Cody Andersen - Church visit #2

St. Mary's Church 
140 N Oakwood Ave, West Chicago, IL 60185
11/2/2016
Diocese of Joliet

Q1. I attended a Wednesday morning worship service at St. Mary's Church in West Chicago.  Immediately what stood out ascetically about the chapel was the alter in the front.  There was a table on which the sacraments were prepared and behind the table was a large wooden alter. There were more similarities to my regular church context in this service compared the orthodox service.  Currently, I am attending an Anglican church, so some of the liturgy was familiar to me.  The congregation used a hymn book and started out the morning service with a hymn.  The prayer service followed a prayer book  which was mostly filled with Psalms and New Testament readings.  One thing that was particularly different was the reverence and repetition that was throughout the service.  During the preparation of the Eucharist the Priest would lift up the cup and bread while the alter boy rang a bell three times.  I'm curious whether the three bell rings were to represent the three persons of the trinity.  When the priest brought the cup down and placed it on the table he then bowed really low, almost at eye level with the table.  Lifting up the cup is something that I would see in my regular church context.  The bowing down before the cup is not something I would see however. 

Q2. There are several ways which the worship service illuminated the history and contours of global Christianity.  The first is  the use of saints in the liturgy and prayers of the service.  Like the orthodox service, the reference to the saints is something that connects the past with the present.  Another way the worship service illuminated the history and contours of global Christianity is through the Eucharist service.  After spending time reading Thomas Aquinas, I have a greater understanding of what is happening during this Eucharist service.  Tracing this action back to the works of Aquinas allowed me to sense a richness of church history.   The Eucharist service was also a point in which I was able to see the contours of global christianity.  I was able to tell pretty early on that the way this service was being practiced was different from what I was used to.  

Q3. I found the worship service very edifying.  Like the orthodox service, a member from the church brought one of the prayer books to me so that I could participate.  I've come to really enjoy congregational readings of scripture.  Sometimes I can get caught up in an individual way of practicing my faith that I miss the richness of collective readings of scripture.  I think that was a significant thing that was illuminated during this service.  How often my christian faith is practiced in an individual way.  As I participated in the service I felt like I was a part of what was happening.  After the service was over I found myself desiring a daily prayer service.  There seems like there is something very right about gathering daily to read and hear scripture.  This service was helpful for me to be able to understand better the differences and similarities of the Catholic church.