The Church Hopper

On the third Sunday of each month I go back to Trinity UMC to worship with them. This is the church that I have worked at for over ten years. Each third Sunday the young disciples lead the service, and I always want them to see me there supporting them. 

I had decided that since I would be at Trinity this Sunday, May 15th, that I would try again to go to a church a few streets away from me that meets at 2pm. However, this week they had moved their time of worship to 11am so I missed it.  

This led me to a delima… What would I write about this upcoming week? 

After some online searching I found that Sacred Heart Catholic Church has Mass during the week. So, on Tuesday May 17th and 12:10pm I attend my first mass. 

On their website it mentioned that if you were planning to visit or wanted more information to call their church office. So, as I was driving over to mass I gave them a call. I asked if they were having mass that day, and she said yes! I also asked that since I am not Catholic what etiquette should I know before entering the church. She was very friendly and told me to enter the church under the bell tower, and the other thing that I needed to know was that I could not take part in the Eucharist (Communion). She did say that I could come forward with my arms touching my shoulders in an X, and the father would bless me. 

I parked at the bell tower and walked in through their beautifully designed glass doors. I looked for signs to lead me to where Mass was being held, but quickly saw people gathering in a small chapel to the left of their main sanctuary. 

As I walked into the chapel, the greeter asked if I would be taking the Eucharist. When I told her no, she pointed for me to sit down. As I walked to the pew I noticed that this was a time of prayer. Some were praying by standing, some were kneeling on the bench in the pews, while others were praying on the floor. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

Soon the Priest enters the chapel and everyone stands. I will say this about my time in mass. There was no bulletin or order of worship for me to follow, so I felt lost. However, I just stood when they stood, and sat when they sat. We sang hymns, listened to scripture, heard an inspiring message on not giving up when times are tough as a Christian, and they partook in Holy Communion. I will add for my Methodist readers that their liturgy and ours is about spot on, so I felt in the loop when that time came. 

At the end of the service everyone left silently or continued in prayer in the chapel. The whole service was around forty minutes, perfect for a noon lunch break! I left with some questions and found this link to be very helpful! So I encourage anyone that is planning to attend a Mass to read this first!

12 Things to Know If You’re Going to Mass for the First Time (thosecatholicmen.com)