I used to attend a parish further from my home, but due to scheduling (and other) issues I have started to attend my local parish which is just a few minutes away.
The parish is over half Mexican so I attended one of the English Masses. The first reading was presented by a guy in African garb in some foreign language (not Spanish). So no big deal, whatever, I just read the reading. The priest starts his homily yada yada yada... okay. Then he smirklily (is that a word?) asks does anyone recognize the language of the first reading? Someone replies "French", which was correct (I could not recognize it as French but oh well). Father smirkily (I like my new word) asks "Do all Catholics in the world speak English? No Catholics speak many languages" He somehow related this comment to the Holy Spirit and Pentecost blah blah blah....
I was so insulted and mad I could not even look at the priest and could only think that I just wanted to get out of there. He pretty much just implied that Americans are too self absorbed and/or stupid to know that other people speak different languages. I wonder if at the Spanish Masses the first reading was read in French and the priest told them that not every Catholic speaks Spanish?
I have seven of eight parishes within a half hours drive. The homily at a parish I used to attend was a "you are a bad person for being a American and not nilly willy lovingly accepting every foreigner that shows up in this country blah blah blah" one. Not is so many words but you get the point.
I never went back to that parish.
The closest parish is the one I attended this morning. I might try a few of the others but they are a bit of a drive and I am sure that I will eventually hear the "bad American" rant. I attended my other parish for years without getting the "bad American" speech, but then-whammo -there it was.
I just went to confession yesterday afternoon and was very happy to attend Mass this morning. Then I got knocked over the head with the "bad, stupid American" hammer and was mad and just wanted to leave. I fear that my only motivation to go to Mass is out of an obligation and not out of joy or love. I will just go and sit there and ignore the homily (or try to do so ) and leave.
I just do not know what to do.
The parish is over half Mexican so I attended one of the English Masses. The first reading was presented by a guy in African garb in some foreign language (not Spanish). So no big deal, whatever, I just read the reading. The priest starts his homily yada yada yada... okay. Then he smirklily (is that a word?) asks does anyone recognize the language of the first reading? Someone replies "French", which was correct (I could not recognize it as French but oh well). Father smirkily (I like my new word) asks "Do all Catholics in the world speak English? No Catholics speak many languages" He somehow related this comment to the Holy Spirit and Pentecost blah blah blah....
I was so insulted and mad I could not even look at the priest and could only think that I just wanted to get out of there. He pretty much just implied that Americans are too self absorbed and/or stupid to know that other people speak different languages. I wonder if at the Spanish Masses the first reading was read in French and the priest told them that not every Catholic speaks Spanish?
I have seven of eight parishes within a half hours drive. The homily at a parish I used to attend was a "you are a bad person for being a American and not nilly willy lovingly accepting every foreigner that shows up in this country blah blah blah" one. Not is so many words but you get the point.
I never went back to that parish.
The closest parish is the one I attended this morning. I might try a few of the others but they are a bit of a drive and I am sure that I will eventually hear the "bad American" rant. I attended my other parish for years without getting the "bad American" speech, but then-whammo -there it was.
I just went to confession yesterday afternoon and was very happy to attend Mass this morning. Then I got knocked over the head with the "bad, stupid American" hammer and was mad and just wanted to leave. I fear that my only motivation to go to Mass is out of an obligation and not out of joy or love. I will just go and sit there and ignore the homily (or try to do so ) and leave.
I just do not know what to do.
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