Sunday, October 08, 2006
LIFE IN THE PEWS IN CLEVELAND - ST. MARY'S, HUDSON
The plans that began with me attending the vigil at St. Mary's, and my husband seriously considering returning to Sacred Heart Church, ended up with both of us attending St. Mary's last night. I didn't have high hopes. Hudson is an upscale community.
According to the parish website, at the "Adult Formation" link, they are "rekindlers", and in fact there was a sign advertising the Charismatic Mass near the doors into the church proper. The website indicates that Bishop Amos will be the celebrant.
The parish has a Pastor, an Associate Pastor, and two women Pastoral Associates. The church is quite large, relatively new, and constructed in one of those not-quite-round, definitely not square, certainly not cruciform, patterns that would make a satisfactory meeting hall. The interior of the church is partially visible across the top of their website. Last Sunday's collection amounted to $23,961, $1,211 over the "needed" amount.
We entered the church and stood in the back for awhile, trying to get oriented, and to find the tabernacle, then moved to a pew near the back and on the right side.
Positive Observations:
- Mass was said according to the rubrics except for the Agnus Dei.
- The congregation was quiet prior to the start of Mass.
- There were kneelers in spite of the very modern interior.
- The church is bright and cheerful with soothing and well-coordinated colors.
- One woman bowed to the altar before entering the pew.
- The organ pipes did not overwhelm the crucifix.
- I was able to find the tabernacle after Mass.
- There were holy water fonts by some of the entry doors.
- There were vigil candles to light near a statue.
- No drop-down movie screens appeared.
On the Negative Side:
- From where I was sitting I could not see the altar, but the organ pipes were prominently in view behind it.
- The sanctuary looks like an orchestra pit. There is a half-wall mid-way between steps and back wall. Behind this half-wall are chairs, presumably for the choir. This takes up a large portion of the sanctuary. My husband peeked around this half-wall after Mass and said it was a jumble of music stands and other stuff back there.
- There is a grand piano in the sanctuary. The man playing guitar and singing accompanied himself with pre-recorded music up there.
- From where I was sitting the sanctuary brought to mind the Cologne Synagogue when Benedict spoke there.
- The majority of parishioners genuflect to wood and organ pipes before entering the pew.
- The windows in the church are clear glass, providing a good view of Route 91 for entertainment when the mind decides to wander.
- Attendance, was anemic with empty pews. After communion it appeared that a third of those who had been there were gone.
- There were more than three salutations in the Agnus Dei. It began to sound like a litany.
- There were two boy altar boys and one girl altar boy, unless No. 3 was a boy with long hair.
- There were 15--yes folks 15--Extraordinary Ministers.
- We stood during communion. While time was allowed for private thanksgiving after, no one appeared to be praying.
- The single statue in the church was a woman. Her hair was visible. Her garment was draped in such a way as to make clear that she was female. Her clothing was pink and beige, and her veil was minimal. My first thought when looking at this statue was that it depicted Mary Magdalene. But on studying it more closely it became obvious that it must be a representation of the Blessed Virgin.
- We were asked to introduce ourselves to our pewmates after the entrance procession.
- When Mass was over and people were leaving, there was much talking, including a man who shouted across an entire section to get the attention of someone out of normal voice range.
- A large section in front consisted of chairs which must be removable. To accommodate liturgical dance, I couldn't help but wonder?
- The homily was another rendition of the luv gospel. We were told that sin is not about breaking rules. Sin is about failure to love. We are redeemed to the extent that love enables us to adhere to the gospels. That today's readings were talking about the failure to love. That we are redeemed, liberated, and enabled by His Spirit and called to live the life of love by the power of the Spirit.
Neither my husband nor I felt comfortable receiving in such an atmosphere. Certainly I was improperly disposed, by the time communion arrived. We both abstained. I saw two other people who did not receive as well.
After Mass was over we walked around to take a better look at the statue, the sanctuary, and to look for the tabernacle. When I stood immediately before the sanctuary and could not see the choir section as well, the altar looked more prominent.
We did finally discover the tabernacle over on the left behind a stained glass partition. I peered around the partition and my gaze fell upon a box topped by a wooden pyramid. Made of spalted wood, it captivated my husband who is a woodworker. Spalted wood is rare and sought after. It is also technically rotten wood. I'm still thinking about that. The box had stained-glass panels of what appeared to be a flowing rust-colored ribbon on a greenish background. There were chairs with kneelers in there. There was not one single visible Catholic symbol anywhere. The box could have held just about anything. Even the burning vigil lamp was outside of the area. This pyramid box was such a shock that I could not even kneel down to pray. One woman was kneeling in there, however.
There was an interesting twist to this Mass. The congregation received a lecture prior to the homily which included phrases such as: "arrogant and insensitive action", "disrespectful distortion", and I "call on you to apologize to the Jewish community". The details are covered in a bulletin insert, and were spelled out to the congregation as well. I'll let the pastor tell the story in his own words:
Dear Parishioners,
Two weeks ago as the Jewish community in Hudson gathered to celebrate Rosh haShana, one of the most sacred devotions of the Jewish calendar, someone or some group placed packets containing Catholic symbols on the windshields of their cars. Rabbi Susan Stone contacted me for help with this matter because the incident greatly upset members of her congregation. What follows is an open letter I sent to the Jewish congregation. The letter was read last week at the community's Yom Kippur service, a service devoted to atonement for sin. The letter reads:
9-28-06
To The Congregation of Temple Beth Shalom:
Rabbi Stone has informed me of the incident involving Catholic religious symbols that recently took place during your Rosh haShana service. As the leader of the Catholic community in Hudson I offer you my sincere apology for this harassment of your congregation. I value the good rapport that I and St. Mary Church have with your congregation, and so it disturbs me that anyone would disrupt your devotions in such an arrogant and insensitive manner. Be assured this gesture does not in any manner reflect the beliefs or attitudes we seek to instill in the members of the Hudson Catholic community. It is my abiding hope that our two congregations will continue to develop ties of friendship in the coming years.
To those responsible for these actions I can only say that the use of these sacred symbols as a prank or as a clumsy attempt at proselytizing or worse yet as an anti-Semitic gesture is at one and the same time an affront to those who are God's people and a disrespectful distortion of the very meaning of these symbols. I call upon you to come in humility and apologize to the Jewish community of Hudson.
In closing I pray God's blessing on the Temple Beth Shalom community. May both our congregations be joined in the common goal of abiding in the peace of our God.
Fr. Edward Kordas, Pastor
St. Mary Church, Hudson
I don't think either my husband or I will be attending Mass at St. Mary's in Hudson again any time soon.
Matthew 10:32-33
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
