Church Visit #1

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Lauren Graham - Church Visit #1

Church name: St. Michael Catholic Church

Church address: 310 S. Wheaton Ave. Wheaton, IL 60187

Date attended: February 1, 2015

Church category: More liturgical

Describe the worship service you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

The worship service I attended was unlike one I had ever been to in the past.  It was a Catholic service and I had presuppositions of what it might be like, but a few things surprised me.  It was in a beautiful building, but there were not as many people attending as I had expected.  It felt pretty empty.  In addition, the book they used seemed to be a combination of selected Scripture passages, songs, prayers, and other related works of writing.  It was similar to my regular context in that my church is traditional--we sing hymns, we recite the Nicene Creed, we do call and response regularly, etc..  However, one of the major differences I noticed was the sense that overcame me of the service being very individual and not extremely welcoming to the group of people as a whole.  I did not get a sense of fellowship during the service.

What did you find most interesting or appealing about the worship service?

I found the specific traditions and practices interesting.  I noticed that everyone knelt before entering their pew, as well as kneeling to pray in the pew before the service started.  I actually found this appealing in one sense because I found that it showed a sense of reverence for God.  When I think about the fact that I am praying to the God of the universe, I realize that I should probably be down on my knees every time.  There seemed to be a lot of significance to many of the practices done, but unfortunately I did not understand the significance of many of them.  I was interested in what their practices mean to them and if it is done out of tradition or out of a personal desire.  For example, the Priest followed many specific practices while talking, giving communion, cleaning up, and praying.  I did find many of the songs appealing.  Since I have grown up singing hymns, I found this part to be comforting and familiar.  

What did you find most disorienting or challenging about the worship service?

Considering the fact that I did like the idea of kneeling before the Lord is awe and submission, I also felt a little disoriented by it at the same time.  I felt this way simply because from the outside it seemed to be more of a tradition than a humble act of worship.  I realize that is a major generalization and clearly I do not know the hearts of those around me.  However, I realize how easily practices at my church can become mundane and I wonder if it has become empty for many people.  I mentioned earlier that the service was not very welcoming...I got the feeling that the service was very individual and there was not much said about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  The Priest did make similar references in the Bible that I have heard before at my church.  But he also quoted the Pope quite a few times and seemed to hold him to a very high position.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

Going into the service I think I expected the theology to be more off base than it was.  The Priest spoke of "putting on the armor of God," the reality that we are sinners and need to surrender ourselves to God's authority, and that we can't do things without Christ.  These were all common themes that I have grown up with.  However, there were other interesting parts that were different.  For example, while everyone was reciting the Nicene Creed, everyone bowed when Mary was mentioned.  This was different because Mary in held to a different place in my church versus the Catholic church.  In addition, the people of St. Michaels take communion every Sunday and believe that when they eat and drink, it physically turns into Christ's body and blood.  That is a concept that I struggle with.  Overall, my experience was wonderful and I really enjoyed witnessing how others worship, as well as discerning through my thoughts about how the service was similar or different from my usual context.