Kira Dittman - Church Visit #1

Church name: Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church

Church address: 701 S Eola Rd  Aurora, IL

Date attended: 9/19/15

Church category: Significantly more/less liturgical

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

This mass was extremely different from my usual worship experience at my nondenominational church home in Roselle and slightly more similar to my Lutheran (Missouri Synod) childhood church. First, the priest’s sermon essentially consisted of him reading word for word off of a paper sitting on a lectern for what could not have been more than ten minutes. His style (which I’ll admit I found disengaging) was the near opposite of my home pastor’s, who sheds tears more often than not as he fervently shares the word. Also, I am used to listening to the explication of a distinct passage of Scripture with others brought in for reference, but I cannot remember (though this may be in error) that the priest preached from any specific text. Finally, the piano-led hymns we sung obviously differed stylistically from the usual guitar-heavy contemporary worship songs at my nondenominational church but were actually very similar to the worship music of my childhood since my dad favored the early morning traditional Lutheran service. The way the music differed from both my usual contexts, though, was the level of participation—I quickly became self-conscious about singing at my normal volume because the room was so quiet during the hymns.

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

The things that appealed to me most were not strictly elements of the Mass itself but the physical church building and some of the more devout (for lack of a better word) worshippers. Having spent almost a year attending a church-in-a-box that gets popped up and put away every Sunday at a high school, it was really nice to walk into a beautiful building and finished sanctuary. I particularly love the way light streams in through stained glass windows; I find it an incredible reminder of God’s beauty and also His grace in imparting humans with the ability to create something so lovely. Second, though in my answer below I express my frustration with many of the worshippers, I was quite struck by the utter seriousness some individuals displayed toward the mass. A few bowed and crossed themselves before entering and exiting their pews and recited all the parts of the mass from memory. Their solemn, peaceful behavior was quite different from the excited chatter that usually surrounds me but in a refreshing, humbling way.

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

Whenever I attend mass, I am always very frustrated by the apparent apathy with which most of the congregants (and oftentimes even the priests and worship leaders) conduct themselves. I realize a lot of this perception may be due to my unfamiliarity with the context. However, seeing worshippers begin to stream out of the back doors even as the last hymn is being sung makes me quite sad at the nonchalant stance these people take towards church. It is very challenging for me to maintain an attentive spirit when so many others around me are clearly distracted and disengaged. I found that the communal prayers and recitations (such as the Nicene Creed) exhibited the feeling of the attendees toward what they were partaking in; the Creed was mumbled so fast I could hardly even think about what I was saying (and I am used to reciting this creed at my Lutheran church) and the short, blunt prayers were in a way poignant but also felt too routine and hollow. I stand in renewed appreciation of the focused, fervent attitude of the regular attendees at my church.

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

Although I am quite undecided as to whether I theologically agree with the reasoning behind certain sacramentals at Catholic churches, I must admit I find their observance striking and a great reminder of the long history of the church. Seeing the congregants all dip their hands into the holy water upon entering and leaving the church (and not doing so myself) made me wonder if perhaps I (and Protestant denominations more broadly) do not enjoy so great a sense of the everlasting sovereignty and long-standing mercy of God as do more liturgical believers. Also, having grown up with weekly communion but now only taking it once or twice a month, I appreciated the administration of the Eucharist (theological concerns about my “eligibility” to receive it aside) at the service. I think that these rather small rituals have power to properly position our hearts toward an almighty God and bring us back to the basic tenants of our faith.