As you can see from the photo (which just shows the entrance - the main part of the church is hidden to the left), the church is small and could pass for a residence if not for the cross atop it. The inside is neat and attractive, with natural wood in the mode of St. Birgitta and St. Thomas More.
I felt as if I were in a country church. Perhaps it was the small size of the church or perhaps it was the acoustical guitarist with a somewhat country style of playing that caused this feeling. The parishioners were nearly all white and were uniformly friendly. I think the small size of the church contributes to this.
A pianist and a bass guitarist accompanied the guitarist. The guitarist said they were looking for a clarinet player. There were 6 others in the choir today for a total of 9. The guitarist was much better than average and I especially enjoyed his use of runs.
At the end of Mass Fr. Jim (Rev. James Kolb, O.S.P. -- a Paulist rather than a diocesan priest), asked if there were any visitors. I raised my hand with at least one other. Then he asked the other visitor to introduce herself. Afterwards, he asked if there were another visitor. This time I did not raise my hand, as I did not want to introduce myself or tell people I was doing a blog and thereby put them on the defensive. I know it was intended to be friendly, however, and by by not exposing myself in that small way, I lost a chance to meet members of the church, which was one of my goals starting this project.
Last Saturday I went to the Saturday vigil Mass at St. Elizabeth's. I used to be a Catholic and am searching for a spiritual home; I am especially interested in community.
ReplyDeleteI stood up when Father asked for visitors to do so, so everyone there (maybe 80 people) could see me, hear my name and so on.
There was wine and cheese after, which I attended. I had expected this Church to have friendly parishioners but was surprised that not a single person smiled back, spoke to me, welcomed me: it was quite remarkable.
Another woman who was also there for the first time had the same experience.
I shared my disappointment with Fr. Kolb who told me I should just go up to people and introduce myself. Of course I could have but I am seeking a warm community with room in their hearts to welcome a new person who was specifically identified in the Church by their priest. I am able to talk with anyone; I confess this is my personal test of where to invest my energy.
I am very disappointed that this does not seem the right place for me.
Well, there are 37 others in Portland to try. I am sorry you had a bad experience. I don't think we Catholics are taught how to reach out to others like evangelicals are. It's a weakness of the Church for sure.
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