Emma Sargent -- Church Visit #2

Church Name: St. Peter’s Church

Church Address: 110 West Madison Street, Chicago, IL

Date Attended: 19 October 2015

Church Category: Significantly More Liturgical Church

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context? I attended an evening weekday mass at St. Peter’s Catholic Church. The service began in silence – my friend and I entered the sanctuary about seven minutes before the service began, and sat at the back. Other parishioners began filtering in, silently, as we sat. Then two priests entered the pulpit area and began to lead the congregation in a series of call-and-response prayers and readings. Some of the prayers were sung, and the congregation attempted to echo the priest’s melody line. My friend and I could not find an order of service in any of the books or bulletins in our pew, so we guessed what we could and mumbled most of our responses. My church regularly does responsive readings, but this was less clear than I was used to – or perhaps it was less clear precisely because I was less used to it. There were two scripture readings, which I was expecting. There was then a short homily, which followed the contours of sermons I am familiar with, but was much more based on Saints’ lives than on scripture. The service then moved to the Eucharist, including a confession of sin. After we watched the other parishioners go forward to receive communion, there was a short prayer of benediction and blessing, and then people left in silence. The general shape of the service felt familiar to me – prayers, scripture, sermon, Communion. However, everything was more formal and distant seeming – the liturgy of the prayers and the sacraments felt solemn and holy.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service? I was immediately drawn in by the beauty of the sanctuary – this church was on Madison Avenue in Chicago, about two blocks from Millennium Park. We were walking past skyscrapers and business buildings, and the only thing that set this building apart was a slightly nicer door and a sign. Once we stepped inside, it was an entirely different world: the sanctuary was all carved stone and gold. It seemed a place apart, to ponder the holy mystery of God. I loved the reverence with which the other parishioners would kneel before entering the pews. The sanctuary smelled like incense, a scent that drew me in and seemed to emphasize God’s holiness. At the same time, I was struck by the diversity of people in the pews. Most seemed to be businesspeople on their way home from work, but there were also a number of people who appeared to be homeless, carrying grocery bags of belongings. Some participated in the Eucharist; some napped through the half-hour service.

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service? Practically, I had very little idea of when to speak, when to stand, when to sit, and when to kneel. It was very disorienting. While I appreciated the sense of formality and “separateness” that the rituals brought into the service, I think this made it more difficult to be a visitor. I not only felt like I was in the presence of something “other,” but also like I was separate from the other parishioners. They were very much “in” and I was very much “out.”

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context? “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul will be healed.” At some point in the responsive prayers leading up to the blessing of the elements, the congregation spoke this prayer together. I recognized it from the account of the centurion in the gospels, but I had never thought of those words as a prayer before. I think the Catholic service reminded me of the holiness and beauty both of God himself and of the practice of worship. The silent sanctuary, the chanting of prayers, and the carved stone surrounding us gave the time an aspect of timelessness and transcendence. I was reminded of how very small I was, and how great God was.