First impressions

Quote: Mosca

Most older priests have a flock to tend, with a lot of lives they feel responsible for. Of the ones I know, I don't sense any disillusionment. A lot of overwork, mostly. It used to be several priests per parish, now most have one priest plus a lay deacon.

Yeah, when I was a kid ours had 3 priests and had to import on on Sunday for when 3 masses were going on in the same 2 hours or so. My mother used to take us to the guitar mass in the high school gym, which I never liked. Didn't feel right, Mass in a gym. Sorry, Padre, I know the site is not supposed to matter, but to me it kind of does in some ways.

Quote: Mosca

Where are all these pictures of everyone? Did I put one there? Hell, I might have, probably did. But I'm reading this thread thinking, when did I ever meet Face?

WoV, HotBlonde's picture thread. You and your bulldog in the woods =)

Quote: AZDuffman

Yeah, when I was a kid ours had 3 priests and had to import on on Sunday for when 3 masses were going on in the same 2 hours or so. My mother used to take us to the guitar mass in the high school gym, which I never liked. Didn't feel right, Mass in a gym. Sorry, Padre, I know the site is not supposed to matter, but to me it kind of does in some ways.

Sometimes it matters the other way, too...

Around 1990 or so Mrs and I went to Philadelphia for a Sunday baseball game, Pirates-Phillies. It was a weekend, we were staying in Chester and we were looking for a place to go to mass, I don't remember now if it was Saturday evening or Sunday morning, and all we could find was an address in the phone book. (1990, no cell phones, no internet.) We went there, but there was no church. We saw some really old people heading toward a basement door, so we followed, and it was a room with folding chairs and a table for an altat. We had mass with about 15 other people, maybe a dozen over 70 and three or four in their 20s. It was one of the most heartfelt Catholic experiences I've ever had, people finding a place to collect and share and express their faith.

Quote: Face

WoV, HotBlonde's picture thread. You and your bulldog in the woods =)

Thanks. I figured I posted it somewhere!

Quote: Mosca

Sometimes it matters the other way, too...

Around 1990 or so Mrs and I went to Philadelphia for a Sunday baseball game, Pirates-Phillies. It was a weekend, we were staying in Chester and we were looking for a place to go to mass, I don't remember now if it was Saturday evening or Sunday morning, and all we could find was an address in the phone book. (1990, no cell phones, no internet.) We went there, but there was no church. We saw some really old people heading toward a basement door, so we followed, and it was a room with folding chairs and a table for an altat. We had mass with about 15 other people, maybe a dozen over 70 and three or four in their 20s. It was one of the most heartfelt Catholic experiences I've ever had, people finding a place to collect and share and express their faith.

Churches have to do all kinds of things. One where we used to go in summers was in a resort area that had a "back" they opened in summer it was so busy. In winter they sometimes roped off sections it was so empty. That upset people because even in church people prefer an aisle seat.

I didn't like the gym because we sat in the balcony and it was the same gym I, well had gym class in sometimes. It was like not even worth getting dressed up for.

And to me that is an issue. I worked with a guy who kind of helped me understand that many Vatican II reforms while they tried to help really killed a lot of mystique. He explained that pre-1970s Church was a huge thing. If you were Catholic you had more rules but you at the same time had the coolest church building of anyone. Stained glass this, gold that. The place was larger than life. Even the Latin added mystique. But one thing after another became more and more shall we say casual. That begot people wondering why all the other rules.

You guys are good. Usually people hear priest and they immediately think old. They say you know when you're old when your doctor and your priest are younger than you. I am 37, on fire for the Lord, love my parish and they put up with me. I am a power lifter so that kind of takes away the trim description, but I'm working on it. Also I have no beard, tried a while ago with disastrous results.

AZDuffman I hear and feel your post about killing the mystique of the Mass. It could probably be another thread and while I personally lament the loss of Latin and Ad Orientum I do recognize that the new way of celebrating Mass is more appealing and engaging for the people of today. Pope Francis has certainly embraced it. I just watched his Holy Thursday Mass and I never ever thought I would see a Pope celebrating Mass the way he did in that little chapel with those dear elderly disabled folks. While the liturgical mystique is missing the mystery of unconditional love is certainly present.

A blessed Good Friday to everyone!

The Mass isn't in Latin anymore??? :-(

Ah, nevermind. I see there is now a thread devoted to this topic.