Kathryn McGregor - Church Visit #1

Church Name: St. Michael Catholic Church
Church Address: 310 S Wheaton Ave, Wheaton, IL 60187
Date Attended: September 17, 2015
Church Category: Catholic 

The service was a morning mass service. The service began with some readings from a book of common prayers, and some members of the congregation read aloud some passages from the Bible. The Priest then shared a very short message, which he seemed to rush through very quickly. Then we again sang a hymn, and prayed more. The process of communion was very different than most other churches I had attended. The Priest poured the wine into a chalice, and the whole process was much more elaborate. Two kids, also dressed in robes, assisted him through the process and brought him the supplies that he needed. The congregation then proceeded to take communion, all drinking from two common chalices. The whole service was much more liturgical than services that I normally attend. The priest was dressed in formal robes, and the entire service seemed scripted and rehearsed.

I found the process of communion most appealing about the worship service. In some churches, communion seems to be just a trivial thing we do. Often times the significance and reverence is lost. In the Catholic service, it was clear that communion is an act that should be regarded with great reverence and importance. It is a very integral part of the service, with a very precise process and protocol for how it should be carried out. In the Catholic church, this is obviously the case because of their belief in transubstantiation. After only just learning of this belief, it was very interesting to see how it influences the way in which they partake in the communion during their services. The whole process was very different from how I have typically seen, but it was a great reminder of the significance of the breaking of Christ's body and the shedding of His blood. 

From the beginning, I felt very out of place. No welcome was given to us as we entered, and the people attending sat very far away from each other, the people seemed very isolated from one another. The whole service seemed very formal and intimidating, as though if anyone said something out of place it would be very inappropriate. The priest also seemed to rush through all of the service, as though he wanted to be done promptly. The service felt like it was done out of obligation or as though it were a duty. The churches that I have grown up in emphasize community and greeting one another. The services also just seem less scripted and more informal. It was a challenge for me to feel welcome and comfortable there, though this is probably  because of my very limited exposure to Catholic church services, and liturgical churches in general. 

As I mentioned before, communion was illuminated for me far more than I had ever experienced in the services I regularly attend. The reverence and importance of the act was refreshing for me, and brought new light to how I should approach communion in the future. Also, although the increased liturgy felt very foreign to me, it helped me again to appreciate the history and tradition of the church. The sayings and prayers included in the service that we all spoke together in unison have been said by countless others throughout time. This is helpful in attempting to unify the church across time as well as across the world. Though I felt very out of place in the service, it was helpful to see and experience a different style of worship.