Church Address: 310 S West St. Wheaton, IL
Date Attended: 21 September 2014
Church Category: Catholic (Far more liturgical then my prior experiences)
Description of Service/Similarities/Major Differences
St. Michaels was extremely different
from my usual church experiences. I have often heard that Catholic churches were far more
Aristotelian while the more Protestant churches tend to be more Platonic. This
rang true for me as I observed this liturgy. I am used to a service being
centered around one main message that the pastor wished to impart on the
congregation, however, this church did not seem to be focusing on such things.
It seemed like I was witnessing a more sacred ritual than I was used to.
Further, there was so much to see and hear during the mass. Chimes rang at
specific times, communion was prepared in a meticulous manner, and hands were
dipped in water before and after the mass. Finally, I noticed repetition seemed
to play a great role during the mass as many phrases were repeated which seemed
directly linked to a goal of habituation. Essentially, the mass seemed to
engage the senses rather than a sole focus on the mind.
Most Appealing/Interesting Aspect
The things that I found most
appealing were the very things that I felt my prior church experiences often
lacked. This focus on the senses made it seem like I was experiencing something
far more artistic than I had previously experienced. One of the key items that
stood out to me was the seriousness of communion. I did not take part in it
since I am not member of the Catholic Church, however, I could tell that there
was something powerful going on as the members took part in it. I feel as
though many churches often take communion too lightly but I could not say the
same for catholic churches. It was a joy to witness all the moving parts that
make up a catholic mass.
Most Challenging Aspect
The most challenging aspect that I
encountered in this church was directly related to my assumptions of what a
service should look like given my more protestant background. I was extremely disoriented
when I realized that I could not find a main message that the mass was getting
at. Rather, it all seemed disorderly and disjointed at first. Then I realized
that this was not the real goal of mass at all. The priest read from the
scriptures but he did not go on to give a great sermon on what the scripture
meant. He merely read it and then explained briefly what we ought to do and
then the mass moved on to something differently entirely. Another issue that I
had was trying to learn all the hand motions that one is supposed to do as the
mass progresses. Luckily my roommate was able to teach me what I needed to do
otherwise I would have easily made a fool of myself. Thus both of these things
struck me as both odd and beautiful as the mass progressed.
What aspect of scripture was illuminated by the experience
One of the most significant things
which I saw during mass was a focus on a community rather than the individual.
Rather than making the mass focus on one piece of application that can be
gained through a certain set verses, the mass seemed to be about honoring a
tradition in community. Everyone did the same hand motions at the same time,
everyone recited the same lines together, and everyone kneeled together. Having
gone to a rather large nondenominational church, I never felt like I was a part
of any community by going to church. However, during mass it seemed like one
could not escape the constant reminders that we are not just individuals but we
are all part of one universal church. In many churches it seems one has to
really seek for the community whereas the mass seemed to have this sense of
community already built into it.
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