Church Address: 36 N. Ellsworth, Naperville, IL 60540
Date Attended: 11/1/15
Church Category: Tridentine
Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from you regular context?
When I first entered Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
my gaze was instantly drawn upward to the cathedral ceiling. Although the
church I regularly attend is big and open, the cruciform shape of the church’s
interior and the ornate decorations on the ceiling above made me feel small.
There were very few people in attendance, as I’m sure the Tridentine mass is
not the most attended service offered, but the people that were there came from
a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, which is different than the
predominantly middle-upper class, white attendees of College Church. The
service proceeded in an ordered fashion, which I was used to. However, there
were frequent times to kneel and stand interspersed throughout the service. The
priest spoke mostly in a chant, which was only abandoned during the brief
sermon. The sermon and the readings of God’s Word were the only portions spoken
in English. The Latin chants and prayers throughout were very foreign to me,
and I felt completely lost due to the fact that the church had run out of service
programs that had the order of the service.
How did the worship service illuminate for you the history and contour of global Christianity?
Two important aspects of the service highlighted the
contours of Global Christianity. The first was the (Latin) recitation of the
Nicene Creed, which included the filioque clause. This stood in direct
opposition to my experience at the Orthodox Church, where this clause was
excluded. The second important aspect of the service was Eucharist. The process
of preparing and distributing the Lord’s Table seemed almost mystical. Upon the
blessing of the bread, chimes were violently rung, and it almost seemed like a
scene from a horror movie. However, it became evident to me that the lengthy
prayers and preparation, the care with which the bread was distributed, and the
emphasis on approaching the cross to obtain the bread highlights the real presence
of Christ when one partakes in Eucharist. At my church, there is seemingly no mysticism
involved. There is no incense waved over the elements. There is no elaborate
ceremony with chimes and long periods of silence. Although the process did seem
to radically highlight the central role Eucharist plays in Catholic theology, I
tried to imagine what a church visitor that understood little about historical Christianity
might think of the process.
How did the worship service illuminate for you your personal identity as a Christian?
For me, the Tridentine mass seemed so stiff. It demanded very
little on my part. The Latin chants and songs were met with silence from the
churchgoers. Everyone seemed solemn. In fact, the building itself demanded solemnity
and esteem. I felt as though I was a step removed from what was really
happening. The Orthodox Church felt like a home. The Catholic Church felt like
a grave. For me, this experience served to remind me how grateful I am for a
Christianity that demands my involvement. Instead of feeling like I’m watching a
show, I feel like I am part of the Church when I attend my home church. Although
my church services typically have a significant amount of structure, a
Tridentine mass in a modern context seems only to display a rigid and lifeless
Christianity. There was no joy there. No one even interacted with one another
in the service. For me, this highlighted the importance of an active and
cohesive community that cares about the spiritual life of the community both
inside the church and outside as well.
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