Rebecca Fox - 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 or different from your regular context?

The mass I attended was held not in a typical church building but in a converted classroom in the adjacent parish building. There were a few pews and then rows of old chairs, and the altar was situated in the corner of the room. The ornateness felt a little out of place, but the atmosphere was reverent. It was far more subdued than the Greek service, and much less participatory than evangelical services. There were about thirty people present, yet it was clear that everyone was dedicated to attending the Tridentine mass. Hardly a word was spoken between congregants unless in response to a prompt from the priest. Even so there was hardly any call and response involved in the liturgy. The mass was fairly short, much more like the services I am accustomed to. Although there was a Scripture reading in English followed by a short sermon, the focus of the service was on the Eucharist. Everything built towards the moment when congregants were invited to the front to receive communion from the priest. The focus was the opposite of most worship services that I have grown up attending where the sermon is at the high point of the service.

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

Having experienced the Greek service a few weeks ago and now the Tridentine mass this Sunday, it illuminated the significance of the split between East and the West that we’ve talked about in class. As I listened to the Latin and thought about the many differences between the Tridentine mass and the Eastern Orthodox service, I realized just how significant the differences between the day-to-day worship were. It’s one thing to think about the issues as surrounding the church leaders in disagreements, but this would have touched each churchgoer.

Further, I both brought and wore a head covering during the mass. I’ve never worn one before, and I wasn’t sure how to feel. I probably could have gotten away without wearing one—there were a couple of women who did not—but it felt important to wear it out of respect for my brothers and sisters and the tradition that I was entering into. That respect is too easy to forget in the midst of so many traditional and denominational divisions.

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

Attending mass also made me consider again the significance of the sacrament of the Eucharist. My family has always held communion in high regard, often higher than the other people at the churches we’ve attended. But this was different. It seemed that that’s what people had come to receive. As I observed above, communion was the high point of the service. It drew my attention to not only how we prepare as individuals to receive communion, but also how we prepare as a group. Communion may be the most tangible expression and experience of our bond as the body of Christ (as well as much more), but in many evangelical settings it feels like a very individual thing. I want to consider what this means in my own practice.

Also, I’ve noticed over these church visits the element of beauty. From the decorations on the altar to the forms of the liturgy, beauty is an important aspect of worship that I don’t practice enough when I worship.