your masses at the same time? All the Sunday evenings are at 5:30. 10 am masses are harder to find than I thought. Saturday seems to land at 4. And masses on holy days are all at the same time time too. Can't you move them around, just a little?
Saint Vincent's is a smaller church with dark wooden pews and dark wooden creaky floors. The walls are white and the kneelers don't move. They don't use a lectionary, but their altar Bible. 7:15 mass is a quiet mass with a small crowd and I see how that time could really work. There were a few parents and kids, but the crowd was mostly older. There are statues of Mary and Joseph and Saint Vincent tucked away on the side of the church.
It's also one of the few churches where I have seen a familiar face. Guess I'm not the only one who doesn't go to church.
And then there was one.
Weekly midnight mass brings up an interesting point. So let me ask you, Archdiocese of Baltimore, why are all of your masses at the same time? All the Sunday evenings are at 5:30. 10 am masses are harder to find than I thought. Saturday seems to land at 4. And masses on holy days are all at the same time time too. Can't you move them around, just a little?
Saint Vincent's is a smaller church with dark wooden pews and dark wooden creaky floors. The walls are white and the kneelers don't move. They don't use a lectionary, but their altar Bible. 7:15 mass is a quiet mass with a small crowd and I see how that time could really work. There were a few parents and kids, but the crowd was mostly older. There are statues of Mary and Joseph and Saint Vincent tucked away on the side of the church.
It's also one of the few churches where I have seen a familiar face. Guess I'm not the only one who doesn't go to church.
And then there was one.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Corpus Christi
Still behind. So much for blog blast part deux. September 16's church was Corpus Christi. The summer scheduled had ended, so it was mass at 10:30. The church is white with two columns of pews, 52 in total. (They are numbered; I didn't even have to count.) It's often open during Artscape, so if you go, you should look inside and check out the cool mosaics.
We were greeted by an enthusiastic and happy usher. We were a little early, but the church filled up by the end of the gathering hymn. I would peg the group sitting behind me as former religious, but I can't be sure. They spent a long time talking about sitting in the back of the church. (See, I told you. Everyone knows good Catholics sit in the back.) They also used plenty of gender neutral language.
There was good music and I wanted to go outside and see if you can hear it from the street. I didn't. In categories of churches, it falls under churches with endless signs of peace. The priest even made it back to row 52.
And then there were two. I keep checking the count, but somehow that's right. The last two come during busy weekends, but I'm hoping for the best. In case you can't stand a cliffhanger, the penultimate church was Saint Vincent de Paul.
We were greeted by an enthusiastic and happy usher. We were a little early, but the church filled up by the end of the gathering hymn. I would peg the group sitting behind me as former religious, but I can't be sure. They spent a long time talking about sitting in the back of the church. (See, I told you. Everyone knows good Catholics sit in the back.) They also used plenty of gender neutral language.
There was good music and I wanted to go outside and see if you can hear it from the street. I didn't. In categories of churches, it falls under churches with endless signs of peace. The priest even made it back to row 52.
And then there were two. I keep checking the count, but somehow that's right. The last two come during busy weekends, but I'm hoping for the best. In case you can't stand a cliffhanger, the penultimate church was Saint Vincent de Paul.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Saint Clare
Blog blast part deux, day two. In my next of catch up posts, I'll be writing about Saint Clare in Essex. I'm learning a lot about church geography. I realized that Mount Carmel and Saint Clare are not very far apart.
This was a sunny Sunday. Saint Clare's is next to a firehouse, and lucky for me, there were some firefighters playing basketball outside.I made it to the Saint Clare campus and had to look at the signs to figure out where to go. Remember, church entrances aren't always obvious.
Anyway, you trek around the buildings and follow to some glass doors and walk downstairs. St. Clare's looks like you took someone's really awesome club basement, dusted off and lined up your very best statues, and put in a whole bunch of church pews.
The mass I went to featured their contemporary choir, which as best I can tell is headed up by a husband and wife team. There were a bunch of kids around and a lot of them were enjoying sitting on the kneelers. The crowd was split between Ravens purple and Orioles orange.
The homily started out with a question. To paraphrase...why do we do this, why do we get up on Sundays, get dressed and come to church? That got my attention, I mean, what are we doing? Unfortunately, I didn't get many answers, but that's okay.
This was a sunny Sunday. Saint Clare's is next to a firehouse, and lucky for me, there were some firefighters playing basketball outside.I made it to the Saint Clare campus and had to look at the signs to figure out where to go. Remember, church entrances aren't always obvious.
Anyway, you trek around the buildings and follow to some glass doors and walk downstairs. St. Clare's looks like you took someone's really awesome club basement, dusted off and lined up your very best statues, and put in a whole bunch of church pews.
The mass I went to featured their contemporary choir, which as best I can tell is headed up by a husband and wife team. There were a bunch of kids around and a lot of them were enjoying sitting on the kneelers. The crowd was split between Ravens purple and Orioles orange.
The homily started out with a question. To paraphrase...why do we do this, why do we get up on Sundays, get dressed and come to church? That got my attention, I mean, what are we doing? Unfortunately, I didn't get many answers, but that's okay.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Our Lady of Grace
As you can tell, I'm behind on posts again. No need to quote me to me, I know all about slothfulness. I can't blame the Olympics anymore. Maybe I just don't want to give up summer. September 2's stop was Our Lady of Grace, and I believe closes out the northern Baltimore County churches.
I think this is a good time to point out that it is not entirely obvious at all churches where you enter. The church was closed for earthquake repairs and will be painted some colors like biscuit. Mass was in the parish hall which overlooks some nice greenery (ignoring the power lines) and has a lot of chandeliers.
There was a pretty good sized crowd, plenty of older couples and families with school aged kids. I know I'm not a parent, but while watching the little boy in front of me get in trouble, I had to wonder about church going strategy. I mean it seems obvious to me that if you have two kids and two parents, you play man to man defense. But I digress.
There was a good homily about living a life of service. There was good music and heavy recruitment for the choir. If CCSFX in Hunt Valley is where you will stay until the last note of the last verse of the closing hymn, Our Lady of Grace is where you are in your car before the the refrain.
In clever sightings, they had bins labeled in the make shift narthex for box tops, soup labels, ink cartridges and grocery receipts that the school collects. St. Thomas More did that too, and as someone who tries to tithe 100% of that kind of stuff, it's nice when it's easy.
I hope to go back when the church opens.
Preview of coming attractions.....St. Clare, Corpus Christi. And then there were two.
I think this is a good time to point out that it is not entirely obvious at all churches where you enter. The church was closed for earthquake repairs and will be painted some colors like biscuit. Mass was in the parish hall which overlooks some nice greenery (ignoring the power lines) and has a lot of chandeliers.
There was a pretty good sized crowd, plenty of older couples and families with school aged kids. I know I'm not a parent, but while watching the little boy in front of me get in trouble, I had to wonder about church going strategy. I mean it seems obvious to me that if you have two kids and two parents, you play man to man defense. But I digress.
There was a good homily about living a life of service. There was good music and heavy recruitment for the choir. If CCSFX in Hunt Valley is where you will stay until the last note of the last verse of the closing hymn, Our Lady of Grace is where you are in your car before the the refrain.
In clever sightings, they had bins labeled in the make shift narthex for box tops, soup labels, ink cartridges and grocery receipts that the school collects. St. Thomas More did that too, and as someone who tries to tithe 100% of that kind of stuff, it's nice when it's easy.
I hope to go back when the church opens.
Preview of coming attractions.....St. Clare, Corpus Christi. And then there were two.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saint John the Evangelist, Hydes, MD
This morning was full of wake you from sleeping thunderstorms. I had already made plans to go to St. John's for 9 am mass, which I am pretty sure was the motivation to get out of bed this morning. I wondered about all those times I worked late or babysat until two in the morning and still managed to get myself in a pew for 9 am mass. Why was it so easy then?
The drive to Hydes was filled with cows, cornfields, and overcast sky. I think St. John's has an old and new church and mass was in the new church. It is big, with seating in the round and nondescript stained glass. It was cold in there this morning. The crowd was generally older, with more school aged kids than little ones.
Music was provided by a piano and choir. I learned a new song called Sing Hey for the Carpenter. The homily was about decision making (not about obedient wives, that would have been the obvious choice.)
And this brings us to the final five. I didn't know how I would do this, and now I don't know if I want to stop.
The drive to Hydes was filled with cows, cornfields, and overcast sky. I think St. John's has an old and new church and mass was in the new church. It is big, with seating in the round and nondescript stained glass. It was cold in there this morning. The crowd was generally older, with more school aged kids than little ones.
Music was provided by a piano and choir. I learned a new song called Sing Hey for the Carpenter. The homily was about decision making (not about obedient wives, that would have been the obvious choice.)
And this brings us to the final five. I didn't know how I would do this, and now I don't know if I want to stop.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Christ the King, Towson
Through the power of loop holes, Christ the King is Baltimore's newest Catholic church. I say loop holes because until recently Christ the King was an Episcopalian church. Their pastor is a married priest with grown children.
If Catholics make up the largest number of American Christians, lapsed Catholics follow. And following them, people who used to be Catholic. And those are the parishioners of Christ the King. A bunch of former Catholics, who, I guess are now just Catholics.
Christ the King is a small church with two columns of pews. There was no anonymity here, as soon as I walked in, a pamphlet on the Church was in my hand. This was also mentioned during the announcements. They seem to be having trouble with the New Roman Missal, and were reminded to follow along, and to follow along together.
I guess part of the deal is that the church gets to keep some of it's Anglican traditions. Catholican? Episcoatholic? The sign of peace was before mass (and the hecklers behind me made note of this too.)
I don't know the hecklers feelings on dipping the body and blood of Christ, but I don't think I'll ever get used to that.
There was a lot of singing. The gathering hymn was followed by three more songs. And while the choir was great, I think we all know my feelings on sing songiness.
I signed the guest registry and directed them to this website, so I should be careful. But I also think I can offer a few lessons on being Catholic. For starters, I don't understand why so many people were sitting in the front of the church. There were perfectly good open seats in the back. Mass can't run 90 minutes. You'll never get masses in at 9, 10, 11, and 12 that way. E-mail if you want some more.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Saint Bernadette's, Silver Spring
Blog Blast, Day 3. The Feast of the Assumption of Mary took me to Saint Bernadette's in Silver Spring. Thanks to blogging, and not wanting to fall further off my 52 church pace, I think I have hit all the holy days this year.
Mass was at 7:30, which seems to be a pretty popular holy day time. I was surprised by how many families came to church and enjoyed that there was a good sized crowd. Saint Bernadette's is a cross shaped church, and because I followed another family in, I ended up sitting alongside the altar. That was kind of cool. I could see the altar, the organist and choir. I could wonder why they had so many altar servers and I could check out the Infant of Prague statue behind me.
As I mentioned yesterday, I have been feeling a little unsettled lately. It took me most of mass to quiet myself so I could just enjoy it. The homily was based around the slogan "Life is good."
I'm winding things down, and people are starting to ask what I'm planning on doing next. I haven't figured that out yet. I don't consider myself shopping for a church; I find that concept a little bizarre. This project started out returning to a lost habit, and I hope I can keep going.
Note to self: if you are going to set your phone to silent and plan on using that for your alarm clock, you should turn the ringer back on before you go to bed. See, another lesson learned.
My stop at Christ the King Sunday rounds out my catch up. See you tomorrow!
Mass was at 7:30, which seems to be a pretty popular holy day time. I was surprised by how many families came to church and enjoyed that there was a good sized crowd. Saint Bernadette's is a cross shaped church, and because I followed another family in, I ended up sitting alongside the altar. That was kind of cool. I could see the altar, the organist and choir. I could wonder why they had so many altar servers and I could check out the Infant of Prague statue behind me.
As I mentioned yesterday, I have been feeling a little unsettled lately. It took me most of mass to quiet myself so I could just enjoy it. The homily was based around the slogan "Life is good."
I'm winding things down, and people are starting to ask what I'm planning on doing next. I haven't figured that out yet. I don't consider myself shopping for a church; I find that concept a little bizarre. This project started out returning to a lost habit, and I hope I can keep going.
Note to self: if you are going to set your phone to silent and plan on using that for your alarm clock, you should turn the ringer back on before you go to bed. See, another lesson learned.
My stop at Christ the King Sunday rounds out my catch up. See you tomorrow!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Saint Mary's, Rockville
The blog blast continues! August 12's stop was Saint Mary's in Rockville for 5 pm mass. Saint Mary's is kind of a funny shaped church with semi circle seating and plenty of Mary themed stained glass. The mass itself was a strange blend of conservative and casual, but the music and homily suited me pretty well.
The crowd was pretty diverse in both age and ethnicity. As for my Tagalog mass, I missed it because it is the 4th Sunday of every month. (I know I should plan better....next time!)
The best part of the evening was that there was a little boy who brought a Frisbee to church with him. God help me, I wanted something really interesting to happen there, but it didn't. Oh well.
I'm finding myself pretty unsettled or annoyed or something lately and more surprisingly finding myself trying to settle when I go to church. Could it be that I have been something good?
In case you are in a classic fiction book club, you should stop by Saint Mary's, it's the resting place for Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Still to come...
Saint Bernadette's (Holy Days put me on track for 52 churches!)
Christ the King (can I coin the word Episcoatholic?)
The crowd was pretty diverse in both age and ethnicity. As for my Tagalog mass, I missed it because it is the 4th Sunday of every month. (I know I should plan better....next time!)
The best part of the evening was that there was a little boy who brought a Frisbee to church with him. God help me, I wanted something really interesting to happen there, but it didn't. Oh well.
I'm finding myself pretty unsettled or annoyed or something lately and more surprisingly finding myself trying to settle when I go to church. Could it be that I have been something good?
In case you are in a classic fiction book club, you should stop by Saint Mary's, it's the resting place for Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Still to come...
Saint Bernadette's (Holy Days put me on track for 52 churches!)
Christ the King (can I coin the word Episcoatholic?)
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Saint Thomas Aquinas
I'm crazy behind on posting...4 churches now! I'll blame my love of the Olympics and remind myself that slothfulness is a deadly sin. August 5 took me to 9:00 mass at Saint Thomas Aquinas (Hamden, hon!)
Saint Thomas is a small brick church that faces away from the street. Inside, there are two columns of pews and stained glass windows. The crowd was small and mostly older couples. I was expecting more young adults and young families, but I am getting used to surprises.
We were instantly outed as newcomers. Fortunately, Father Silvester refrained from acknowledging us during mass. I hate that.
He spoke of choosing joy and finding happiness. The homily was fun and fulfilling, but I could tell that about half the crowd wasn't digging it at all. It ran a little on the long side. We were pushing through the readings and were on to the homily by 9:15. That's okay, I was back in the car at 10.
In case you are interested, Bingo is on September 7.
As for the preview of coming attractions....
August 12 Saint Mary's in Rockville
August 15 Saint Bernadette's in Silver Spring (that's right, holy days!)
August 19 Christ the King in Towson (I love loop holes!)
Monday, August 6, 2012
Saint Wenceslaus
I kept it in the family again and went to Saint Wenceslaus, the parish of my grandparents. My grandfather's eighth grade diploma hangs on our family room wall. It's huge, easily bigger than my college diploma. St. Wenceslaus was the Czech parish until 1902 when Cardinal Gibbons deemed it should be the National Czech and English parish and that both the school and the parish had to be conducted in both Czech and English.
Despite my Czech heritage, I did not blend here. I was quickly greeted by Father Peter, who asked if I was from MICA. MICA students live in the school and I was pleased to know I can still pass for a college student. Moments later, I was chatting with a woman from the church. St. Wenceslaus is making a bid for friendliest parish. They also have the world's youngest usher.
The church is big with two columns of dark pews. The walls are painted light green. There is a dome over the altar, stained glass, and a lot of statues. The stations of the cross are ornate carvings and the Romans have spears.
The school is now dorms and the convent is a hospice for AIDS patients run by the Missionaries of Charity. A new charter elementary school is being built across the street.
At 8:30 Sunday mass, they sing a Czech hymn each week. The homily was about feeding others and the tragedy of hunger in this world. With an extra hymn, a lengthy homily, and a slightly delayed van of parishioners, mass clocked in at an hour and fifteen minutes. I had fun, so I'll let it go.
And then there were ten....next stop, Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Shrine of the Little Flower
I finally made it to Shrine of the Little Flower. This was another must see because this was my Dad's parish. I had seen the big stone church from the outside, just like I have seen the house where he grew up. I had never been inside, but was quickly impressed.
There is a seemingly fresh coat of paint on the beige walls. The church is cross shaped with two long columns of pews. There is a mural behind the altar and candles on both sides. There is stained glass and plenty of statues. There is a large marble communion rail that is still in use. They had a Canadian Catholic Hymnal that I'll have to look up. I thought that was kind of funny. The crowd was spread out and there was a lot of waving during the sign of peace.
After mass, we made sure to stop by the Woodlea bakery for delicious bakery treats. This was a winning combination. And the lady who helped us was wearing an NDP class ring.
As usual, I kicked around a few crazy thoughts. First, I think I should have a prop, just in case I'm ever up for sainthood. Saint Peter has keys. I learned this week that Saint Dominic has a book. Saint Mark gets a lion and Saint Wenceslaus gets an eagle. Now we're talking! I'm not going to put too much thought into this because....
Bel Air Road has a lot of store front churches. I could totally have one of those. I'm thinking of calling it Amanda's Tabernacle of Awesome.
On a more serious note, my Dad has told me a million times that the city he grew up in doesn't exist anymore. I'll never really understand, but here is his church, where there were six masses on Sunday, and now there are three. His school has closed and the building is now home to a charter school.
Continuing on the family tradition, I went back one more generation and checked out Saint Wenceslaus next.
There is a seemingly fresh coat of paint on the beige walls. The church is cross shaped with two long columns of pews. There is a mural behind the altar and candles on both sides. There is stained glass and plenty of statues. There is a large marble communion rail that is still in use. They had a Canadian Catholic Hymnal that I'll have to look up. I thought that was kind of funny. The crowd was spread out and there was a lot of waving during the sign of peace.
After mass, we made sure to stop by the Woodlea bakery for delicious bakery treats. This was a winning combination. And the lady who helped us was wearing an NDP class ring.
As usual, I kicked around a few crazy thoughts. First, I think I should have a prop, just in case I'm ever up for sainthood. Saint Peter has keys. I learned this week that Saint Dominic has a book. Saint Mark gets a lion and Saint Wenceslaus gets an eagle. Now we're talking! I'm not going to put too much thought into this because....
Bel Air Road has a lot of store front churches. I could totally have one of those. I'm thinking of calling it Amanda's Tabernacle of Awesome.
On a more serious note, my Dad has told me a million times that the city he grew up in doesn't exist anymore. I'll never really understand, but here is his church, where there were six masses on Sunday, and now there are three. His school has closed and the building is now home to a charter school.
Continuing on the family tradition, I went back one more generation and checked out Saint Wenceslaus next.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Page views are down again. And that's a shame, because even though my post on Holy Cross was short, I think it is some of my best work. Our Lady of Mount Carmel marks church number 40. 40 is one of those biblical-period-of-waiting numbers. 40 days in Lent. 40 years in the desert. 40 churches and I'm still not sure what the hell I am doing.
But I went to Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Do we believe in divine intervention? I went on Saturday afternoon. It was a mostly middle aged crowd with a few older kids.
From the outside, the church looks like in belongs in San Diego. I don't know about the inside, because I never went inside any of those San Diego churches. It is big and pretty and inspired my new idea to make a book of stained glass windows. There was good music with plenty of songs about Mary. And on the way out, I collected a new scapular.
Looking back, most churches are a lot like this one. There are things I could take or leave, mostly nice people, and if I lived in neighborhood, I would go there without a second thought. Looking forward, I've consulted my list of must see churches and realize there are more left than I thought. I don't know if I can keep this up past 52 weeks, at least not at the same pace.
I can't believe I'm closing in on the final 12. Sunday's stop was finally Little Flower...post to follow, I'm getting back on track this week.
But I went to Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Do we believe in divine intervention? I went on Saturday afternoon. It was a mostly middle aged crowd with a few older kids.
From the outside, the church looks like in belongs in San Diego. I don't know about the inside, because I never went inside any of those San Diego churches. It is big and pretty and inspired my new idea to make a book of stained glass windows. There was good music with plenty of songs about Mary. And on the way out, I collected a new scapular.
Looking back, most churches are a lot like this one. There are things I could take or leave, mostly nice people, and if I lived in neighborhood, I would go there without a second thought. Looking forward, I've consulted my list of must see churches and realize there are more left than I thought. I don't know if I can keep this up past 52 weeks, at least not at the same pace.
I can't believe I'm closing in on the final 12. Sunday's stop was finally Little Flower...post to follow, I'm getting back on track this week.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Holy Cross
I have two posts to catch up on this week. Two Sundays ago, I planned to go to Little Flower. Instead I slept the morning away and went to Holy Cross for 5 pm mass. It was another muggy Sunday afternoon and there were two fans running in the front of church that hummed away and kept the church cool enough The church is beautiful brick outside and way too pink for my tastes on the inside. There are two sets of pews, and somehow, I am always drawn to sitting near the columns. You would think I would learn. This one has a lot going for it, at least in the book of mass according to Amanda.
1. The people were friendly and stragglers slipped in at 5:20 with no problems. Sunday afternoon mass is the best.
2. There was a cantor, piano, and Gather books. We sang The Summons, my new favorite song.
3. The homily was light, but relevant, more than butterflies, but less than brimstone.
4. The crowd was young. There were a few families, a few older couples, but it was mostly 30 somethings. And not that I notice this sort of thing or anything, but there were single men there. And not just the ones dragged there by their girlfriends.
Of course going anywhere in Federal Hill is not without its challenges. Did you know you can call 311 for information about stadium events and parking restrictions? Neither did I.
This past weekend was the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And I went to Mount Carmel. If you think I planned that, you are obviously not a careful reader of this blog. Life is full of coincidences. Mount Carmel makes 40 churches.
1. The people were friendly and stragglers slipped in at 5:20 with no problems. Sunday afternoon mass is the best.
2. There was a cantor, piano, and Gather books. We sang The Summons, my new favorite song.
3. The homily was light, but relevant, more than butterflies, but less than brimstone.
4. The crowd was young. There were a few families, a few older couples, but it was mostly 30 somethings. And not that I notice this sort of thing or anything, but there were single men there. And not just the ones dragged there by their girlfriends.
Of course going anywhere in Federal Hill is not without its challenges. Did you know you can call 311 for information about stadium events and parking restrictions? Neither did I.
This past weekend was the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. And I went to Mount Carmel. If you think I planned that, you are obviously not a careful reader of this blog. Life is full of coincidences. Mount Carmel makes 40 churches.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Saint Dominic's (Tropical Heat Wave)
Do you know what makes mass wonderfully short? A power outage combined with 105 degree heat. In the aftermath of the storm, I carefully traversed Harford Rd (Four way stops, people!) and found St. Dominic's.
It was much bigger than I thought it would be. There were four columns of pews, with the outer ones against the walls. I have no idea what the homily was about because I was busy checking out the stained glass windows and the ceiling and then back to the stained glass. It looks like paper. I continue to wonder how important paying attention is. I realized I am no closer to knowing the new translation. And realized that in this heat, it might be time to wash the dress I have been wearing to church every week all summer.
This mass was supposed to have a choir, but I think they made a last minute switch to cantor and piano. There was a very talented soloist. A little boy with an Elmo backpack (I assume his son) cheered him on. Their website seems to need some updating, but it looks like they have both a book club (I've been looking for one of those) and a game night.
The crowd was small but friendly. They didn't even make me relocate from my seat in the back of the church. I learned they are part of the "Northeast Nine." I've been to several of those churches and planned on knocking them out in the coming weeks. But then I slept through Sunday morning. I didn't make it Little Flower, but hope to soon.
Next stop: Holy Cross (Catholic Community of South Baltimore)
It was much bigger than I thought it would be. There were four columns of pews, with the outer ones against the walls. I have no idea what the homily was about because I was busy checking out the stained glass windows and the ceiling and then back to the stained glass. It looks like paper. I continue to wonder how important paying attention is. I realized I am no closer to knowing the new translation. And realized that in this heat, it might be time to wash the dress I have been wearing to church every week all summer.
This mass was supposed to have a choir, but I think they made a last minute switch to cantor and piano. There was a very talented soloist. A little boy with an Elmo backpack (I assume his son) cheered him on. Their website seems to need some updating, but it looks like they have both a book club (I've been looking for one of those) and a game night.
The crowd was small but friendly. They didn't even make me relocate from my seat in the back of the church. I learned they are part of the "Northeast Nine." I've been to several of those churches and planned on knocking them out in the coming weeks. But then I slept through Sunday morning. I didn't make it Little Flower, but hope to soon.
Next stop: Holy Cross (Catholic Community of South Baltimore)
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Saint Mark's, Catonsville
I'm soon to be three posts behind if I don't catch up now. Two weeks ago I spent the morning at the Baltimore Women's Classic 5 K. It started at 8. The course started and ended at Rash Field, and I was hoping to find a 10ish mass in the area. I couldn't. Lesson learned: run faster. Instead of milling around until 11, I decided to spend the afternoon at the pool, all brought to me by 5 pm mass at Saint Mark's.
It is a big blue church and it was wonderfully cool. What must the cost of airconditioning be for a big open room with a pitched roof? There were a lot of buildings too, a school, old church, a gym. The school mascot is a lion. That's clever.
This was one of my favorite crowds. There were families, older adults, babies, young couples. I think this was billed as a youth mass, but I'm not buying that. I think one Taylor Swift joke isn't enough to pull that off.
I was admittedly tired when I grew impatient with church. "That's it!" I shouted in my head. "From now on, every church gets one hour." I turned around to look for the clock in the back of the church. It was 5:45. I guess every church gets 45 minutes. This has become a theme along the way. If you don't pay attention, have you fulfilled your Sunday obligation?
Also, it seems churches are running out of guides to the New Roman Missal. Through my most grievous fault, I still can't remember the words. Will they restock? Or am I on my own?
The next stop was St. Dominics, and I think I'm headed to Little Flower tomorrow.
It is a big blue church and it was wonderfully cool. What must the cost of airconditioning be for a big open room with a pitched roof? There were a lot of buildings too, a school, old church, a gym. The school mascot is a lion. That's clever.
This was one of my favorite crowds. There were families, older adults, babies, young couples. I think this was billed as a youth mass, but I'm not buying that. I think one Taylor Swift joke isn't enough to pull that off.
I was admittedly tired when I grew impatient with church. "That's it!" I shouted in my head. "From now on, every church gets one hour." I turned around to look for the clock in the back of the church. It was 5:45. I guess every church gets 45 minutes. This has become a theme along the way. If you don't pay attention, have you fulfilled your Sunday obligation?
Also, it seems churches are running out of guides to the New Roman Missal. Through my most grievous fault, I still can't remember the words. Will they restock? Or am I on my own?
The next stop was St. Dominics, and I think I'm headed to Little Flower tomorrow.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
The view of Saint Elizabeth's from Patterson Park is carved into my brain. The stone church with the steep white steps looks just like I remember. But somehow when I walked in Sunday morning, I insist to myself that they must have painted the inside. The convent has been turned into apartments. The school is now Patterson Park Public Charter School.
Sunday morning mass is at 10 am. I was looking for a mass in Fells Point, but I think all the churches there have closed. (Am I forgetting something?) Highlandtown and my mother's home parish were close enough.
There were about 100 people there, but not enough by any means to make the big church seem crowded. The crowd was generally older, but there were scattered young adults and young families. The parishioners completely embrace the kids that were there. At the sign of peace, one curly haired little boy worked two or three pews, and may have even climbed over one. One of the altar boys shook hands with everyone sitting on the aisle two thirds of the way to the back of church. Then he held up both his hands making peace signs and walked backwards up the aisle. And I sense a future priest in another young man who looked especially prayerful in his gray suit.
I've encountered a new hymnal that I can't remember the name of. Baltimore has stolen another Franciscan seminarian from DC. The homily was wonderfully brief. And it's church carnival time.
For this weekend, I'm trying to combine the Women's Classic 5 K with mass...and not having much luck. Let me know if you have any ideas!
Sunday morning mass is at 10 am. I was looking for a mass in Fells Point, but I think all the churches there have closed. (Am I forgetting something?) Highlandtown and my mother's home parish were close enough.
There were about 100 people there, but not enough by any means to make the big church seem crowded. The crowd was generally older, but there were scattered young adults and young families. The parishioners completely embrace the kids that were there. At the sign of peace, one curly haired little boy worked two or three pews, and may have even climbed over one. One of the altar boys shook hands with everyone sitting on the aisle two thirds of the way to the back of church. Then he held up both his hands making peace signs and walked backwards up the aisle. And I sense a future priest in another young man who looked especially prayerful in his gray suit.
I've encountered a new hymnal that I can't remember the name of. Baltimore has stolen another Franciscan seminarian from DC. The homily was wonderfully brief. And it's church carnival time.
For this weekend, I'm trying to combine the Women's Classic 5 K with mass...and not having much luck. Let me know if you have any ideas!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Saint Frances de Sales, Abingdon
I reached an even 2000 page views today! I could say I was waiting for that before my next post, but I've just been more on the lazy side than usual this week. That's one of the deadly sins. I should be more careful.
Saturday and Sunday were jam packed fun in too much sun days for me. I have a dwindling number of available Sunday evening masses and somehow everything on Saturday always seems too early. I decided I could squeeze in a trip to Sam's Club and make it to St. Casimir's for 5 pm mass. I couldn't. The sun must have gone to my brain.
Then I thought I would skip a new church and visit an old favorite. I'm already behind, and was thinking of an installment that's called "Who goes to weekday mass anyway?" Turns out, said old favorite doesn't have mass on Sunday afternoons in the summer. Yeah, that's right, during the summer, I want to give up sleeping in.
So I did some frantic searching and somehow got it in my head that mass at St. Frances had a 6 pm mass. It doesn't. It's at 5:30. It also escaped me that it is a Byzantine mass. Ironically, I was trying desperately to remember who has a 7 pm mass in Spanish to buy myself some more time.
Instead of being 15 minutes early, we were fifteen minutes late. There were 9 or so cars parked in the driveway in front of the small stone church. Mass had started when we walked in. There are twenty pews arranged in two columns of ten. There were about a dozen people there, and all but one was sitting in the back three rows. Blending was definitely out. A helpful gentleman brought copies of the Divine Liturgy so we could follow along. In chant. Was it changed to reflect the New Roman Missal?
There were icons and incense. We made the sign of the cross a lot and right to left. We called Mary Theotokas. Communion is dropped from a gold spoon into your mouth. And just like the little Episcopalians, little Byzantine Catholics take communion. There is also prayer for people celebrating birthdays, which is harder to google than I thought. I thought it was kind of cool, especially since my birthday was this week.
Here's a helpful FAQ from St. Michael's parish in Toledo about being a Byzantine Catholic.
http://www.stmichaelstoledo.com/index.php?name=FAQ&id_cat=1
I haven't made up my mind for this week yet.
Saturday and Sunday were jam packed fun in too much sun days for me. I have a dwindling number of available Sunday evening masses and somehow everything on Saturday always seems too early. I decided I could squeeze in a trip to Sam's Club and make it to St. Casimir's for 5 pm mass. I couldn't. The sun must have gone to my brain.
Then I thought I would skip a new church and visit an old favorite. I'm already behind, and was thinking of an installment that's called "Who goes to weekday mass anyway?" Turns out, said old favorite doesn't have mass on Sunday afternoons in the summer. Yeah, that's right, during the summer, I want to give up sleeping in.
So I did some frantic searching and somehow got it in my head that mass at St. Frances had a 6 pm mass. It doesn't. It's at 5:30. It also escaped me that it is a Byzantine mass. Ironically, I was trying desperately to remember who has a 7 pm mass in Spanish to buy myself some more time.
Instead of being 15 minutes early, we were fifteen minutes late. There were 9 or so cars parked in the driveway in front of the small stone church. Mass had started when we walked in. There are twenty pews arranged in two columns of ten. There were about a dozen people there, and all but one was sitting in the back three rows. Blending was definitely out. A helpful gentleman brought copies of the Divine Liturgy so we could follow along. In chant. Was it changed to reflect the New Roman Missal?
There were icons and incense. We made the sign of the cross a lot and right to left. We called Mary Theotokas. Communion is dropped from a gold spoon into your mouth. And just like the little Episcopalians, little Byzantine Catholics take communion. There is also prayer for people celebrating birthdays, which is harder to google than I thought. I thought it was kind of cool, especially since my birthday was this week.
Here's a helpful FAQ from St. Michael's parish in Toledo about being a Byzantine Catholic.
http://www.stmichaelstoledo.com/index.php?name=FAQ&id_cat=1
I haven't made up my mind for this week yet.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Saint Mary of the Assumption
Happy Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity! Yeah, I didn't think that would work, but the seminarian at mass yesterday said it, and I thought I would give it a try. I don't think I've ever been wished a happy trinity before.
Sunday's church was Saint Mary of the Assumption for 8 am mass. It's a quiet mass, but for the record, there are both Gather and Worship books stocked in the pews. There were about 70 people there for mass including some happy ushers who encouraged me to vote in the parish council election. I protested and mentally added it to the list of things you don't do when you are not part of a parish. I'm still undecided on whether I miss parish life or I miss going to church.
Saint Mary's offered pretty standard fare. An early and quiet mass was perfect for a busy weekend. I grossly over estimated how long it would take to get there so I was able to enjoy the stained glass above the choir loft and the statues of Mary and Joseph. It's a happy church with a lengthy sign of peace and where people reach across pews to hold hands during the Our Father.
Of note, I spotted my first tuxedo, significantly upping the church dress code. In fairness, I'm pretty sure the young man wearing it was en route to his high school graduation.
Early on in planning, I made a list of churches I wanted to be sure to go to this year. There's thirty or so listed, and I've barely touched it. There is much left to see, and again I wish I had made bigger circles and worked my way in instead of out. Guess I'll know for next time...
Sunday's church was Saint Mary of the Assumption for 8 am mass. It's a quiet mass, but for the record, there are both Gather and Worship books stocked in the pews. There were about 70 people there for mass including some happy ushers who encouraged me to vote in the parish council election. I protested and mentally added it to the list of things you don't do when you are not part of a parish. I'm still undecided on whether I miss parish life or I miss going to church.
Saint Mary's offered pretty standard fare. An early and quiet mass was perfect for a busy weekend. I grossly over estimated how long it would take to get there so I was able to enjoy the stained glass above the choir loft and the statues of Mary and Joseph. It's a happy church with a lengthy sign of peace and where people reach across pews to hold hands during the Our Father.
Of note, I spotted my first tuxedo, significantly upping the church dress code. In fairness, I'm pretty sure the young man wearing it was en route to his high school graduation.
Early on in planning, I made a list of churches I wanted to be sure to go to this year. There's thirty or so listed, and I've barely touched it. There is much left to see, and again I wish I had made bigger circles and worked my way in instead of out. Guess I'll know for next time...
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Saints Philip and James
The best laid plans for Saturday afternoon mass took me to Saints Philip and James on Sunday afternoon. Somehow, my Saturday filled up fast. I had to double check my cheat sheet to make sure there were a few Sunday afternoon masses left. There are.
Sts. Philip and James is the parish for Hopkins. Now that school is out, there were only a few dozen people at mass. In fact so few, I was asked to give up my seat in the back of the church and move forward.
It is a beautiful cross shaped church full of domes and stained glass and columns. (And like many other pretty churches, linoleum floors.) It was dark and cool which was welcome on a hot afternoon. Their contemporary group was talented, but too mellow for me. They seemed to belong in a hipster coffee shop. The crowd was mostly young adults. I wonder what the vibe is like when the school year is in full swing.
I've learned over the past few months that there are cycles of expectation and disappointment associated with this journey. There are churches, like this one, in which I place unfair and unrealistically high hopes. If this were my neighborhood church, I think I would be there most weeks. Though I plan to see this year through, I'm not sure I have it in me to church hop forever.
On the funny side of things, I asked my sister why Philip and James are always paired. After giving me a blank "you godless heathen" type stare, she told me they were both apostles. I didn't believe her. Then she told me to name the apostles. It's hard to get all twelve when you are insisting that Philip is not one of them. I learned a trick, in case you are on Jeopardy one day. If you can remember baptism, and use the "I" for all the "J" names, you get them all.
There's much left out there. I won't bother guessing weekend plans. See you next week.
Sts. Philip and James is the parish for Hopkins. Now that school is out, there were only a few dozen people at mass. In fact so few, I was asked to give up my seat in the back of the church and move forward.
It is a beautiful cross shaped church full of domes and stained glass and columns. (And like many other pretty churches, linoleum floors.) It was dark and cool which was welcome on a hot afternoon. Their contemporary group was talented, but too mellow for me. They seemed to belong in a hipster coffee shop. The crowd was mostly young adults. I wonder what the vibe is like when the school year is in full swing.
I've learned over the past few months that there are cycles of expectation and disappointment associated with this journey. There are churches, like this one, in which I place unfair and unrealistically high hopes. If this were my neighborhood church, I think I would be there most weeks. Though I plan to see this year through, I'm not sure I have it in me to church hop forever.
On the funny side of things, I asked my sister why Philip and James are always paired. After giving me a blank "you godless heathen" type stare, she told me they were both apostles. I didn't believe her. Then she told me to name the apostles. It's hard to get all twelve when you are insisting that Philip is not one of them. I learned a trick, in case you are on Jeopardy one day. If you can remember baptism, and use the "I" for all the "J" names, you get them all.
There's much left out there. I won't bother guessing weekend plans. See you next week.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Saint Charles Borromeo Church
I'm officially catching up! I spent Sunday morning at Saint Charles Borromeo for 11 am mass. In an unexpected blog twist, this is the first overlapping priest of the year. Could that priest shortage we hear so much about actually be real?
The church is small and stone and sits on a narrow street. Inside, the pews form a V with the point leading to the altar. There are cream colored walls and long stained glass windows. Ten minutes before mass started, there were a dozen or so people quietly praying inside. Ten minutes after mass started, the place was packed. Mass started five minutes late. (There is a clock on the back wall.) And if it weren't for an audio message from our old bishop, I would have been out in an hour flat.
The contemporary choir sung some of my old favorites from the Gather Comprehensive. I think there were more guitars than singers. There was also a harp. I haven't heard a tambourine in months.
An about to be ordained priest gave the homily. Basically he was always interested in being a priest but when it was time to go to seminary he resented doing what he thought was expected of him. He started seminary in Oklahoma, dropped out, and joined the Army. He went to Iraq, met a priest from Baltimore and enrolled in seminary here. Next month, he'll be ordained.
The crowd was one of the more diverse crowds I've seen so far. I picked up a Bishop Lori trading card. And I learned how to say Alleluia in sign language.
I'm still leaning toward something on Saturday afternoon.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Saint Ignatius
Saint Ignatius was last week's church. As you can see, I'm still behind. I was tired last week after a long Saturday, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go to church. Stupid blog. The day and afternoon passed, and I was left to consult my list of Sunday afternoon masses. St. Ignatius won out because it was the latest one. I have only been inside this church once before, and not for mass. Sunday evening mass is in the basement chapel. Good thing there is a sign on the door.
The chapel is pretty and dim and full of comfortable chairs. There are 100-120 chairs in a semi circle. There are stained glass windows of Jesuits. There was a cantor and organ and suitable music. The crowd spanned the generations. The was one usher from Camden Yards and one usher from Center Stage. There were also several members of the blind community, including a lector who read braille. For my amusement, there is a red digital clock on the back wall. Mass started at 6:02. The homily was 7 minutes long. Mass ended at 6:54. See, mass with music can be less than one hour. I'm just going to go ahead and say it, I like this one.
People have asked what I am looking for, but besides my gimmicky way of getting into the habit of going to church, I'm not still not sure. Every church is a little bit different. Most have been okay, and every once and a while, I stumble across something interesting.
Yesterday was Saint Charles Borromeo. Next weekend I'm thinking of something on Saturday.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
St. Joseph Medical Center Chapel
The Sister Alvina Alumni Memorial Mass was held at Saint Joseph Medical Center on May 6, I assume to coincide with Nurses' week. I have confirmed that Sister Alvina is, in fact, a real person. My mom went to nursing school at St. Joe's and it's where my parents met. How could I not make a stop here? (Okay, for the sake of accuracy, those things happened before the hospital moved to Towson.)
The chapel was full. It is small, seating about 100 people. There were people like me, who came for the morning. There were a few nurses and doctors, a few nuns. There are of course hospital visitors, and it seems people who are regulars. I wasn't expecting that, even though I consider myself in search of alternative communities.
The chapel is made of red bricks with pastel glass. The stations of the cross in stained glass line both walls. A cross of Saint Francis hangs behind the altar. The chapel is part of the spiritual center which also includes a meditation garden and a multi faith prayer room.
I read up on the spiritual care program at St. Joe's. (Well, I read the website.) There's the usual daily masses and Eucharistic ministers who bring communion. They offer memorial masses twice a year for those who died in the hospital and have another program for pregnancy loss. And apparently you can request that a harpist come to your room. If any of you have the misfortune of being sick enough to be hospitalized, please ask for the harpist. And then call me to tell me all about it.
There were plenty of Mary themed songs for May. The priest challenged us to spend one month praying for the person who annoys us the most. (I have to pick just one?)
A Nurse's Prayer (from the program)
Oh my God, teach me to receive the sick in your name.
Give success to my efforts for the glory of your name.
Without your help, I cannot succeed.
Fill me with your spirit of joy and peace.
Keep my mind and memory alert, my heart warm, and my body filled with energy.
Gracious God, let your healing energy move through me without resistance,
so that each patient with whom I work might be touched by your love.
Bless each of my companion of nurses.
Let us know your presence in and about us, as we try today to do all for your glory
and for the health of your people.
Amen
I'll be posting again this week to catch up. Just to let you know, it was St. Ignatius for win.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Catechic!
Hello readers! Yes, I am behind on posts this week. I have no good reason for that, but I'll try to make up for it. I see my readership is dwindling and I hear people like it when I'm mean. We'll see. Sunday's stop was the chapel at the St. Joseph Medical Center, which I think is part of what is now the Cardinal William Keeler Spiritual Center. But before we get to all that, I want to introduce you to my new favorite board game, Catechic.
I found this game at the Nearly New Sale with a price tag of $2. How could I resist in the middle of a year of blogging and crazy church visits? The game retails for something like $48 on Amazon, so I turned quite the profit here. Cathechic (pronounced cat-a-sheek) bills itself as The Catholic Trivia game. The box also tells me that this is the first time the Vatican authorized the representation of Pope John Paul II on a game.
So like all good Catholic families, we settled in for a Saturday night game of Catechic. You know, before we prayed the rosary, dusted our statues, and made sure there is a Crucifix on every wall. The game took about an hour to play, and was worth every penny of that two dollars.
It is a four player game (or a game for teams) and you can choose to be Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. I was Luke, who had the hardest questions. You answer questions to advance to your chapel and then back, crowned with glory. There's some sneaky moves in there too, where you can send your opponents backwards on the board. The board layout puts Mark and Luke at a disadvantage. I lost and badly. For next time, I'll be sure to brush up on my famous Catholics, Graham Greene novels, and Joyful mysteries. Oh, and it's still 1991.
How would you fare?
When were the first Catholic priests ordained in Indochina?
Name the Morris West novel that depicts a priest who becomes pope after being imprisoned in the Soviet Union.
What is the Fifth Station of the Cross?
What Jesuit priest served in the United States' Congress?
A few more games, and I'll be more than ready to teach RCIA. Send me a note if you want to play.
I found this game at the Nearly New Sale with a price tag of $2. How could I resist in the middle of a year of blogging and crazy church visits? The game retails for something like $48 on Amazon, so I turned quite the profit here. Cathechic (pronounced cat-a-sheek) bills itself as The Catholic Trivia game. The box also tells me that this is the first time the Vatican authorized the representation of Pope John Paul II on a game.
So like all good Catholic families, we settled in for a Saturday night game of Catechic. You know, before we prayed the rosary, dusted our statues, and made sure there is a Crucifix on every wall. The game took about an hour to play, and was worth every penny of that two dollars.
It is a four player game (or a game for teams) and you can choose to be Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. I was Luke, who had the hardest questions. You answer questions to advance to your chapel and then back, crowned with glory. There's some sneaky moves in there too, where you can send your opponents backwards on the board. The board layout puts Mark and Luke at a disadvantage. I lost and badly. For next time, I'll be sure to brush up on my famous Catholics, Graham Greene novels, and Joyful mysteries. Oh, and it's still 1991.
How would you fare?
When were the first Catholic priests ordained in Indochina?
Name the Morris West novel that depicts a priest who becomes pope after being imprisoned in the Soviet Union.
What is the Fifth Station of the Cross?
What Jesuit priest served in the United States' Congress?
A few more games, and I'll be more than ready to teach RCIA. Send me a note if you want to play.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Shrine of the Sacred Heart
Shrine of the Sacred Heart is a stone church that sits on that crazy Smith Avenue intersection in Mount Washington. It is another medium sized church with two columns of pews. In the Venn diagram of churches, the Shrine of the Sacred Heart would be where "churches you would like to use for your wedding" intersects with "churches where you are likely to get in an accident in the parking lot." (As you'll recall, Sacred Heart in Glyndon also falls in that overlap.)
I went to 11:30 mass on Sunday. I tend not to like late morning masses. I think they mess up your day. And they tend to be long (an hour and twenty minutes!). When I walked in, I got the stink eye from a priest who I assume to be the pastor. He did not say mass, but I think he deemed me harmless enough and let me in. In fairness, I didn't exactly blend here. I had never given the matter much thought, but it turns out I am not Filipino. There was a brief moment where I wondered if mass would be in Tagalog, and then a moment where I was disappointed it wasn't. That would have made for an awesome blog.
The church is pretty with dark brown pews and lots of stained glass and statues. There was a cantor and organ and lots of singing. (It takes some effort to make it to an hour and twenty minutes.) The church was full and there were a lot of families with kids of all ages. The younger ones were pulled away for children's liturgy. Communion wasn't done even after singing all the verses of "One Bread, One Body." The homily was something about being a willing shepherd.
Sometime this week, their young adult group will be having a Catholic trivia potluck. Lucky for me, I have a copy of Catholic Bingo unearthed from my grandmother's house. And because I couldn't resist, I bought Catechic The Catholic Trivia game by Tyco at the Nearly New Sale. Is it a sin to cheat at Catholic trivia?
This brings us to week 30. And for those keeping track, church 29. Yes dear readers, I am now one church off pace. Don't worry, I'm good for it. And have big plans.
Have a good week.
I went to 11:30 mass on Sunday. I tend not to like late morning masses. I think they mess up your day. And they tend to be long (an hour and twenty minutes!). When I walked in, I got the stink eye from a priest who I assume to be the pastor. He did not say mass, but I think he deemed me harmless enough and let me in. In fairness, I didn't exactly blend here. I had never given the matter much thought, but it turns out I am not Filipino. There was a brief moment where I wondered if mass would be in Tagalog, and then a moment where I was disappointed it wasn't. That would have made for an awesome blog.
The church is pretty with dark brown pews and lots of stained glass and statues. There was a cantor and organ and lots of singing. (It takes some effort to make it to an hour and twenty minutes.) The church was full and there were a lot of families with kids of all ages. The younger ones were pulled away for children's liturgy. Communion wasn't done even after singing all the verses of "One Bread, One Body." The homily was something about being a willing shepherd.
Sometime this week, their young adult group will be having a Catholic trivia potluck. Lucky for me, I have a copy of Catholic Bingo unearthed from my grandmother's house. And because I couldn't resist, I bought Catechic The Catholic Trivia game by Tyco at the Nearly New Sale. Is it a sin to cheat at Catholic trivia?
This brings us to week 30. And for those keeping track, church 29. Yes dear readers, I am now one church off pace. Don't worry, I'm good for it. And have big plans.
Have a good week.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Saint Michael the Archangel
The stop this week was Saint Michael the Archangel for 9:30 mass. St. Michael's is a medium sized stone church. It is a pretty church with cream colored walls and stained glass windows. A red runner covers the aisle and there are two columns of pews.
It is another church where the ushers wear suits. There were plenty of little kids, many of whom were wearing their Sunday best despite the rainy weather. Maybe the older kids were in Sunday school.
The homily covered a lot of territory including the season of Easter, The Cosby donation to Saint Frances Academy and some jokes. I don't think there was any mention of Earth day, which I celebrated after mass by getting a free grocery bag from the Disney store. There was a small choir in the choir loft as well as a cantor with organ music. I know I am getting a reputation here, but mass felt a little slow.
After mass, they were handing out bags to fill and bring back for their food pantry. This is something I would ordinarily do. But how do you explain that you won't be back next week or the week after because you are writing a blog about churches? You don't. You walk away looking like a jerk. Blog fail.
On the plus side, I'm getting good at recognizing churches in people's Facebook pictures. Plans for this week are pending as usual.
It is another church where the ushers wear suits. There were plenty of little kids, many of whom were wearing their Sunday best despite the rainy weather. Maybe the older kids were in Sunday school.
The homily covered a lot of territory including the season of Easter, The Cosby donation to Saint Frances Academy and some jokes. I don't think there was any mention of Earth day, which I celebrated after mass by getting a free grocery bag from the Disney store. There was a small choir in the choir loft as well as a cantor with organ music. I know I am getting a reputation here, but mass felt a little slow.
After mass, they were handing out bags to fill and bring back for their food pantry. This is something I would ordinarily do. But how do you explain that you won't be back next week or the week after because you are writing a blog about churches? You don't. You walk away looking like a jerk. Blog fail.
On the plus side, I'm getting good at recognizing churches in people's Facebook pictures. Plans for this week are pending as usual.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
St Francis of Assisi and...
Palm Sunday was cold and gloomy. I spent the morning at St. Francis of Assisi to go from one Jack Hooper field to another. We parked in the parking lot. For future reference, I'll know to park on Chesterfield Avenue.
Palm Sunday was kind of a big deal. There was something with the religious ed classes and the school. The kids had balloons. They walked in and out with the procession and sang at communion. I didn't take any palm. I know it's expensive, I can't make those cool crosses, and it's not as easy to burn as you would think. Mass started late, but was just over an hour long. Not bad for the longest mass of the year. There was an appropriately short Palm Sunday homily. The people were nice and there was a kid sitting behind me who liked my fleece jacket. Their version of "Were you There" was a little doo wop-y or barber shop-y, but all in all, it was a satisfying morning.
For those of you wondering, I skipped Easter this year. I can't ever remember doing that. Not even EWTN or a televised papal mass. I died eggs with a Paas kit and that's about all.
That brings us to this past Sunday. I thought about hitting up my Orthodox friends for a sort of Easter redux. I thought about not going at all. But as a last minute decision, I found my way to St. Pius on Sunday afternoon. It's getting more crowded there. I was wearing an old soccer shirt and jeans and that was seemingly okay. You run into people when you look like crap. There was a different homilist this time. More butterflies than my earlier visit. A man after my heart, he asked that his homily be cut off at ten minutes. Mass was just over an hour long. But there was a lot of singing. More than the Greyhounds. More than the Carmelites.
I'm hoping to be back in the swing of things this weekend.
Palm Sunday was kind of a big deal. There was something with the religious ed classes and the school. The kids had balloons. They walked in and out with the procession and sang at communion. I didn't take any palm. I know it's expensive, I can't make those cool crosses, and it's not as easy to burn as you would think. Mass started late, but was just over an hour long. Not bad for the longest mass of the year. There was an appropriately short Palm Sunday homily. The people were nice and there was a kid sitting behind me who liked my fleece jacket. Their version of "Were you There" was a little doo wop-y or barber shop-y, but all in all, it was a satisfying morning.
For those of you wondering, I skipped Easter this year. I can't ever remember doing that. Not even EWTN or a televised papal mass. I died eggs with a Paas kit and that's about all.
That brings us to this past Sunday. I thought about hitting up my Orthodox friends for a sort of Easter redux. I thought about not going at all. But as a last minute decision, I found my way to St. Pius on Sunday afternoon. It's getting more crowded there. I was wearing an old soccer shirt and jeans and that was seemingly okay. You run into people when you look like crap. There was a different homilist this time. More butterflies than my earlier visit. A man after my heart, he asked that his homily be cut off at ten minutes. Mass was just over an hour long. But there was a lot of singing. More than the Greyhounds. More than the Carmelites.
I'm hoping to be back in the swing of things this weekend.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sacred Heart, Glyndon
After a long Saturday, I needed to find another Sunday afternoon mass. I fear I may be running out of those soon. And they are still my favorite. I realize more and more it would have been easier to write a blog about going to church every week for a year rather than a blog about going to a different church every week for a year. Oh well. What fun would that be anyway?
I made my first westward trek to Sacred Heart in Glyndon for 5 pm mass on Sunday. If I were writing a blog for brides to be looking for a wedding destination, I think I would have to include this one. If I were writing a blog about where you could get into a accident in the parking lot, I would include this one too. But I digress...
The church is big and has seating almost in the round. There is a babbling baptismal font in the back and lots of windows that make the inside bright. It's another church where I am drawn to the space. It's open. It's quiet without being silent. The crowd was mostly made of up of families and seemed reasonably friendly.
Music came out of brand new Gather books that have the updated Roman Missal. There wasn't a lot of singing. The homily was about the purpose of suffering. I thought it ran a little long, but mass ended at 5:53. Another good night.
They also have soccer and volleyball. A plus in my book. And a John Hooper Field. That makes me lean to St. Francis of Assisi...home of the other Hooper Field. See you next week!
I made my first westward trek to Sacred Heart in Glyndon for 5 pm mass on Sunday. If I were writing a blog for brides to be looking for a wedding destination, I think I would have to include this one. If I were writing a blog about where you could get into a accident in the parking lot, I would include this one too. But I digress...
The church is big and has seating almost in the round. There is a babbling baptismal font in the back and lots of windows that make the inside bright. It's another church where I am drawn to the space. It's open. It's quiet without being silent. The crowd was mostly made of up of families and seemed reasonably friendly.
Music came out of brand new Gather books that have the updated Roman Missal. There wasn't a lot of singing. The homily was about the purpose of suffering. I thought it ran a little long, but mass ended at 5:53. Another good night.
They also have soccer and volleyball. A plus in my book. And a John Hooper Field. That makes me lean to St. Francis of Assisi...home of the other Hooper Field. See you next week!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Good Shepherd, Silver Spring, MD
The thing about going to a new church every week is that I know exactly what I am getting, but in reality I have no idea what I am getting. The parts should all be there: songs, readings, homilies. Ritual. Order. But it is of course the variables that make the difference. I added a whole new variable this week and checked out an Episcopalian church.
This week I went to Good Shepherd in Silver Spring. A friend of mine invited me. It's pretty cool to hear what attracts people to a particular church. She loves that it is small and multi-generational. On Saturdays, they have a group called the Needlers, where people hang out with their needle crafts. Their narthex was crowded with fundraising for Heifer International. There was talk of a game night.
The church is small and has skylights through the middle and exposed red bricks. There are four columns of pews across the church. It has kneelers and a communion rail. The structure of the service was much the same as a Catholic mass, except kneeling at what I would consider to be the wrong times. Today's second reading and the Gospel overlap. The sermon was a light presentation about sin and started off with a story about Disney World, so I was hooked.
There were lots of little kids, including one in front of me who was making a tall tower of hymnals. At the sign of peace, people left their seats to greet everyone. And there's no New Roman Missal. I hope this doesn't set me back.
No plans for next week yet. I'm looking for a reconciliation service, but combing through parish websites for that has proved difficult. Let me know if you find one.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Blessed Sacrament, Harrisonburg, VA
In my many trips to Harrisonburg, I have never been to church. But here I am blogging, so no more skipping church for travel. At least when it's feasible to go. It marks the first mass out of state. My lack of knowledge of Virginia geography keeps me from knowing what diocese Harrisonburg falls in.
I went to mass on Saturday mass at 5 pm. Blessed Sacrament is a stone church on Main Street with stained glass windows. It is not the stone building that I think is city hall. And it is not the stone Presbyterian church behind that. Those are one way streets. I had a "Look kids! Big Ben, Parliament" moment.
The crowd was made up of families with older kids and older adults. They were friendly. Is this Southern hospitality? When I got up to hand off the collection basket, the man I handed it to acted as though I was actually giving him the money in the collection basket. (Did you know that few church actually pass baskets? Most are attached to a handle, attached to an usher.)
There was a choir with organ and piano and Gather Comprehensive. I can name hymnals at a distance now. If you want to blend in, wear a James Madison University sweatshirt. Blessed Sacrament handles their campus ministry.
The homily was interesting presentation about confession. Stop looking for loop holes. Find a reconciliation service this Lent.
The unknown dioceses is holding a young adult retreat. Turns out I'm too old to go. Just as well, I'm in Harrisonburg but once a year.
I went to mass on Saturday mass at 5 pm. Blessed Sacrament is a stone church on Main Street with stained glass windows. It is not the stone building that I think is city hall. And it is not the stone Presbyterian church behind that. Those are one way streets. I had a "Look kids! Big Ben, Parliament" moment.
The crowd was made up of families with older kids and older adults. They were friendly. Is this Southern hospitality? When I got up to hand off the collection basket, the man I handed it to acted as though I was actually giving him the money in the collection basket. (Did you know that few church actually pass baskets? Most are attached to a handle, attached to an usher.)
There was a choir with organ and piano and Gather Comprehensive. I can name hymnals at a distance now. If you want to blend in, wear a James Madison University sweatshirt. Blessed Sacrament handles their campus ministry.
The homily was interesting presentation about confession. Stop looking for loop holes. Find a reconciliation service this Lent.
The unknown dioceses is holding a young adult retreat. Turns out I'm too old to go. Just as well, I'm in Harrisonburg but once a year.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier, Hunt Valley
Sunday's stop was 9:30 mass at the Catholic Community of St. Francis Xavier. I like the space of this one. I like the open feel, the widows, the white walls, the clean lines. Simple elegance. There was a gentle chatter before mass and all in all it seems like a friendly place.
An enthusiastic usher/greeter made sure our hands were full of Gather Books. A piano and choir took care of the music from said Gather books. And in the back of some of the books you can find a list of CCSFX rules: you will praise God by singing and you will like it. You will not leave before the end of the last song. (They don't.) You will enjoy refreshments after mass and you will build community. (I didn't. I feel weird taking the bulletins.) There were more rules. And they may sound a little nicer, but that's pretty much gist.
The homily was about whether or not God is for us. In case you were wondering, God is. I thought mass was rather long. (It clocked in at an hour and eight minutes. There was extra kneeling. And a presentation by a little sister of the poor.) I was told was I am too critical. And that I have no sense of how long mass should be.
They do operation rice bowl. I haven't looked at one of those in a long time. Turns out I have to give 49 cents for every year of school I have completed.
Next week I'll be on location in Harrisonburg, VA. The week after that, I'll be taking a walk on the Episcopalian side.
An enthusiastic usher/greeter made sure our hands were full of Gather Books. A piano and choir took care of the music from said Gather books. And in the back of some of the books you can find a list of CCSFX rules: you will praise God by singing and you will like it. You will not leave before the end of the last song. (They don't.) You will enjoy refreshments after mass and you will build community. (I didn't. I feel weird taking the bulletins.) There were more rules. And they may sound a little nicer, but that's pretty much gist.
The homily was about whether or not God is for us. In case you were wondering, God is. I thought mass was rather long. (It clocked in at an hour and eight minutes. There was extra kneeling. And a presentation by a little sister of the poor.) I was told was I am too critical. And that I have no sense of how long mass should be.
They do operation rice bowl. I haven't looked at one of those in a long time. Turns out I have to give 49 cents for every year of school I have completed.
Next week I'll be on location in Harrisonburg, VA. The week after that, I'll be taking a walk on the Episcopalian side.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Immaculate Conception, Elkton, Maryland
On the first Sunday of Lent, I went to Immaculate Conception in Elkton, Maryland for 8:30 mass. This is the second Immaculate Conception, the first church in the diocese of Wilmington, and the first mass before 9 am. Or likely 10 am. I wasn't lazy like this before.
Immaculate Conception is a smaller church with two columns of pews and light blue walls. There is a pitched ceiling with sky lights along one side. It has a sort of rustic feel. There were people of all ages, including a whole bunch of little kids who were going to be in big trouble when they got home. There was a flying Grover, spilled cereal, and much discussion on the right time to sit and stand a kneel. That's okay. Those little trouble makers are our future.
The homily fell to the butterfly side of things this week. It was about floods and rainbows. And it was about giving up your personal floods this Lent. After all, once you get to the other side of the rainbow, your troubles melt like lemon drops.
I did a little searching on ideas for Lent. This one intrigued me...and not just because it has a heading for bloggers.
http://www.nicksenger.com/csc/101-practical-fasting-ideas-for-lent
Good luck with whatever you give up or take up for Lent this year.
Immaculate Conception is a smaller church with two columns of pews and light blue walls. There is a pitched ceiling with sky lights along one side. It has a sort of rustic feel. There were people of all ages, including a whole bunch of little kids who were going to be in big trouble when they got home. There was a flying Grover, spilled cereal, and much discussion on the right time to sit and stand a kneel. That's okay. Those little trouble makers are our future.
The homily fell to the butterfly side of things this week. It was about floods and rainbows. And it was about giving up your personal floods this Lent. After all, once you get to the other side of the rainbow, your troubles melt like lemon drops.
I did a little searching on ideas for Lent. This one intrigued me...and not just because it has a heading for bloggers.
http://www.nicksenger.com/csc/101-practical-fasting-ideas-for-lent
Good luck with whatever you give up or take up for Lent this year.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Stops on the Journey
1. St. Pius X
2. Cathedral of Mary our Queen
3. St. Joseph, Taneytown
4. Immaculate Conception, Towson
5. Holy Cross, Kensington
6. St. Elizabeth, Rockville
7. Immaculate Heart of Mary
8. St. Isaac Jouges
9. St. Ursula
10. St. Joseph, Fullerton
11. St. Brigid
12. St. Jane Frances, Bethesda
13. Holy Redeemer, Kensington
14. St. Joseph, Cockeysville
15. St. Thomas More
16. Carmelite Monastery
17. St. Rita
18. Nativity
19. St. Stephen
20. Loyola Alumni Memorial Chapel
21. Shrine of St. Jude, Rockville
22. Immaculate Conception, Elkton
23. Catholic Community of St Francis Xavier
24. Blessed Sacrament, Harrisonburg, VA
25. Good Shepherd, Silver SPring
26. Sacred Heart, Glyndon
27. St. Francis of Assisi
28. St. Michael the Archangel
29. Shrine of the Sacred Heart
30. St. Joseph Medical Center Spiritual Center
31. St. Ignatius
32. St. Charles Borromeo
33. Sts. Philip and James
34. St. Mary of the Assumption
35. St. Frances de Sales
36. St. Elizabeth of Hungary
37. St. Mark, Catonsville
38. St. Dominic
39. Holy Cross
40. Our Lady of Mount Carmel
41. Shine of the Little Flower
42. St. Wenceslaus
43. St. Thomas Aquinas
44. St. Mary, Rockville
45. St. Bernadette, Silver Spring
46. Christ the King
2. Cathedral of Mary our Queen
3. St. Joseph, Taneytown
4. Immaculate Conception, Towson
5. Holy Cross, Kensington
6. St. Elizabeth, Rockville
7. Immaculate Heart of Mary
8. St. Isaac Jouges
9. St. Ursula
10. St. Joseph, Fullerton
11. St. Brigid
12. St. Jane Frances, Bethesda
13. Holy Redeemer, Kensington
14. St. Joseph, Cockeysville
15. St. Thomas More
16. Carmelite Monastery
17. St. Rita
18. Nativity
19. St. Stephen
20. Loyola Alumni Memorial Chapel
21. Shrine of St. Jude, Rockville
22. Immaculate Conception, Elkton
23. Catholic Community of St Francis Xavier
24. Blessed Sacrament, Harrisonburg, VA
25. Good Shepherd, Silver SPring
26. Sacred Heart, Glyndon
27. St. Francis of Assisi
28. St. Michael the Archangel
29. Shrine of the Sacred Heart
30. St. Joseph Medical Center Spiritual Center
31. St. Ignatius
32. St. Charles Borromeo
33. Sts. Philip and James
34. St. Mary of the Assumption
35. St. Frances de Sales
36. St. Elizabeth of Hungary
37. St. Mark, Catonsville
38. St. Dominic
39. Holy Cross
40. Our Lady of Mount Carmel
41. Shine of the Little Flower
42. St. Wenceslaus
43. St. Thomas Aquinas
44. St. Mary, Rockville
45. St. Bernadette, Silver Spring
46. Christ the King
Shrine of Saint Jude, Rockville
What is is about Ash Wednesday that makes it the most popular mass of the year? It's not a Sunday or holy day of obligation or Easter. What compels people who ordinarily wouldn't go to mass to turn up today? Is it because they give ashes away?
I was never much for Ash Wednesday. I don't remember ever going as a kid. I guess I'm not much of a joiner. But I like Lent and I like Easter. And since I'm blogging away, I thought I would check something out tonight. The Shrine of St Jude is a big church made of red bricks. There is geometric stained glass and a pitched roof in the middle. It was crowded. I reached another milestone on this journey: The first mass in Spanglish.
Senora Gonce is laughing at me from heaven right now. This is what you get for changing the title of your workbook to Spanish is Not Fun. Actually, they alternated the readings and songs in English and Spanish. The priest translated his own homily as he went. That was helpful because all I picked up at first was something about heads and hearts and doors and the celebration of Easter. It was rather fire and brimstone tonight. Don't take the ashes if you aren't planning on 40 days of fasting, prayer, and alms giving.
I was never much for Ash Wednesday. I don't remember ever going as a kid. I guess I'm not much of a joiner. But I like Lent and I like Easter. And since I'm blogging away, I thought I would check something out tonight. The Shrine of St Jude is a big church made of red bricks. There is geometric stained glass and a pitched roof in the middle. It was crowded. I reached another milestone on this journey: The first mass in Spanglish.
Senora Gonce is laughing at me from heaven right now. This is what you get for changing the title of your workbook to Spanish is Not Fun. Actually, they alternated the readings and songs in English and Spanish. The priest translated his own homily as he went. That was helpful because all I picked up at first was something about heads and hearts and doors and the celebration of Easter. It was rather fire and brimstone tonight. Don't take the ashes if you aren't planning on 40 days of fasting, prayer, and alms giving.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Loyola Alumni Memorial Chapel
Sunday marked another trip to a place where I spent my formative years. I landed at 6 pm mass at Loyola. Back in my day, mass in the chapel was at 9 pm and was followed by the more popular 10:30. I would often go after logging hours at the library. Picking a time to go to mass made a stopping point and allowed for some quiet.
It appears that the later masses are in the dorms now. That's too bad, because sometimes you need a 10:30 mass. The chapel is full of stone and stained glass. The pews have high backs and sit at a perfectly uncomfortable 90 degrees. It seats about 400 people.
If I had to pick a way to describe mass at Loyola, I would call it Mass:The Musical! Crazy kids these days and their American Idol and Glee. There was a great big talented choir. And lots of singing and pausing and singing and pausing and singing and pausing some more. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved going to mass at Loyola. They used to have First Sunday mass for alumni and I have always regretted not going. Though I mostly felt like I was about 100 years old, there were several families with young to teenage kids.
The homily was about the immersion experience and its role in Jesuit education.
This brings us to 20 churches (I'll get the running list started, I promise.) And brings us to Ash Wednesday. I'll see what I can do about a church tomorrow. Any good ideas out there for Lenten sacrifice?
It appears that the later masses are in the dorms now. That's too bad, because sometimes you need a 10:30 mass. The chapel is full of stone and stained glass. The pews have high backs and sit at a perfectly uncomfortable 90 degrees. It seats about 400 people.
If I had to pick a way to describe mass at Loyola, I would call it Mass:The Musical! Crazy kids these days and their American Idol and Glee. There was a great big talented choir. And lots of singing and pausing and singing and pausing and singing and pausing some more. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved going to mass at Loyola. They used to have First Sunday mass for alumni and I have always regretted not going. Though I mostly felt like I was about 100 years old, there were several families with young to teenage kids.
The homily was about the immersion experience and its role in Jesuit education.
This brings us to 20 churches (I'll get the running list started, I promise.) And brings us to Ash Wednesday. I'll see what I can do about a church tomorrow. Any good ideas out there for Lenten sacrifice?
Monday, February 13, 2012
St. Stephen's, Bradshaw
Saint Stephen's marks the first Saturday mass and first mass with cantor and organ on the tour. It is a small stone church that sits in front of a school. The red front doors open into the back of the church. It must be hard to be a latecomer. The little kids seem to hang out in the choir loft, but I am not entirely sure about that. There are two columns of pews, and again yellow walls.
There is a marble altar and red and blue candles for Mary and Joseph. The church was reasonably full for a snowy night, mostly with older adults. There was one baby who seemed excited to be at church. On Sundays, they double up on masses and have one in the church and one in the hall.
I know this is going to come out entirely wrong, but the homily was basically asking if you had hugged a leper today. We were challenged to reach out to annoying coworkers or well meaning family members. I am clearly not doing this justice.
I'm getting better at The New Roman Missal, but sometime after the Creed, I still have a momentary panic that I put down the cheat sheet even though I still need it. My "And With Your Spirit" t-shirt arrived this week. Red heather is a reasonable description and it even came with a thank you note.
Mass planning this weekend is a little tricky. I think it will have to be an evening mass in the greater Baltimore area. As I drove past St. Joseph in Fullerton, I wondered if I should have started with bigger circles. Oh well. I have had a request for the run down of visits, I'll try to post it later this week.
There is a marble altar and red and blue candles for Mary and Joseph. The church was reasonably full for a snowy night, mostly with older adults. There was one baby who seemed excited to be at church. On Sundays, they double up on masses and have one in the church and one in the hall.
I know this is going to come out entirely wrong, but the homily was basically asking if you had hugged a leper today. We were challenged to reach out to annoying coworkers or well meaning family members. I am clearly not doing this justice.
I'm getting better at The New Roman Missal, but sometime after the Creed, I still have a momentary panic that I put down the cheat sheet even though I still need it. My "And With Your Spirit" t-shirt arrived this week. Red heather is a reasonable description and it even came with a thank you note.
Mass planning this weekend is a little tricky. I think it will have to be an evening mass in the greater Baltimore area. As I drove past St. Joseph in Fullerton, I wondered if I should have started with bigger circles. Oh well. I have had a request for the run down of visits, I'll try to post it later this week.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Church of the Nativity, Timonium
There's a reason I like mass to be no longer than 47 minutes with music. And to start three to five minutes early. And preferably be in a church with a hearty dose of brown. And that reason is Nativity, the place where I have by far logged most of my mass going hours.
I made it to 5:30 mass on Sunday afternoon. I had last gone there for a friend's funeral, and before that I can't remember for sure. I was nervous as I walked in. I took what used to be my regular seat and the feel of the wood below my hands was familiar. Not much else was. There was no quiet before mass began. The altar has been flip flopped and there are now two projection screens on either side of the crucifix. I can admit that those were helpful for responses for the New Roman Missal and for the Apostle's Creed.
Things got started with a video message introducing us to the current message series on finding happiness. Later there was a second recorded message reminding us to turn off our cell phones and telling us there are programs available for children. I could feel myself getting annoyed, but as things got lower tech, I settled down.
A priest I didn't know was saying mass, and I was admittedly disappointed. I was hoping to hear the homily of a certain pastor. Never fear, he appeared, as if out of no where, and gave the homily, which was rather engaging. But kind of weird.
In fact, the whole thing is kind of weird. There are responses in Latin and bells to the setting of a Christian rock band. The Gather books are long gone. At the end of mass, two members of the parish staff recapped the homily (which is also recapped in the church bulletin, in case you are a slow learner). Then, they asked you to turn your phone back on so that you could vote for the time of the Easter service (not mass) by text. Oh, and if you don't have a phone, you can vote by Facebook.
And I was doing so well. Part of me wants to get philosophical here about how you can't go home again or step in the same river twice or something. But I won't. I'll just know that this place holds a lifetime of happy memories and was more than worth a second look.
I'm planning on St. Stephan's in Bradshaw, 6 pm on Saturday.
I made it to 5:30 mass on Sunday afternoon. I had last gone there for a friend's funeral, and before that I can't remember for sure. I was nervous as I walked in. I took what used to be my regular seat and the feel of the wood below my hands was familiar. Not much else was. There was no quiet before mass began. The altar has been flip flopped and there are now two projection screens on either side of the crucifix. I can admit that those were helpful for responses for the New Roman Missal and for the Apostle's Creed.
Things got started with a video message introducing us to the current message series on finding happiness. Later there was a second recorded message reminding us to turn off our cell phones and telling us there are programs available for children. I could feel myself getting annoyed, but as things got lower tech, I settled down.
A priest I didn't know was saying mass, and I was admittedly disappointed. I was hoping to hear the homily of a certain pastor. Never fear, he appeared, as if out of no where, and gave the homily, which was rather engaging. But kind of weird.
In fact, the whole thing is kind of weird. There are responses in Latin and bells to the setting of a Christian rock band. The Gather books are long gone. At the end of mass, two members of the parish staff recapped the homily (which is also recapped in the church bulletin, in case you are a slow learner). Then, they asked you to turn your phone back on so that you could vote for the time of the Easter service (not mass) by text. Oh, and if you don't have a phone, you can vote by Facebook.
And I was doing so well. Part of me wants to get philosophical here about how you can't go home again or step in the same river twice or something. But I won't. I'll just know that this place holds a lifetime of happy memories and was more than worth a second look.
I'm planning on St. Stephan's in Bradshaw, 6 pm on Saturday.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Exploring the New Roman Missal
I wanted to make a "And with your Spirit T-Shirt." The people at Popple beat me to it. It looks pretty cool. I hope it's a red red and not a pink red. I hate that. No such luck for a "consubstantial" t-shirt.
http://www.popple.us/web/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AndWithYourSpirit07b.jpg
Sorry, I can't seem to paste the image in tonight.
Then I googled "Explain the New Roman Missal to me." This is what I found, courtesy of Life Teen.
I speak Latin too.
More on this later...Happy Saint Blaise day.
http://www.popple.us/web/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/AndWithYourSpirit07b.jpg
Sorry, I can't seem to paste the image in tonight.
Then I googled "Explain the New Roman Missal to me." This is what I found, courtesy of Life Teen.
I speak Latin too.
More on this later...Happy Saint Blaise day.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saint Rita, Dundalk
Saint Rita is one of my favorite saints. She is the patron saint of impossible dreams and helped solidify my love of the movie The Rookie.
I went to 11:15 mass Sunday morning. The church is small and stone and sits on a corner. It almost looks like what a church in a movie would look like. There are stained glass windows on both sides. Inside there are two columns of pews with pink cushions and an Infant of Prague statue.
This mass had two sign language interpreters (they switched half way through mass) and a permanent Deacon. A nun in a habit led the kids away for Children's Liturgy. (I like it better when the kids get to stay.) The crowd was friendly. They celebrated Catholic Schools Week by having kids in their uniforms bring up the gifts. Apparently only girls at St. Rita's go to Catholic school, or the boys are just too cool for that sort of thing. The same girls handed out invitations to visit their school this week.
There was a piano/organ/guitar/choir combo singing songs from the Gather book. We didn't sing The Summons this week, so the streak ended at two. It was announcement week, where the homily took a lengthy turn for the political. It also introduced us to this year's Archbishop's Annual Appeal. I apologize in advance to the church I visit next week.
Thanks for getting me to 1000 page views. I hope to have a post about the New Roman Missal later this week.
I went to 11:15 mass Sunday morning. The church is small and stone and sits on a corner. It almost looks like what a church in a movie would look like. There are stained glass windows on both sides. Inside there are two columns of pews with pink cushions and an Infant of Prague statue.
This mass had two sign language interpreters (they switched half way through mass) and a permanent Deacon. A nun in a habit led the kids away for Children's Liturgy. (I like it better when the kids get to stay.) The crowd was friendly. They celebrated Catholic Schools Week by having kids in their uniforms bring up the gifts. Apparently only girls at St. Rita's go to Catholic school, or the boys are just too cool for that sort of thing. The same girls handed out invitations to visit their school this week.
There was a piano/organ/guitar/choir combo singing songs from the Gather book. We didn't sing The Summons this week, so the streak ended at two. It was announcement week, where the homily took a lengthy turn for the political. It also introduced us to this year's Archbishop's Annual Appeal. I apologize in advance to the church I visit next week.
Thanks for getting me to 1000 page views. I hope to have a post about the New Roman Missal later this week.
Monday, January 23, 2012
St. Thomas More
Sunday morning took us to St. Thomas More. We arrived early for 9 am mass to be greeted by two ushers in coats and ties who opened the door for us. The sign out front cheered the Ravens. Too bad that didn't work out.
The church itself is small. There are two sets of long pews and two sets of short pews on the sides, all of which are about 10 rows deep. They are covered with green cushions. The inside of the church is red brick. There are candles, they kind where you push a button and a bulb lights. Stained glass windows line one side of the church and tell the creation story.
We were reminded during the homily that repentance is about the future, not about the past. We were also told that married men are not given permission to act like single men, even if that is what the confusing readings say. They used the Gather Comprehensive with piano and cantor. This is the second week in a row where we have said the Apostle's Creed and where the closing song was The Summons. How long can that pattern keep up? Just as I was getting the hang of the Nicene Creed too.
Saint Thomas More brings us to church 16. I'm half wondering where the time has gone and half trying to subtract 16 from 52. I'm striking out on resolutions so far. Maybe I can turn it around by the end of the week.
The church itself is small. There are two sets of long pews and two sets of short pews on the sides, all of which are about 10 rows deep. They are covered with green cushions. The inside of the church is red brick. There are candles, they kind where you push a button and a bulb lights. Stained glass windows line one side of the church and tell the creation story.
We were reminded during the homily that repentance is about the future, not about the past. We were also told that married men are not given permission to act like single men, even if that is what the confusing readings say. They used the Gather Comprehensive with piano and cantor. This is the second week in a row where we have said the Apostle's Creed and where the closing song was The Summons. How long can that pattern keep up? Just as I was getting the hang of the Nicene Creed too.
Saint Thomas More brings us to church 16. I'm half wondering where the time has gone and half trying to subtract 16 from 52. I'm striking out on resolutions so far. Maybe I can turn it around by the end of the week.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
2012 Resolutions
Seems like I should get my blog related resolutions up before the end of January...here it goes!
1. More pictures! I have some and never post them.
2. Some of my more dedicated readers (my mom) think that I have been too hard on Rick "my most grievous fault" Hilgartner. That's true. I have no reason to pick on him as much as I do. As I understand it, he baptized more than his fair share of cabbage patch kids as a seminarian. I'll refrain from any more jokes. Unless, of course, they are really, really good.
3. Bringing me to my next point, I should post a guide to the new translation for my pseudo practicing Catholic friends.
4. As for friends, I need to be better about picking churches in advance. Much of the fun so far has been the company that comes along.
5. I make the rules here, so they are about to change. If friends of other faith traditions are willing to take me to their houses of worship, I am willing to go.
6. I'm thinking of a Spiritual book and/or movie club. In my previous drifting, one of the ways I felt connected to the church was through reading. First it was The Life of Saint Francis, then it was My Life with the Saints. (Thanks to James Martin's book tour, that one is now autographed.) Both the Bishop's Conference and America Magazine have suggestions.
7. No more crazy ideas. No more half marathons. No more go to a new church every week for a year. Who am I kidding?
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Carmelite Monastery
Today was a good day. This is the second time I've been to mass at the monastery. Both times I have been impressed by this insanely happy, welcoming, surprisingly liberal group of women.
Their chapel is like a walkout basement with lots of windows. There are beige chairs with kneelers and white carpets. I would guess there were 100 people there and maybe seating for 120. The crowd was generally older. There were a few young adults and a few children with their parents.
They use Breaking Bread and singing is practically mandated at the monastery. We sang no fewer than three verses of every hymn. And we practiced the new responses for a good fifteen minutes this morning. The church goers of the monastery are not embracing the New Roman Missal. In fact, there was actual groaning when practicing said new responses. And when the equally liberal priest discussed his concern with replacing cup with chalice, he received cheers.
Today's homily was about the willing acceptance of God's call with a focus on more listening and less talking. As Samuel is sleeping when called, today's priest noted this as the biblical foundation for nap taking. And with everyone decked out in Ravens purple, he reminded us purple is the color of repentence.
Mass at the monastery is a lot like a youth mass at the retreat house with endless prayers of the faithful and a lengthy sign of peace. It clocked in at an hour and 20 minutes, but after our song practice, things moved pretty fast.
The Carmelites were part of the Duke prayer study:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2005-07-31/news/0507310033_1_prayer-healing-carmelites
And I am admitely tempted to join their young adult prayer group before I am too old. Do you think I could talk them into a book club?
Their chapel is like a walkout basement with lots of windows. There are beige chairs with kneelers and white carpets. I would guess there were 100 people there and maybe seating for 120. The crowd was generally older. There were a few young adults and a few children with their parents.
They use Breaking Bread and singing is practically mandated at the monastery. We sang no fewer than three verses of every hymn. And we practiced the new responses for a good fifteen minutes this morning. The church goers of the monastery are not embracing the New Roman Missal. In fact, there was actual groaning when practicing said new responses. And when the equally liberal priest discussed his concern with replacing cup with chalice, he received cheers.
Today's homily was about the willing acceptance of God's call with a focus on more listening and less talking. As Samuel is sleeping when called, today's priest noted this as the biblical foundation for nap taking. And with everyone decked out in Ravens purple, he reminded us purple is the color of repentence.
Mass at the monastery is a lot like a youth mass at the retreat house with endless prayers of the faithful and a lengthy sign of peace. It clocked in at an hour and 20 minutes, but after our song practice, things moved pretty fast.
The Carmelites were part of the Duke prayer study:
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2005-07-31/news/0507310033_1_prayer-healing-carmelites
And I am admitely tempted to join their young adult prayer group before I am too old. Do you think I could talk them into a book club?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Maybe me and you can be wise guys too
When I was in college, I attended a lecture series about keeping the sabbath holy. In one of my favorite lectures, a rabbi spoke to us about doing things differently to make the day special.
This week brought a new challenge: Disney World. The one thing Disney is missing is church. Here I present Amanda's Epiphany prayer service with special thanks to my travel companions for being willing participants.
The Epiphany of the Lord
Lectionary: 20
Reading 1 Is 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.
R. (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Reading 2 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Gospel Mt 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
Happy Epiphany everyone!
This week brought a new challenge: Disney World. The one thing Disney is missing is church. Here I present Amanda's Epiphany prayer service with special thanks to my travel companions for being willing participants.
The Epiphany of the Lord
Lectionary: 20
Reading 1 Is 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.
R. (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Reading 2 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Gospel Mt 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
Happy Epiphany everyone!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
St. Joe's, Texas (or Cockeysville if you prefer)
Happy New Year! I was feeling lazy today and went with something easy. I feel badly that I didn't round up my usual company for a local mass. I'll work on blog related resolutions later this week.
The New Year started with St. Joseph's for noon mass. As someone who grew up going to the other parish in town, I suffered a lot of trash talking from St. Joe's parishoners. St. Joe's was where the real Catholics went becuase they had a school and CCD classes during the week and kneelers. I had never actually been before. I didn't know what to expect, but what I found was pretty ordinary.
St. Joe's is another t-shaped church. It has white walls and plenty of light wood paneling, stained glass here and there. It was a little more 1960s than I imagined from the stone outside. It was more crowded than I would have expected for mass at noon. It took two hymns to get through communion. There was a cantor with a band and an excellent clarinetest. The crowd was generally older and most everyone fled during the second verse of Angels we have Heard on High.
The homily was about coming back to church at Christmas like you send cards, as a gesture to keep in touch. The priest went on to talk about how fitting it was to start the new year with mass. Seems fitting for me, at least for this year.
The New Year started with St. Joseph's for noon mass. As someone who grew up going to the other parish in town, I suffered a lot of trash talking from St. Joe's parishoners. St. Joe's was where the real Catholics went becuase they had a school and CCD classes during the week and kneelers. I had never actually been before. I didn't know what to expect, but what I found was pretty ordinary.
St. Joe's is another t-shaped church. It has white walls and plenty of light wood paneling, stained glass here and there. It was a little more 1960s than I imagined from the stone outside. It was more crowded than I would have expected for mass at noon. It took two hymns to get through communion. There was a cantor with a band and an excellent clarinetest. The crowd was generally older and most everyone fled during the second verse of Angels we have Heard on High.
The homily was about coming back to church at Christmas like you send cards, as a gesture to keep in touch. The priest went on to talk about how fitting it was to start the new year with mass. Seems fitting for me, at least for this year.
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