Questions about mass...

[NormalRyan]

I have never attended a Catholic service because when I previously was a Christian I was an Evangelical Christian. However, for many years I have been an atheist and would like to attend church again.

I am considering attending a Catholic church next to the apartment I moved into but I have some concerns. I have no idea what goes on in a Catholic church and I don't want to be embarrassed if the priest or whomever announces things calls for some type of ritual to be done, such as fellowship, lords supper, etc.

Could you all tell me exactly what happens at a typical Catholic service?

 

[BalaamsAss51]

I have never attended a Catholic service because when I previously was a Christian I was an Evangelical Christian. However, for many years I have been an atheist and would like to attend church again.

I am considering attending a Catholic church next to the apartment I moved into but I have some concerns. I have no idea what goes on in a Catholic church and I don't want to be embarrassed if the priest or whomever announces things calls for some type of ritual to be done, such as fellowship, lords supper, etc.

Could you all tell me exactly what happens at a typical Catholic service?

Hello Normalryan.

If you are 21 now I assume that your "I previously was a Christian" means when you were a child. Then as most teenagers you bought into things that went contrary to what your parents were leading you into. Join the crowd. Probably most of us have similar stories.

Glad to know you are ready to open your mind to Christianity again. Listen, any place you go will have its own ways of doing things. Those groups who say they are free-flow really aren't. They follow patterns in worship just like anybody else. I say this because Roman Catholics are liturgical. Their worship has a certain shape. You will feel "uncomfortable" at a liturgical service. This is not because this type of service is bad, it is because you don't know the whys and wherefores of what is going on. This applies to any group, but most people will say that Catholics and Lutherans and Eastern Orthodox are harder to feel comfortable with up front.

The best thing to do is to sit down and talk with the pastor or priest before going to service. They may have a class to teach about the service. Probably talking with them for a few min. will be enought to be able to enjoy the service. Just like going to a foreign country, there are customs and terms used which you will be unfamiliar with. So what? This is a way to learn. They've seen "newbies" before.

If the nearest church doesn't work out, try a Lutheran one.

Pax

 

[Catherineanne]

I have never attended a Catholic service because when I previously was a Christian I was an Evangelical Christian. However, for many years I have been an atheist and would like to attend church again.

I am considering attending a Catholic church next to the apartment I moved into but I have some concerns. I have no idea what goes on in a Catholic church and I don't want to be embarrassed if the priest or whomever announces things calls for some type of ritual to be done, such as fellowship, lords supper, etc.

Could you all tell me exactly what happens at a typical Catholic service?

The Eucharist or Mass is a central part of many Catholic services, and the chances are that it would be difficult to avoid altogether, if you went to that church. The Mass has the same overall shape as the Anglican Mass. A time of praise, a time of contrition, repentence and forgiveness, prayers, the Eucharist itself, followed by the blessing and dismissal.

But if you happened to be present when a Mass was held, then all you would need to do is to stay sitting down when other people go to the altar rail. If you felt brave you could go for a blessing, which is a lovely thing to do, but you could not take communion without being confirmed into the Catholic faith. The chances are that Mass will be held several times on a Sunday morning, perhaps at 8 and 10am, and on other mornings during the week.

If you wanted a service without the Mass, you would need to look for services such as Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, or even just a carol service; these may be listed outside the church. If it is not clear, then you could try ringing and asking what services there are.

 

[NormalRyan]

The Eucharist or Mass is a central part of many Catholic services, and the chances are that it would be difficult to avoid altogether, if you went to that church. The Mass has the same overall shape as the Anglican Mass. A time of praise, a time of contrition, repentence and forgiveness, prayers, the Eucharist itself, followed by the blessing and dismissal.

But if you happened to be present when a Mass was held, then all you would need to do is to stay sitting down when other people go to the altar rail. If you felt brave you could go for a blessing, which is a lovely thing to do, but you could not take communion without being confirmed into the Catholic faith. The chances are that Mass will be held several times on a Sunday morning, perhaps at 8 and 10am, and on other mornings during the week.

If you wanted a service without the Mass, you would need to look for services such as Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, or even just a carol service; these may be listed outside the church. If it is not clear, then you could try ringing and asking what services there are.

That is exactly what I was looking for and I thank you for the help .

 

[Deb7777]

I have never attended a Catholic service because when I previously was a Christian I was an Evangelical Christian. However, for many years I have been an atheist and would like to attend church again.

I am considering attending a Catholic church next to the apartment I moved into but I have some concerns. I have no idea what goes on in a Catholic church and I don't want to be embarrassed if the priest or whomever announces things calls for some type of ritual to be done, such as fellowship, lords supper, etc.

Could you all tell me exactly what happens at a typical Catholic service?

Hi NormalRyan, by all means go attend Mass. First, you might want to get there 10 minutes early, some churches can get packed so get yourself a seat. When you go in, poeple will be sitting or kneeling, waiting for Mass to start. Mass will start, the people will all rise and the priest will process in with the altar servers, etc. He will go up to the altar, kiss the altar and mass will begin. There is a missal you can follow along in the prayers. At times you will be standing, at times you will be sitting, there will be readings from the bible and the priest will give his homily. After that the gifts of bread and wine are brought up to the altar which we become the body and blood of Jesus during the consecration. People will be kneeling at that part of the mass, then the mass moves on to saying the Our Father then the priest will say peace be with you, the people say and also with you. The priest says let us offer a sign of peace. At that point people will turn to there neighbor and shake hands saying peace be with you, get the handshake ready. After that there will be a prayer and people will come up for communion, you can sit down at that point and Mass will be almost over with the priest saying a blessing and then processing back out the church. That's a general desription but you'll be fine, just do what everybody else is doing, sit, stand and follow the missal. God bless. You can also watch mass on EWTN to get an ideal.