For this project I chose to visit a nearby catholic church on Miccosukee road called Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church on November 29, 2014. I chose to go to a catholic church because some of my catholic friends told me to visit and I chose Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church because it wasn’t far from my apartments. Some of the things I observed when visiting the church was how quite it was , seeing how everyone who entered the church dipped their hands in what is called holy water and before everyone sat down they would bow or kneel down. Also before the mass they rang a bell telling everyone that the mass has started and a little girl probable 10 years old walked down the aisle to light a candle. Walking into a big building, seeing unfamiliar faces saying “hello” to as many people as I can, I then headed towards two big wooden doors that were fixed in the space, I open them and inside I …show more content…
The space had a perception of familiarity because I have never seen these people before, but I did not feel uneasy because there was a perception of warmth, I felt comfortable and relaxed in the in the environment .The light was not too bright but not too dim it was just right, it was also warm and nice I could stay in here for hours. Everyone looked friendly and blissful. I sit in the closes seat in the back waiting for the mass to begin. Unlike my church that I attend on old Bainbridge road where there is music playing, everyone dressed up and people walking around and singing. This church was quiet and everyone dressed casual. If anyone wanted to talk to one another, they would walk outside the church. Looking around I see all types of people black, white, Spanish,
Overall, I enjoyed the experience of learning more about a new culture and participating in their cultural events. My original fear of being an intruder went away when people would be friendly and introduce themselves to me. I was surprised to enter the prayer room and see that people were sitting on the floor because I am used to people having a chair to sit on. I was also nervous about sitting on the floor for a long period of time because my body is not used to it and I am not as youthful as I once was. After about thirty minutes, I started to get really uncomfortable, but I continued to sit because I did not want to be offensive by standing. I was surprised to see volunteers cooking meals for the guest because that is not something that I am used to seeing at a
I am a nondenominational Christian and I decided to attend a catholic mass. I attended mass at the Conversion of St Paul Parish on April 6, 2014. The preside was Father Senan Glass and the starting time was 10am. The Conversion of St Paul Parish’s location is 4120 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44103. The church was very big and the stain glass windows were beautiful. At first, I felt uncomfortable because I did not know where to sit or what to do. I really did not have an idea of what to expect. Everything seemed very formal and the service was easy to follow because of the bulletin I was given, which had the order of service on it. The service was concise and it only lasted about an hour.
The sanctuary was bare, and the pews hard. I mentally tallied a comparison between my own church's sanctuary and this. The two, I found, were similarly austere, but with theirs tending toward items of religious kitsch and our own tending instead towards polished brass. Both lacked stained glass in the windows. I suspected, however, that where our sanctuary was plain in token tribute to the long-dead strict streak of our Calvinist tradition, theirs was bare because it could not economically be otherwise. And the lack of air conditioning ! Memphis' summer heat is unbearable and pervasive, and a roof overhead does nothing against the big blanket of humid air.
I will be describing and exploring my first visit to a Catholic Church. I attended Sunday mass with an ambassador in our class, CCC, on April 13, 2014 at noon. The service was actually called Palm Sunday because it is the Sunday before Easter. The service lasted about an hour and a half and took place in the interfaith portable on campus at UCI. I have grown up in a house that is not religious and have not attended a church before. My family’s race is Caucasian and I am independent when it comes to religion. I decided to attend a Catholic Church for my cultural plunge to get the experience and to see what it is like to attend church. I have always listened to my friends tell me they are going to church and that they are this religion. But I have never been able to experience what going to church is like.
My initial thought was that the church was going to be packed however, around 2/3’s of it was filled. I initially was drawn to the interior design. All the windows were stained-glass, painted with multiple colors and each window contained a different Catholic Saint. The ceiling had a painting of god surrounded by angels in the sky, it’s not clear whether god was reaching his hands out to a dove or freeing it. The words “Praise the lord, all the nations, glorify him, all you people!” surrounded behind the painting. The remainder of the time was spent listening, chitchatting with my mom whom I brought
On Sunday, December 3 I attended the Solemn Mass at the Church of the Advent, in the North End. Now, you have to understand that I am religiously challenged, at best. I’ve been to my share of weddings and funerals, but growing up I averaged one regular church service every year or two. When I did go, it was either to Hardshell Baptist or Dunkard Bretheren services, with my father or mother’s side of the family, respectively. Both these denominations focus heavily on simplicity and egalitarianism. The churches are usually one room, wooden affairs with a simple lectern. The music draws heavily on the English folk tradition, and the service is delivered in a straightforward manner.
As my friend Jenni and I entered the hall of the big church, a feeling of apprehension overwhelmed us. Our feelings were soon comforted when we entered a sea of smiling faces and outstretched hands. A sense of belonging engulfed us. Ms. Shirley, an older colored woman was first to extend her arms. She did not know us from Adam, but it did not matter. She threw her arms around us. "You girls have the prettiest smiles", she declared. "I am so glad you came to be with us this morning." Words can not describe what the act of kindness did to our feelings of apprehension, and that was just the beginning.
The church external appearance was quite different than other churches that I have seen. It was basically a big white stucco block with a gold dome on top and four decorated spikes on each corner of the building that surrounded the dome. The people of course were all Greek and were very well dressed. Most of the men and boys all wore suits, and If not they had some kind of vest on. I don’t know if this was some kind of rule or tradition, but it mostly seemed as a respect to God. The women all wore the basic dresses, and all the skirts fell down below the knee. Everybody was proper and ordered. As I walked in the church I entered a lobby of some kind. What I saw hear was something like social hour. Everybody was in there. They were all speaking Greek, and I felt as if I was in a family reunion party. The children were all together; the adults talked together and the young adults all were together. The way they all socialize is when someone comes up to say hello, they give each other a kiss on the cheek and a hug. These people are all very close to each other. It seems as if the church is the center of their lives. I admire that trait as well. To enter the auditorium you must enter this little room, which has a piece of garment from St. Constantine and St. Helen. Also there were candles lit. As they walked through this little room they lit a candle and knelt down for a moment to pray, and then touched each garment and made a cross over their chest.
The prayers lasted for about forty five minutes, it was awkward because my husband and I stood out in this congregation. There was not many people there for prayers, except the older generation. Throughout the prayers there was a lot of standing and sitting, and I also noticed that the sign of the cross was being made. At one point I notice that the priest had an incense burner with bells and he was shaking it around the altar, but there was no smoke coming out it the first time. On the platform there was eight stained glass doors of saints or apostles on the front of the doors. Once the priest was done with his prayer to the altar, he came through one of the doors and started to shake the incense burner in front of the doors. After he was done with that he went through another glass door to place the incense burner back. The priest remand behind the glass doors for the most of the
In the early summer mornings, when the sunshine is young and playful, inside the church another realm is born. Sitting in the back rows one can see a heavenly mist flowing though the windows and filling the sleepy altar with life and hope. It is a different dimension in the breast of an unsuspecting world. Moments such as these bring you joy and reassurance and also show you that there really is someone out there: your soul is elevated, your mind is thirsty for new experiences and your body is strengthened.
There are several different cultures in the world today. Each culture has its own different traditions and values. One of the world’s most popular cultural differences has to deal with religion. Religion is defined as “an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods” (Meriam). One popular religion is Roman Catholicism. Being a catholic means different things to different people but it usually revolves around one central theme; doing the right thing according to God. While I am not Catholic, I can certainly understand some of the values and beliefs they have.
I also thought that I would instantly start doubting my practices and beliefs after attending this church. To my surprise, after this experience was over I still felt the exact same way about beliefs. The most enjoyable part of my experience would have to be the scenery of the church, from the marvelous baptismal font to the paintings in the windows. My least favorite part of my experience would have to be the sermon, and maybe it is because I am not use to listening to a short rushed through summary. It actually felt weird being outside of my comfort zone and being a “foreigner” at a different church. I cannot really say that this visit to this Catholic Church really affected me in any way, but I will say that this was a pleasurable experience to have in my
The people there were all extremely nice and would try to help me understand. They understood and accepted the fact that I wasn’t religious, but was showing interest in their faith. There were not as much people there as I had expected, but that might have been because it was a smaller church. It also wasn’t as racially diverse as I had expected. I thought that because it is the world’s biggest religion, that it
I wanted to reflect on the field trip we took on Friday to the Grotto and to the Synagogue. As the trip got closer I tried to leave my mind open to new experiences that I might encounter on the trip. As I sure many pilgrims did before they traveled to new places. In Cousineau’s book it talks a lot about going to these holy places with an open mind, to be almost at peace within you before going. Going to the Grotto I knew it was going to be more focused on the Catholic faith, which I am a member. Going on the trip I tried no to a line myself with any faith. I wanted to go in as someone with no religion. To see how it might be different from when I went to the Grotto with my church. It was really interesting to walk around the upper garden and take in the magnitude of how big the Grotto property is.
Jesus served as example for all of humanity. His life work was to solve the fundamental problem of humanities sin and to provide eternal life with the Father. Jesus Christ demonstrated the way humans should live. He modeled behavior to the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, women, tax collector, to His friends. He came to set the example of the way to live for Christians. Basically, Jesus life was an outline of how to live your own life. Jesus confirmed that you should love your neighbor as yourself. That you should love your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength. This was demonstrated on a daily bases. Jesus verified that although humans are prone to sin, one can make a choice to not sin. When tempted by Satan, Jesus refrained from sin and turned to God the Father for strength to turn away from the temptation. Jesus was the teacher of complete, true knowledge.