Erica Heller- Church Visit #3

Church name: St. Piux V Catholic Church

Church address: 1919 S. Ashland Ave, Chicago

Date attended: 4/2

Church category: Socio-economic

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

I went to the Maundy Thursday evening mass. The sanctuary was much more ornate than any of the other churches I have been a member of, with shrines (I'm not sure if that is the right word) with candles in front of them, the statues were covered, I think because of lent. I have been to Maundy Thursday services before, but I don't think I've ever attended a church service with foot washing. The structure of the liturgy was pretty similar to the liturgy in the ELCA Lutheran church I attended until middle school, as much as I could understand it. 

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

I really found the sense of connection with the church catholic (across time and space) really appealing. I also found the bilingual service to be interesting, because the service would switch back and forth between Spanish and English (the Priest just naturally flowing between the two) and only announcements were translated. Neither language seemed to be prioritized.

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

I did not love the style of music. I'm not sure how to describe it and there was certainly nothing actually wrong with it, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Also, there was someone with a camera filming (possibly for the news or something?) and I found that distracting (and I don't really like people taking pictures or videos in church anyways).

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

I took communion (I'm not sure if I was supposed to or not, but I did--it was day celebrating the last supper!) and was really struck by the fact that I was in fellowship, I was breaking bread with all the people in the church. Though I do not know them and though we come from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, we are brothers and sisters and serve one Lord and together make up one body, the church. There was also a point where there was incense and candles, and as I was watching the incense float up, I was struck with the imagery that the smoke is an image of all the prayers of all the people of God going up before him in heaven.