Josiah Haas- Church Visit #2

Josiah Haas- Church visit #2

Church name: St. Mary Catholic Church

Church address: 140 N. Oakwood Ave. West Chicago, IL 60185
Date attended: October 30, 2016

Church category: Tridentine Mass

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

The worship service I attended was similar to my normal Evangelical Free church in a few ways. The service lasted just over an hour, which is very similar to the length I am used to. There was Scripture reading and a very short sermon in the middle, there was a collection of the offering, and at the end of the service there was communion. There were also many obvious differences however; for the most part the service was in Latin, and I couldn’t actually understand what was going on. The majority of the service was liturgy done by the Father/Vicar instead of a lengthy sermon that I am used to. Also, there was no music in this service, whereas in a typical church service for me there will be at least twenty minutes of worshipping through music and singing. Finally, there was so much standing up, kneeling, and sitting down throughout the course of the service that I normally would not do in church.

How did the worship service illuminate for you the history and contours of global Christianity?

This worship service made me remember how influential the Latin language was in the church. Through Latin, the church was able to spread to much of the west, and Latin was the language used in Catholic churches for hundreds of years. Through this, I was able to get a glimpse of the global church because even when I think of Catholicism I only think of it in the American context. However, in respect to the history of the church, American Catholicism is very small. Just to be at a church speaking Latin showed me how far back the church goes, because there are very few settings where Latin would still be spoken. Also, having no worship music reminded me of how contemporary and modernized my church is. This illuminated that that specific style of musical worship is not the only way to praise God, because people have been doing it differently for hundreds of years.

How did the worship service illuminate for you your personal identity as a Christian?

This worship service definitely made me identify strongly as an Evangelical Christian and not as a Catholic. It helped me see some similarities I have to Catholics, because as a kid I basically was taught that they are not Christians or only Christians in name. It was helpful to see similar aspects to our faith in reading God’s Word and confessing to Him and taking communion. However, it made me identify even stronger as an evangelical since there were many aspects of the service that were foreign to me. For example, at the end of the service there was a liturgy hailing Mary and asking her to pray for the people in the service. Also, there were two large statues of Mary in the room compared to a very small one of Jesus on the cross. I have never prayed to Mary or venerated her, and statues like that would not be found in my church, so I was reminded of my protestant beliefs that do not elevate Mary in the same way that the Catholic church does.