- Mar 25, 2005
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To give you some background this is my favorite Mass of the whole year. I look forward to this Mass all year. I have very fond memories from when I lived in Massachusetts and would go to my Parish every year. We had a nice big Church with almost cathedral like celings. So our Pastor was able to light the fire at the foot of the altar. He pretty much had a bond fire with flames sometimes reaching 5 feet or more in the air.
Mass was always very reverendly said. In fact the pastor would keep the lights turned off all during the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet) They used all the bells and whistles so to speak. Had a great choir and used incense and just everything was really beautiful.
Anyway, I went to a Church I don't paticularly care for for Easter Vigil tonight. It's run by the Jesuits. The first thing I noticed that was out of place was the red sanctuary light was on before Mass began. I didn't say anything but my mom questioned it and they said they had the Body in the tabernacle from last night's Good Friday service. Then the altar boys lit the candles on the altar before Mass. They quickly came out and put them out. That was a simple mistake and not anything that got me "upset." Then there was an elderly woman behind me that was talking all through mass and talking very loudly. She was loud enough so people in other sections of the Church were looking at her. Again, this was a trying event but this could happen at any Church. She was obviously not with it and her family was trying to tell her to be quiet all the time and they were embarassed.
So, before Mass starts the priest goes up and explains everything that is going to happen. Then he explains he isn't going to read the Easter Vigil Gospel reading but rather the Easter Sunday Morning Gospel reading because he has to do both homilies and he wasn't going to do 2 homiles.
Then at the start of Mass they make an annoucement to turn to each other and say hello and greet each other, something I find inappropriate for Mass. The instead of starting the Mass in darkness they start Mass with the lights on and have a procession to the altar and they say a couple of prayers before going out back to where the fire is. I have never seen this happen in any Easter Vigil Mass I have been to.
The music they play sounds like something out of a protestant worship service. The priest had the altar servers and readers gather around the altar and hold hands during the Our Father. Everyone in the congregation either held hands or had their hands stretched out like they were trying to imitate the priest.
This was just everything that I remember at the time. I wish I had gone to the Cathedral which is my Parish. The Bishop is a very reverend and traditional Bishop and I loved his Good Friday homily...he mentioned abortions and contraception. The homiiles I have heard from him have been outstanding and some of the most traditional homilies I have heard in a NO Mass. The Mass itself and almost all the people have great reverence for the Mass and for Jesus. This is a parish that you have quite a long wait every week for cofession compared to other churches I go to where you are lucky if anyone is going.
It's a parish that says the Rosary before Mass on weekends. In fact the only reason I went to the Church I went to is it's the Church that my parents like and most likely this is going to be our last Easter together before I go into the monastery so I wanted to be together with my parents for our last Easter Vigil. My parents are completely opposite from me. They like the upbeat protestant music and the way this Church does Mass. But one thing that gives me hope is they were disappointed in how the Easter Vigil Mass was done so I think they finally understand a little bit of how I feel.
My mother made a comment about how she can't believe they left the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle since last night. Usually that would be the kind of thing that would bother me and not her. But it's obvious it did bother her.
The one thing that fills me with joy is that next year if God wills it and hopefully for the remainder of my life I will be celebrating Easter Vigil in the monastery where if their normal Masses are any indication I am going to love their Holy Week and Easter Masses.
Also, there was no baptisims or Confirmations at Mass tonight but the Cathedral had a lot of them from what I understand. I guess this proves once again that the more "modern" or "liberal" a parish is the less people it has but the more traditional a Church is the more people they have. Also, the cathedral doesn't use altar girls and the altar boys wear the traditional cassocks and surplices.
Mass was always very reverendly said. In fact the pastor would keep the lights turned off all during the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet) They used all the bells and whistles so to speak. Had a great choir and used incense and just everything was really beautiful.
Anyway, I went to a Church I don't paticularly care for for Easter Vigil tonight. It's run by the Jesuits. The first thing I noticed that was out of place was the red sanctuary light was on before Mass began. I didn't say anything but my mom questioned it and they said they had the Body in the tabernacle from last night's Good Friday service. Then the altar boys lit the candles on the altar before Mass. They quickly came out and put them out. That was a simple mistake and not anything that got me "upset." Then there was an elderly woman behind me that was talking all through mass and talking very loudly. She was loud enough so people in other sections of the Church were looking at her. Again, this was a trying event but this could happen at any Church. She was obviously not with it and her family was trying to tell her to be quiet all the time and they were embarassed.
So, before Mass starts the priest goes up and explains everything that is going to happen. Then he explains he isn't going to read the Easter Vigil Gospel reading but rather the Easter Sunday Morning Gospel reading because he has to do both homilies and he wasn't going to do 2 homiles.
Then at the start of Mass they make an annoucement to turn to each other and say hello and greet each other, something I find inappropriate for Mass. The instead of starting the Mass in darkness they start Mass with the lights on and have a procession to the altar and they say a couple of prayers before going out back to where the fire is. I have never seen this happen in any Easter Vigil Mass I have been to.
The music they play sounds like something out of a protestant worship service. The priest had the altar servers and readers gather around the altar and hold hands during the Our Father. Everyone in the congregation either held hands or had their hands stretched out like they were trying to imitate the priest.
This was just everything that I remember at the time. I wish I had gone to the Cathedral which is my Parish. The Bishop is a very reverend and traditional Bishop and I loved his Good Friday homily...he mentioned abortions and contraception. The homiiles I have heard from him have been outstanding and some of the most traditional homilies I have heard in a NO Mass. The Mass itself and almost all the people have great reverence for the Mass and for Jesus. This is a parish that you have quite a long wait every week for cofession compared to other churches I go to where you are lucky if anyone is going.
It's a parish that says the Rosary before Mass on weekends. In fact the only reason I went to the Church I went to is it's the Church that my parents like and most likely this is going to be our last Easter together before I go into the monastery so I wanted to be together with my parents for our last Easter Vigil. My parents are completely opposite from me. They like the upbeat protestant music and the way this Church does Mass. But one thing that gives me hope is they were disappointed in how the Easter Vigil Mass was done so I think they finally understand a little bit of how I feel.
My mother made a comment about how she can't believe they left the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle since last night. Usually that would be the kind of thing that would bother me and not her. But it's obvious it did bother her.
The one thing that fills me with joy is that next year if God wills it and hopefully for the remainder of my life I will be celebrating Easter Vigil in the monastery where if their normal Masses are any indication I am going to love their Holy Week and Easter Masses.
Also, there was no baptisims or Confirmations at Mass tonight but the Cathedral had a lot of them from what I understand. I guess this proves once again that the more "modern" or "liberal" a parish is the less people it has but the more traditional a Church is the more people they have. Also, the cathedral doesn't use altar girls and the altar boys wear the traditional cassocks and surplices.
