Due to a last minute change in my schedule last weekend, I was able to go to an earlier Mass than I anticipated, so I headed to Church C. Of all the posts I have written in this year and then some of faith and searching, my post about Church C received the most comments. This isn’t surprising since, after my first visit there in late fall, I texted a friend and said, “I think I may have finally found the place.”
I still liked Church C this time around, but I didn’t feel the deep pull to it that I did back in November. Part of me thinks that means it is destined to be crossed off the list. (Every church on my revisit list will get at least two revisits.) Part of me thinks the mental pro/con list that I started compiling last Sunday is a necessary part of the process although it can feel like splitting hairs.
There are still definitely a lot of pros to Church C. It is probably what you would get if you combined all of the churches I’ve attended in my life. More diverse than the average Catholic parish, but with a choir that is still predominately white, I give them credit for making an effort to incorporate at least some Gospel music into each Mass. One example of that on this most recent visit was singing “God Hears Me When I Pray” before and after the petitions. (I tried so hard to get my last church to do that, but there wasn’t much buy-in.) The assistant pastor, who has presided at both Masses I’ve attended there, once again gave a homily that was, if not quite anti-hierarchy, at least veered away from making it the focus on a day when pretty much every other priest was probably preaching about it–Good Shepherd Sunday.
The biggest pro on my list this time was something most people would not notice. Several years ago, priests were apparently directed to meticulously clean sacred vessels before letting them leave the altar after communion. As someone who was trained as a sacristan, I find this absolutely maddening because it smacks of clericalism. Apparently lay sacristans, many of whom are women, can no longer be trusted to properly clean patens and chalices? I was pleasantly surprised to see someone carry all of the vessels back to the sacristy to be cleaned last Sunday.
There were some cons though. Strangely, people didn’t feel quite as welcoming on this visit. No one was unfriendly, just less interactive. The biggest thing on the con list was something I only half registered last time–the fact that religious ed classes take place during Mass. I’ve never understood this approach and have always been glad that most Catholic churches don’t use it. I think children should be in Mass. However, as someone who is never going to have a child in, or be teaching in, the program, would I even have grounds to question it?
On one hand it is satisfying to have narrowed my choices this much after nearly a year. On the other hand, it is a bit disconcerting that my decision may come down to what feels like hairsplitting.
Tricky Realm of Normalcy 