Registering for a Parish

Today I did the adult thing and registered at my territorial parish.  I found it by asking the GPS for places of worship nearest my location and picking the Catholic sounding one.  Then google!

I wasn't 100% certain that this was my territorial parish but I figured they would tell me if it wasn't.

Did you know that there are parishes that have more than one building?  And that these new modern buildings all kind of look alike?  Perhaps some signage at the entrance to the parking lot or on the buildings might not be remiss....

After finally finding the office (which I had to be buzzed into...answering the door is so *old school*) I asked to register.  I get the paperwork and am directed to a room to fill it out.  I mention that I'm not sure this is my parish and the secretary was like we don't enforce the boundaries. (Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought according to Canon Law, the pastor of my territorial parish, regardless of whether or not I'm registered at that parish, is responsible for me...maybe I'd like to meet the guy? Or here's another thought, I thought that Canon Law required me to give my time, talent and/or treasure to my territorial parish...)  Fill out the paper, get a welcome to Parish and that's all she wrote.

I don't know anything about this parish.  I don't know when the Mass times are (grabbed bulletin though).  She said she'd see me Sunday...neglected to tell me *when*.  If I was shopping for a Catholic Church this did not sell me on it.  In fact, I thought that was one of the points of territorial churches was to stop Catholics from acting like Protestants and church shop.

I just have to ask, is it so hard to say Welcome to St. Snup.  Our masses are at X, Y and Z but here's a bulletin/piece of paper for you to have them all to refer to.  I usually attend Mass at X so if I see you I could introduce you to some parishoners. Father Snup gives excellent homilies and Father Charlie is in charge of the youth group.  We have lots of opportunities for different activities, many of them are in the bulletin but if you tell me what you are interested in, I might be able to hook you up with a group.   (Especially when the person registering says they've just moved to town and has only been in town 2 days.)

Let the snark begin!

And so it begins...again.

Hello all my legions of loyal readers!  I hope you are still with me. :D

I have moved to Little Rock, AR to take a job with the USDA- National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).  Briefly, I count cows (and ducks..and chickens...and horses...and cotton...and fish...et cetera et cetera et cetera).  I don't get to actually go out in the field and count them...I look at surveys sent in the mail or online.

Because I had so much fun (snark) the last time, let's do it again, this time with the Diocese of Little Rock.  There are some tiny issues that I hope will work themselves out.

• I'm only guaranteed 5 months.  This fun could end by April.
• The diocese is the entire state.  I'm in the center...it takes roughly 3 hours to get to a state border.  
• In other words, you might get pictures if I go hiking around there but no Mass report.
• 3 hours is 1 tank of gas.  It is expensive to live on your own...
• I don't know where anything is...but the GPS fixes that issue.  Expect lots of I got lost.

I will start Friday, November 1 for the Feast of All Saints.  

Yeah, I know I need a new header.  I don't know what to use right now....

Indulgences And a Plan For the New Year

Happy New Year!

When I was looking for Midnight Masses nearby for Christmas Day, I noticed St. Dominic Savio had a midnight Mass on New Year's Eve/Day.  I mentioned this to my pal Mark over at Rome of the West, and he was like it is probably for an indulgence.  Say what?  Wasn't that one of Martin Luther's complaints?  Didn't indulgences go out with the Council of Trent?  He's like no.  You can't buy or sell them, but you can still get them. Really????

So what exactly is an indulgence?  An indulgence is basically the remission or clemency of the temporal punishment due to sin.  In other words, it's like a pardon.  You satisfy some conditions (do some special praying or visiting) and some of your punishment (aka time in purgatory) is forgiven.  There are 2 types: partial and plenary.  A partial indulgence just removes some of the punishment, while a plenary indulgence removes it all!  (Until you manage to sin again.)  Needless to say, plenary indulgences are a little more challenging to get.

How do I get one of these snazzy indulgences to reduce the quality time spent in Purgatory?  Well, since it is currently the Year for Priest, Pope Benedict XVI has granted special indulgences.  Additionally, some places have special indulgences attached to them.  I think the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis has an indulgence of some sort, as I seem to remember a plaque or something.  Great you are saying to yourself, I'm not a priest and I don't live in St. Louis, how can I get an indulgence?  Lucky for you, there is a big long list called the Enchiridion of Indulgences, with a special list for the plenary indulgences.   Look at all the cool stuff you can do and at the same time reduce the time spent in Purgatory!

Now I know you are all thinking at this point:  That's really great Snup and thanks for the catechism lesson.  What does this have to do with your blog and you tripping around the Archdiocese???  I'm glad you asked!!!!  It appears there is a plenary indulgence, with all the usual conditions (Confession, Communion, prayers) attached to visiting a parochial Church on its titular feast!  So this means I'm highly motivated (well...) to visit a church on its feast day and that will be my plan for the rest of the year :)  I'll also be sure to mention when other indulgences are available so we can all avoid Purgatory together!


More Information:
Myths about Indulgences
Primer on Indulgences
From the Catholic Encyclopedia
What if I mess up (fail to meet all the requirements) my plenary indulgence?
Funny from Fr. Z
Some details from Fr. Z, or how many indulgences can I get using one Confession!
From the Apostolic Penitentiary:  The Gift of the Indulgence

If you need anymore information, be sure to ask your favorite priest!

What is Up With All the Extra Links?

Hello all.
In case you haven't noticed, I've started including links to provide background on some of the things I've mentioned. So for example, when I've mentioned the Stations of the Cross, I've provided a link to a website that describes what the Stations of the Cross entail.  This is to help non-Catholics, new Catholics and Catholics who have forgotten their Faith learn about being Catholic.

Why am I suddenly doing this?  Well, I was listening to Father's homily on World Mission Sunday about how we are called to be missionaries for Christ and are called to serve and I started thinking about how I could be a missionary for Christ.  Without the hardship.  Or the possible martyrdom.  And then I was like...hey I have a blog (or 3)...I could be a missionary that way.

Have a good week!
If you have some suggestions of websites that provide accurate, clear descriptions of Catholicism and Catholic tops, feel free to leave them in the comment box! (Try not to link directly to the Catechism? ;) )

A Caution

At first, I thought finding a new parish would be as simple as just going to a Mass and seeing if I was comfortable or not. After 3 Masses in different places and on reflecting, I realize that it is not incredibly fair to judge a parish based on a 1 hour time frame. Especially given that Masses may differ drastically through the day. For example, the Masses at Holy Redeemer, one of which was a Charismatic Mass and one was a Sunday Mass in Ordinary Time. Same place, two different experiences. Father maybe having a bad day and the same could go for the choir.

I realize that what happens during the Sunday Mass may not be a true reflection of the parish life, but it does give some indications.

So don't condemn any parish because of this blog. Just because they didn't work for me, doesn't mean they won't be a great fit for you. (My dream parish---tie dye and a dog Mass :) )

Which Churches Have I Already Visited?

In the last two years, I've visited these parishes, so I won't visit them again until the end, or in an emergency.

• The New Cathedral, aka Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (Went to Midnight Mass, was Confirmed there too, long long time ago)
• Holy Redeemer in Webster Groves (went to Charismatic Mass and a regular Sunday Mass)
• Immaculate Heart of Mary in South St. Louis (my territorial parish)
• St. Alphonsus, the "Rock" Church on South Grand
• St. Andrew in Lemay (Hi Fr. Vic!)
• St. Ann in Normandy (Hi Fr. Bill!!!!) right next to UMSL
• St. Francis Xavier, the College Church on SLU's campus
• St. Stephen Protomartyr in South St. Louis (parish where my goddaughters were baptized.)
• Sts. Mary and Joseph, in Carondelet, now a Chapel of St. Stephen
• St. Raymond's Cathedral, which is Marionite Rite (totally awesome!)