Becca Hamilton - Church Visit #1

Church Name: St. Michael’s Catholic Church

Church Address: 310 South Wheaton Avenue, Wheaton Il 60187

Date Attended: September 12, 2015

Church Category: More Liturgical

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

This service was very different in many ways from the service I regularly attend. I go to a nondenominational church in Naperville, so all of the Catholic traditions were very new to me. Everyone in the congregation knew exactly when to stand, sit and kneel. I had never kneeled in church before, so I probably seemed very confused when I was trying to figure out the kneeler. The music was also different in that there was only one woman cantor who would sing all of the chants and hymns. Many of the members in the congregation didn’t even need to follow along in the hymnals, which was surprising. The priests all wore white robes, with one man in particular wearing a green, ornate robe on top of the white one. There were even alter girls helping during the service. Also, the entire congregation took communion at the front of the church instead of passing the plates around, which is different from my church experience as well.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

I think what was most appealing was the respect for tradition that the Catholic church had. To say the liturgy every Sunday, like the Nicene Creed, and to receive the same blessing from the pastor every week would engrain those truths into the mind. With those statements taken to memory, they could be used more readily in everyday life. I also like that everyone could have the music right in front of them in the hymnals so people felt more comfortable to sing. Sometimes in my church people don’t sing because they don’t know the songs; but if they had the music in front of them, that could help more people to sing.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

I think the most disorienting part of the service was just trying figure out what was happening next. The congregation had been through the motions so many times that they seemed to be doing everything without even needing to think, and so we seemed fairly out of place. They didn’t write in the worship program when to stand and sit, which some churches do, so we just had to be observant. Also the members would do the cross across their body multiple times, and when we didn’t do it with them we also seemed out of place. I wanted to be able to blend in as much as possible, but since we had no idea what was coming next we couldn’t blend in at all.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

The service illuminated for me how important reading the Scriptures carefully is. The entire sermon was on how works should be the loudest proclamation of your faith, which is partially true. However, the pastor seemed to have not continued reading about how faith and works should be paired together to proclaim faith.  I feel like I always knew how important it is to fully read Scripture, however seeing an instance like this one solidified to me how truly important it is. It can be so tempting to ‘read with Bible with a Sharpie’ and only pay attention to what you like. Interpretations can be difficult, and that is why the Bible requires so much study and discussion before it is taught to hundreds of people.