On Sunday services

Our third son is now enrolled in confirmation class, which started this weekend. It's a two year program here. Although I appreciate the idea of the freedom of the individual to discern readiness for Confirmation, there is a part of me that wishes the sacrament was linked to a specific age like First Communion. Since every diocese has a different program, we have had to accommodate to the diocese in which we live. Our oldest would have been younger than his classmates if he were confirmed in Mississippi, but he was older than his classmates in Guam.  We've registered our third son a year earlier than most kids here in case we don't get follow on orders to stay here, since confirmation class is a two year program in this diocese.

I was confirmed as a high school junior, but I have several friends who have skipped the parish confirmation programs and worked through their priest to have their kids confirmed after home instruction in the faith at much earlier ages.  A family member who married into the Greek Orthodox community had her children receive all three sacraments of initiation as infants. I suppose I should do more study into the history and meaning of the sacrament to make more discerning decisions about my kids' reception of sacraments, but I also don't want to place our family outside the community of the parish and the diocese.  While I don't necessarily love everything about our new parish (the Gloria makes you want to do jazz hands!), it does have a vibrant community.  The bulletin is six pages long. And the web page is the best parish website I have ever seen - the bulletin, links to ministries, links to resources, photos of parish events, etc. etc.  The youth program is active and run by a graduate of Franciscan University of Stuebenville.  So we will accommodate ourselves, rather than asking the pastor to accommodate us.

As a part of the class, the students are supposed to attend the Lifeteen Mass on Sunday evenings. Since we had planned a hike for the day, we decided to all go to the evening mass, instead of the very early morning Mass. Another accommodation.

The church was packed. More old folks than I expected. The students sat with their groups in the front. Our family sat in the middle surrounded by singing, swaying worshipers. The musicians were really talented. The priest gave a heartfelt but thoughtful homily about the four kinds of poverty, material, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual in response to the Gospel reading about the beggar Lazarus.

This service was in diametric contrast with the Mass we attended last week at St. Thomas Aquinas College. That church was designed by one of my husband's college professors, and I've always appreciated the TAC classical program, so we had been meaning to make the not long trek to the school for Mass.  The congregation there, too, was mostly adolescents and young adults, along with a number of young families. It wasn't completely in Latin, but was definitely a high mass, with the music sung or chanted by the talented choir.  The service was very reverent, conducive to prayer and contemplation.  And although we were full of the Spirit after the hour and a half Mass, we all had plenty of appetite for the spread at the convivial dining hall after the service.

From the TAC website

It is perhaps one of the spiritual riches of our faith that it provides space for many charisms.  I may prefer the high Mass we attended last weekend at St. Thomas Aquinas College because my own temperament or charism is more reserved and formal. But I'm glad that people who want the guitars and lyrics of praise and worship music have a place, too. As I sat in Mass, I thought of our dear friends at other parishes around the country.  Each place has had its own feel and style, but I still felt connected to those friends knowing they were praying the Mass that day, too. Although separated by time and space, we are joined in the eternal celebration of God's love.