Church name: St. Michael's Catholic Church
Church address: 314 W Willow Ave.
Date attended: September 13, 2014
Church category: More Liturgical, different ethnic demographic
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?
I was invited to this worship service. It was a mass and a confirmation for one of my friends at Wheaton College. He asked me to attend and support him. I knew that this was an important decision for him; however, I did not know much about the Catholic faith before going. At the service, there were less than ten people altogether in the big church. We sat down along pews similar to my church. One thing that I noticed right about when entering the church was the smell of incense or candles. The smell was quite strong, and I was not accustomed to it. It looked like a wealthy church because everything looked well cleaned and new. The preacher or priest wore a robe, and he led the whole service by himself. There were not musical instruments involved like I am used to, but there was some singing. When we prayed, there was a prayer bench that could be lowered in front of our seats so that we could kneel down.
What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?
What I found most interesting about the worship service was the communion part of the service. The priest had the wine and bread, and he prepared it very carefully. I was reminded of the way that my father prepares communion when I watched the priest. The passages that were read were familiar. To receive the communion, we all went up towards the front of the stage and lined up behind one another. But before we went up, the priest had given us specific directions. If we did not hold the whole Catholic tradition as our own, we should not take communion. Rather, we should cross our arms across our chests as a sign that we are not Catholics, and we would receive a blessing from him instead. As he was explaining this, I found it very interesting. I realized that there is a significant difference between our faiths that I am not yet aware of.
What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?
What I found most challenging about the worship service was that I did not know the traditions of the Catholic church or that church specifically. I was unsure of what I should do which made me quite nervous because I did not want to offend anyone there. I did not know if there were things that protestants should not do while Catholics could. So during the service, my friends and I were often looking at one another bewildered as to whether we should participate in whatever the church was doing. Luckily, one of my friends there had a Catholic cousin, so she was familiar with this faith tradition. So it was at least a little source of comfort to know that she knew what to do. But in general, the worship service was not very disorienting. I enjoyed it very much. The liturgy and prayers were all very edifying to me.
What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?
The theme that stood out to me in that experience was that there needs to be unity in the body of Christ. Although I knew I was not Catholic at the service, I felt welcomed and accepted. There wasn’t any attempt to convert me to Catholicism, and the priests and Catholics there were very welcoming. Afterwards, we talked a little bit with them. And during communion, the priest was very gentle in advising those of us who were not Catholics to not partake in the elements presented. It was my first time at a Catholic service, so it was a very positive experience. I know that there have been past conflicts between Protestants and Catholics, but there needs to be reconciliation. I am not sure what that would look like. I do believe that if we were able to achieve unity, it would be a beautiful witness to the world of our God.
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