- Oct 31, 2008
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Over the past couple of years I've noticed how the brand of Catholicism can have it's own unique expressions depending on the geographic region. This goes beyond liturgy too, but in daily practices as well.
For example, I attended a Mass last year in Martinsburg, WV and there was a certain part of the Mass that all the parishioners stayed standing when most Catholics kneel. It totally threw off my friends and I because we were headed for the kneelers and realized nobody else was so we stood back up. My friend whose cabin we had been staying at told me he's experienced this before and even written the bishop of Wheeling-Charleston about it, apparently it's a phenomenon unique to West Virginia that he can't seem to put a stop to.
In a different vein, I've been observing Catholics in New York now for a few months and between that and the Catholics from there I've known for a couple years now I've noticed an odd duality: they can be both very pious and yet downplay a lot of important aspects of the faith. @Chrystal-J's thread about fasting before Mass got me thinking about this one because all of the NY Catholics I know shrug off fasting before Mass like it's no big deal to follow that (except the trads). They also have a somewhat lackadaisical attitude about Confession. I've been away for a couple weeks and here at home in CA I tried to go to Confession. I waited over an hour but the line was about 25+ people long and time ran out before I could get in. Afterwards I told my wife on the phone and she was just like "oh well, I guess it wasn't meant to be." and I'm thinking (sardonically) "Well if I get smacked by a Mack truck on my way home then I'm quite literally going to hell, so if my receiving the sacrament of confession wasn't meant to be then that sucks."
What are some observations you've made in this regard?
For example, I attended a Mass last year in Martinsburg, WV and there was a certain part of the Mass that all the parishioners stayed standing when most Catholics kneel. It totally threw off my friends and I because we were headed for the kneelers and realized nobody else was so we stood back up. My friend whose cabin we had been staying at told me he's experienced this before and even written the bishop of Wheeling-Charleston about it, apparently it's a phenomenon unique to West Virginia that he can't seem to put a stop to.
In a different vein, I've been observing Catholics in New York now for a few months and between that and the Catholics from there I've known for a couple years now I've noticed an odd duality: they can be both very pious and yet downplay a lot of important aspects of the faith. @Chrystal-J's thread about fasting before Mass got me thinking about this one because all of the NY Catholics I know shrug off fasting before Mass like it's no big deal to follow that (except the trads). They also have a somewhat lackadaisical attitude about Confession. I've been away for a couple weeks and here at home in CA I tried to go to Confession. I waited over an hour but the line was about 25+ people long and time ran out before I could get in. Afterwards I told my wife on the phone and she was just like "oh well, I guess it wasn't meant to be." and I'm thinking (sardonically) "Well if I get smacked by a Mack truck on my way home then I'm quite literally going to hell, so if my receiving the sacrament of confession wasn't meant to be then that sucks."
What are some observations you've made in this regard?