Do you attend weekly mass/other Christian-related services

[Micaelis]

Well, do you attend mass or socially gather for communion of some sort?

[Geist]

I don't attend mass at all, nor have I done so in over 3 years except for a funeral and a wedding. I am, however, quite sympathetic to the Catholic Church in general.

[Boleslaw]

Well lately I have been attending mass services frequently. But overall, Im not a regular attendee. Im often too exhausted from work to get up early enough to attend.

[Hlinkova Garda]

i go to sunday mass and to First Friday (feast of the Sacred Heart)
And Saterday mass before football match with a bunch of mates about once a month

[Helios Panoptes]

I go to church only when someone dies or is married.

[Micaelis]

There was a baptism at my parish yesterday. The laymen were taking pictures and clapping along with the priest. It was horrible. I thought I was at a sporting event.

[Józef Piłsudski]

I can proudly say I've been to mass every Sunday of my life. Excluding unusual circumstances ofcourse.
There was a baptism at my parish yesterday. The laymen were taking pictures and clapping along with the priest. It was horrible. I thought I was at a sporting event.
It is rather innocent of them though. The problem is education, and with that being said, I am part of the problem :(.

[Hlinkova Garda]

I can proudly say I've been to mass every Sunday of my life. Excluding unusual circumstances ofcourse.

It is rather innocent of them though. The problem is education, and with that being said, I am part of the problem :(.

Im not sure I understand what you mean

[Józef Piłsudski]

Im not sure I understand what you mean
Right, I should clarify myself. What I ment was that although I haven't received a proper education through attending Catholic schools, I should now because I am a young adult in university begin to educate myself and to do what the Catholic school system failed to do for me. In other words, I am part of the problem because I still don't know enough.

And I know I don't know enough. The problem is most Catholics don't realise they don't know enough. There are three types of Catholics in my generation. Those that don't know and have rejected the faith, those don't know and attend mass like a robot, and those that are strongly devout and orthodox. Sadly, the later is in the majority, and the first type is in the majority. In my graduating Catholic class, I would say somewhere around 5-10% of us attended mass regularly. From class discussions it was evident we knew jack all about our faith, and it doesn't help when the teacher is just as clueless.

Those people at that baptism acted the way they did because they have no idea as to the significance of the mass or baptism or anything else. For them, it's just an initiation rite, something you do to babies to raise them right and an event to get together, take pictures and to throw those pictures in the family album. I wonder how many are truly in awe of the saving waters of the baptism? If they had any idea of what the baptism truly ment, this kind of behaviour would be gone.

[Hlinkova Garda]

the fault does not lie with you though it leis with the modern church the exaples you sighted are church wide, Reg. mass atedants was around 75+% before VatII now it is around -20% even lower in some places but on the flip side in TradCath parishes its almost 80% for its members ..................They continu to go because they are being fed a full meal not just a snack :) and being told they are full

[Józef Piłsudski]

the fault does not lie with you though it leis with the modern church the exaples you sighted are church wide, Reg. mass atedants was around 75+% before VatII now it is around -20% even lower in some places but on the flip side in TradCath parishes its almost 80% for its members ..................They continu to go because they are being fed a full meal not just a snack :) and being told they are full
I hope your not referring to the Eucharist. It's just as fully present and valid in both masses.

But if your referring to proper religious growth beyond the sacraments through education and spiritual formation then yes, I agree with you in that N.O parishes are for the most part, lacking this.

[Hlinkova Garda]

I hope your not referring to the Eucharist. It's just as fully present and valid in both masses.

But if your referring to proper religious growth beyond the sacraments through education and spiritual formation then yes, I agree with you in that N.O parishes are for the most part, lacking this.


no I not .............but the entire mass is a meal a sacrament every time you see the quite reverance inside the church you will understand that it begains
even BEFORE the mass

[Sinclair]

I try to get to services when I can, usually once every couple of weeks.

[Keystone]

Weekly Mass and Stations of the Cross during Lent (always enjoyed those).

[Józef Piłsudski]

I think I might try attending daily mass. Is a weekday mass the same as a Sunday mass?

Other than that, I found out the new Church I go to does a Novena every Tuesday, so I think I'll check that out too.
Weekly Mass and Stations of the Cross during Lent (always enjoyed those).

I want to try do the stations of the cross sometime. Can it be done at home? The prayer book I have makes it seem as though the stations of the cross is a group effort.

[Keystone]

I think I might try attending daily mass. Is a weekday mass the same as a Sunday mass?
Yep. The same.
I want to try do the stations of the cross sometime. Can it be done at home? The prayer book I have makes it seem as though the stations of the cross is a group effort.
It would be difficult to do at home, but you can do it alone at many older churches. They tend to have the Stations permanently fixed in the building.
The Stations are best observed at a service. Try it!

[Cyprian]

Yes. In the Orthodox Church, those who miss three Sunday liturgies in a row without excuse have traditionally been considered to have excommunicated themselves. This has declined somewhat in modern times as, unfortunately, Church discipline has become more lax. However, it's of the essence of the faith not to "forsake the assembly".

[Józef Piłsudski]

Yes. In the Orthodox Church, those who miss three Sunday liturgies in a row without excuse have traditionally been considered to have excommunicated themselves. This has declined somewhat in modern times as, unfortunately, Church discipline has become more lax. However, it's of the essence of the faith not to "forsake the assembly".
I absolutley adore the Eastern Churches. Another practice I like is that one has to have confession before partaking in the Eucharist. I remember my Baba came to our Novus Ordo mass for my little brother's first communion and was shocked that everyone went up for the Eucharist. She thought Roman Catholics must be really devout, because everyone must have gone to confession this week. It made me chuckle, too bad I had to explain that it was quite the opposite. Anyway, it was funny to see everyone staring at my Ukie folks making the cross three times and murmuring in Ukranian. They also enjoyed all the sitting we Westerners do. (I remeber I was soaking wet with sweat at my first Divine Liturgy, I guess all the incense and standing while being dressed in a suit will do that). Ha, I won't even mention the time I tried to go to Divine Liturgy wearing shorts, my Grandfather's face was priceless.

I'm getting really off track now... I should stop.
bottom line- I love the Eastern tradition.

[Farkas]

I chose 'no'.

I only attend funerals, weddings at the church. I do believe in God and I see Jesus as my role model but the church has become so Judeo-Christian that I don't feel like going trough that liberal gibberish. But the main reason why I don't attend mass is because I don't follow the Old Testament (what is it called in English?) and I don't follow a certain stream like the Roman Catholics, Protestants, Dutch Reformed, etc.

I believe in God and doing everything that seems right to me. Being friendly towards others, only use violence if very necessary and I only lie if it is for someone's good.

[Boleslaw]

Another practice I like is that one has to have confession before partaking in the Eucharist.

That's how it is in Catholicism as well...at least officially.

[Józef Piłsudski]

That's how it is in Catholicism as well...at least officially.
Only for mortal sins though... is it the same approach in the Eastern Churches. (I just assumed it was for all sins)

[Józef Piłsudski]

Yep. The same.

It would be difficult to do at home, but you can do it alone at many older churches. They tend to have the Stations permanently fixed in the building.
The Stations are best observed at a service. Try it!

I've begun to attend weekday masses, what a blessing! There's a chapel right off my campus that offers this so I try to take advantage of it and squeeze one in between classes. The only problem is, when there is only one or two people participating in the mass I have no one to follow! I've been going to mass my whole life and I realize now that I barely even know the mass. If there isn't a crowd to tell me when to kneel or how to respond, I was quite loss. So the rewards have been multiplied by the fact that I am now studying the mass. And studying the mass only makes one to attend more often! I'm slowly becoming one of those Christian fanatics. Too bad for the secularists.

I haven't done the stations of the cross, I am still dying to. Maybe this week I'll do that instead of doing Blessed Adoration. Now there is a fruitful experience. The priest at the chapel I go to sets it up for me sometimes, and often its just me and Christ. All I have to say is, wow. What an experience. To kneel before the Lord and just focus on his sacrifice, one on one. Absolutely magnificant.

Am afraid will all the commotion in my life, that I'll probably go for the minor in Catholic studies that my university offers. And am afraid to say it, but I have to begin to see a spiritual director. The calling is beginning to become very strong. But who knows where it'll lead me, right?