Sunday, October 22, 2006
LIFE IN THE PEWS IN CLEVELAND - HOLY FAMILY PARISH
We attended the 11:30 a.m. Mass this morning.
They are doing some things right in there:
- The church was full, though there weren't many children.
- The music ministry is not located in the sanctuary. Some pews have been removed so that the piano and the lectern where the cantor sings could be located near the sanctuary but not in it. Thus the music ministry does not detract from the central focus of the Mass.
- The tabernacle, while not located in the sanctuary proper, has been placed in plain sight to the right on a side altar. No one here genuflects to empty space.
- The Extroardinary Ministers remained in the aisle until after Father had received, then moved up into the sanctuary.
- The homily was a down-to-earth recommendation about serving God by being servants to the other members of our family and the people where we work. God and Jesus Christ were mentioned in the context of this attitude of a humble servant's heart. Priorities were in order.
The negatives:
- By far the most overwhelming negative was the second communion hymn. Just as I was about to try to make a thanksgiving after receiving despite the distraction of the singing, the second hymn began with the words "I myself am the bread of life." Can it get any worse than that? I never did manage to make a thanksgiving.
- There were 13 EMs.
- The congregation stands until communion is finished and Father sits down, though there was a pause long enough after communion for saying a prayer of thanksgiving.
- Another creative Agnus Dei.
- There was no organ, only piano, and the music did not invoke a sense of reverence.
- Three boy altar boys and one girl altar boy.
Then there was the thing I simply could not comprehend. This was the first time in about 15 years that I have seen a Baptism at Mass. Mass began in the back of the church just as the Easter Vigil Mass begins back there, but instead of blessing the new fire, the priest began the Baptism service back there by asking the parents what they requested for their child, and doing some other stuff. When that was finished the entrance hymn began and priest, servers, and family of the new baby processed down the aisle. When the entrance hymn ended, the Gloria began, meaning that the opening prayers of the Mass were omitted. The rest of the Mass was the usual Sunday service except that the Baptism proper took place after the homily.
Was this according to the rubrics? I have no idea. The priest was young and seemed to be attentive to saying Mass reverently. He left a good impression on me, but I couldn't figure out the baptism arrangements.
The bulletin has six pages and is stapled together. Largest one I've ever seen. There was also a flyer announcing the "Focus Group Interviews", four opportunities to voice your opinion about the upcoming capital campaign for the purpose of upgrading the infrastructure of each of the buildings and renovating the church, with the help of Trinity Consultants who will assist with the Planning Study. Shades of Richard Vosko? I'd say the church could not be renovated into anything more modern than it already is, but I'd probably be speaking too soon.
According to the bulletin last Sunday's collection was $24,096. The "Weekly Sunday offertory income needed" is $33,100 to go with the "Other Church/School income needed" of $40,100.
I had the strangest reaction of all to Mass this morning. At no time during the entire event was I able to pray. I left Mass neither angry nor inspired nor uplifted, nor frustrated. I left Mass indifferent. I attended and fulfilled my Sunday obligation, but it was a mechanical process, and I still can't account for this very odd emotional response to it, or really this total lack of emotional response. It would seem that I could attend Mass at Holy Family Parish for the rest of my life and never once be touched by God at all. My husband had no reaction to it either. After Mass he had no comments either positive or negative. It was as if neither of us had even gone to Mass, but rather had spent our morning listening to a lecture, and visiting an historical site, or perhaps just attending a Protestant service to see what they do in theirs. I simply can't explain it.
