Before Mass, starting at 11:30 PM we heard several Christmas Caroles sung by the Choir.
As you can see the local parishioners decorated the whole Church very well. There were about 200 people in attendance. We are so blessed to have found this real Catholic Church, the Sacraments and the Holy Mass.
We try to go here at least once per month and the last three times Fr. Martin has celebrated Solemn High Mass, but this candlelight Mass was special. If you are Catholic, and want to return to your roots, it's worth making every sacrifice to attend here as often as you can.
The website for this Church is: https://www.ihm-church.org/
Father Martin's email is on the website. He is very busy as he celebrates Mass in Missoula, Helena, and Pompey's Pillar in Montana and Lethbridge in Alberta Canada.
So email is usually the best way to contact him. Read the website to see what real Catholics (Christians) believe and do. Then contact him to find out if you can attend.
Paul Stramer
Thank you for this post Paul. The overhead lights look exactly the same as the lights in the church I attended as a youngster, perhaps in the 50's there were not many suppliers of light fixtures. When I attended high school, French and Latin subjects being taught in the academic courses, but I took business and commerce and not allowed to learn the languages.
ReplyDeleteThe business and commerce course was approximately 20% of the total student population and predominately female. In 9th grade, of 36 students, there were 6 males, 10th grade-3 males, 11th and 12th grade - me.
Over time, I came to the conclusion that males were steered into the academics for a reason. Keep them dumb about finances and such so they can be indoctrinated as such. Bear with me on this.
After graduation, I tried to gain employment in General Motors in Oshawa Ontario. It took over 3 years to finally get in. During my medical prior to acceptance, I asked the doctor why it was so difficult to get a job in the office with a B honours in commercial. I was told the policy was grade 13 academic for males and grade 11 or 12 for females. Women were hired for clerical and secretarial functions. The doctor said I was the only one who had asked that question. At the time, GM had over 30,000 employees. I learned compartmentalization real fast. I learned that many males worked on a 'reflex' mechanism both in the production and office areas. Most could not think outside the box and those who questioned, were quickly put back in the box.
I read the website page of the church linked. It reminded me of my experience at GM. Traditional Latin of which almost no one speaks or understands especially in this day and age does what to the human intellect? The dress code doesn't surprise me, after all the church I grew up in frowned upon the poor's dress code and over time, I learned that one had to conform to styles and code beyond clothing to continue to be a member. Like a club.
My Dad disliked attending church. His reason was he didn't need to go to a building to pray to God on a specific day of the week and if God is omnipresent He would always be by his side and he could pray at any time.
Over the years I have attended may church services in many churches but the one that sticks out in my mind was when I attended on a Sunday morning while at a winter Boy Scout camp. It was in a small community, a number of us boys were naughty and skiing behind the box trailer full of boys as we were leaving the cabin through the campgrounds. Some fell off and ended rolling in the snow. The shouting of the boys in the trailer alerted the driver to stop. Once all were aboard, we went on our way. We entered the church a tad late and were welcomed just the same, disheveled as we were. The minister invited us to the front of the church, he was given advanced notice we would be attending and reserved some pews for the 30 of us. He made mention during the service to his congregation that he welcomed all to his church no matter their attire as the importance of attending church meant more than the clothes one wore.
I fully respect everyone's right to choose their place of worship, and their choice to comply within their rules. I wonder though, when a service is held in a language no on understands with specific dress codes, what is the message being handed down by the messenger. I can't for the life of me understand that.
I will be 72 in March 2020. Thank you for the invitation to learn about your culture and insight to your beliefs. May God bless you and yours.
Dan
Here is the answer you want.
ReplyDelete1. The reason the Church uses Latin is precisely that it is a dead language and is not affected by new slang meanings to words. Church Latin has not changed in 2000 years.
2. In the Catholic Missal we use at Mass all the Latin prayers and liturgy has the english translation right beside the Latin, so you can always track where the priest is in the Mass and you know exactly what he is saying.
3. The dress codes are simply to insure modesty in the public forum that the Mass is. No distractions etc.
4. The only way you can understand it is to experience it. Like when 200 people are reverently praying the Rosary together, or like when you can hear a pin drop at the consecration, or like when you hear a 40 person choir with a pipe organ accompaniment singing all the Christmas Carole's that were started by the Church centuries ago.
I could go on, and on, and on, but here:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09019a.htm