Kimi Bryson - Church Visit #3

Church name: Our Lady of Lourdes Church

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

Date attended: Oct. 30. 2016

Church category: more liturgical

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

I attended the Sunday morning mass at Our Lady of Lourdes. I have never been to a mass before and was almost entirely unfamiliar with the order of worship and the liturgy. I would like to go back a couple times to get a better feel for it and to know where to turn in the books and what to repeat after the pastor says certain things.

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

I think the most appealing thing for me about the worship service was the pattern. I have been primarily in evangelical, “low church” settings and the regularity of worship was beautiful. I also appreciated knowing that for many of the older members of the congregation, this is a pattern they have done for many Sundays for years of their lives.

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

The most challenging part about the service was communion. I should have checked before, but I did not know if I was allowed to take communion as a Protestant. And nobody said anything, so I took the bread, but did not know how to drink out of the cup (which I now realize I should have picked up and held) so I did not actually get to drink any of the cup and it was awkward.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

The primary thing that the service illuminated for me was the beauty of the regular pattern of worship. I liked that everybody (except me) knew what to say when the priest said certain things and I really, really appreciated that we knelt at one point. I do not remember when we knelt, but it might have been during the confession or something like that. I appreciated that we all physically changed our posture. I also appreciated the kneeling (when possible) before the altar.