KC Gouthro - Church Visit #1

Church name: St Michael Catholic Church

Church address: 310 South Wheaton Avenue, Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: September 12, 2015

Church category: Significantly More Liturgical 

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

If you would have seen me at St. Michael Catholic Church tonight, it would have been obvious that I was experiencing a service much different than what I am used to. From the moment I entered, I had to follow the lead of those in front of me by dipping my fingers in the Holy Water, grabbing the worship guide from the baptismal fount, and finding a seat. Throughout the entire service, I fumbled through the hymnal trying to find the appropriate Gospel Acclamation or Profession of Faith in time to at least join in for the last few lines. I relied on the people in the pews ahead of me to know when to stand, sit, kneel, or make the sign of the cross. All of these things were new experiences for me, but they were generally similar to the components of the worship I am used to including prayer, singing, and listening to scripture readings and a message with some kind of call to action meant to be applied to the coming weeks. 

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

What I found most appealing was the constant reminder that I was taking part in traditions that have been occurring in the Catholic church for centuries. Everything from the beautiful stained glass windows to the priest's robes made me think of people in the past saying or singing the same words that we were, which is a thought I never have considered during one of my church services (outside of the reading of scripture). I was also intrigued by the manner in which the Eucharist was performed, complete with ringing bells and all. This made me think more deeply about the formality of communion. I feel this formality can be played down in my church where communion seems to be more of a casual family event. After all, we are approaching to the Lord's table, which I feel must be done with a great measure of respect and formality. That being said, I would still like to be able to better connect emotionally while taking part in communion, which was difficult to imagine doing within the formal structure. I would like to find a balance of a family-like and formal approaches in the future.

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

I was very disoriented by the scripted nature of the service as well as the many changes in position the congregation made throughout the hour. I could find no pattern in the timing of kneeling, sitting, or standing and was always a few seconds behind everyone else when it came time to move. I also had a very hard time connecting to the service because of the lack of emotion in the liturgy. Even the priest's small teaching seemed to be detached, making it hard for me to stay focused and take his message to heart. Prayers also appeared to be lines said by memory out of obligation, as very few people in the congregation folded their hands, bowed their heads, or closed their eyes, which are all very common during prayer in my nondenominational context. That being said, I learned a lot about the discipline involved in a Catholic Mass.

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 emphasis of the message was strong and clear: faith without works is dead. Approaching from my nondenominational background, this seemed to be pretty stereotypical of the Catholic church. That being said, it did serve as a good reminder that hypocrisy of those within the church can be very harmful for people who already know Christ as well as for those who do not. My usual context does always include some kind of call to action or life-long homework assignment pulled from scripture, but I cannot recall the topic of faith without works being brought up in the recent years. The priest made a point of saying we should answer Jesus' question of "Who do you say I am?" through actions rather than words, showing the world His character rather than simply talking about it. I found this to be a clear and beautiful illumination.