Abby Schogel - Blog #3

Church name: Our Lady of Lourdes Church

Church address: 4640 N Ashland Ave. Chicago, IL 60640

Date attended: November 7

Church category: Liturgically different

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

I attended a weekday morning mass at Our Lady of Lourdes. The service was very short but involved many components. There were various times of recitation, some I couldn’t understand because of how quickly the priest spoke, a time of collective prayer, two scripture readings, a quick 2-point homily from the priest, communion and a blessing. The presence of a sermon and communion were similar but how they took place, along with the rest of the service was very different. There was a formal rhythm of the service that everyone seemed to know and very little of it was familiar to me.

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

Though I went on a weekday and the service was not filled, it was encouraging to me that so many people take time out of their daily lives to worship together in the church. It is a bit of a foreign concept, to go to church every day but I thought it was beautiful that these people prioritize their faith to begin each day with prayer, encouragement from the priest and communion.

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

I think it difficult to feel so blatantly out of place. I did not know the responses, when to kneel, how this congregation “passed the peace,” or generally what to expect. I also was one of the few who did not take communion and I think it was obvious to the other congregants that I did not know what I was doing throughout the service. I have been to a few other catholic masses in the past and have felt similarly uncomfortable, as those who attend regularly understand the rhythm of the service and I just follow their lead.

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 think something the modern evangelical/protestant church is often missing is the component of beauty when it comes to worship. I think the traditions and setting of the church made the service feel formal but very calming and inspiring. Kneeling during prayer, being surrounded by stain glass windows portraying Jesus and the saints, and hearing the beauty in the rhythm of the prayers and recitations made the service much more awe-inspiring.