Nigerian Community Mass

Hello all!

Little Rock is home to a Nigerian community.  Every 3rd Sunday, they celebrate Mass in Igbo at St. Augustine's in North Little Rock.

I was told by someone that if I arrived 1/2 hour before Mass, Sister would go over the responses.  I got to St. Augustine at 1:30 pm, walked in and was greeted by women who were curious as to why I was in Church.  I discovered that the Mass had been moved to St. Patrick.  (GPS to the rescue!).  Fifteen minutes later I'm walking into St. Patrick.  The 2nd Reading is currently being read.  Apparently Mass started at 1:30 instead of 2 (ooops).

Most of the Mass was in Igbo.  The homily and Eucharistic Prayer were in English.  Most everything was sung, including the Nicene Creed.  Strangely the Our Father wasn't sung.

The music style reminded me of this song or this one from the Lion King Broadway Musical.

In case I was unclear if Father was born in America, the first part of his homily cleared that right up.  He actually talked about the First Reading from Proverbs 31.  I had a hard time understanding him in the back.  In the First Reading, it describes an ideal woman and wife.  A role model.  Something women should emulate.  Men would be happy if women would be these things (riiiight.)  Complete happiness.  Men must search for this woman, not just go to a club and pick any old women.  (mmhmmm).  If you find, you will know what makes a woman.  Beauty.  Her heart makes her beautiful.  Do not marry for beauty...beauty fades.  Marry for her worth, what she can do.  She takes care of her family, her community.  Men you must praise and encourage your women.  Her reward is your praise.  (I prefer sparkly things...).  Father then went on to talk about time, talent and treasure.  (the standard homily of you need to use your talent and treasure).

At the Presentation of the Gifts, everyone danced up and gave food.  (Which apparently the priests eat...I hope they like rice...saw lots of rice).  There was some minor chaos at this moment.  In the back the men were like this is not what was agreed.

Apparently, it is harvest time in Nigeria, so today is when they would traditionally have their harvest fest.  After the Closing Prayer, each family brought up a donation for the Church to auction off.  Had this been in Nigeria, it would have been some of the harvest.

Many of the women and men wore traditional clothing.  The women wore headdresses that looked like roses...they were folded and wrapped around their heads.  The dresses were very sparkly and two pies. The skirts were tight at the top and then flared out at the bottom.

Here's a movie of the Presentation of the Gifts.

Links:
To pictures previously taken of St. Patrick
St. Augustine

St. John the Baptist Latin Mass Community

Gaudete!

Sadly I had to go to work today.  But as Father said in Confession this morning, there is no excuse (short of death perhaps) to miss Mass.  Ever.  I didn't want to deprive you of snark for a 3rd week, I went to the earliest Mass in the Diocese of Little Rock, that was at 7 am (not at all that early...).  Thankfully it was only 30 minutes away from both job and apartment.

Apparently the only people having 7 am Mass is the FSSP's Latin Mass Community.  They use St. Patrick's Church.  I'm guessing this diocese hasn't had waves of church closings leaving vacant churches for the FSSP to totally take over.

St. Patrick I think was built in the early 1950s.  It's modern but tastefully modern.  The stained glass windows are of saints and are of more traditional designs instead of chunky abstract representational windows.

As expected Father wore rose vestments.

I'm not so sure I like the low Mass.  I still have no idea what's going on and it makes it way easier for me to zone out.  

It seems most homilies have two things in common here in Little Rock 1.  They all start with announcements (which I guess is better than at the end.) and 2.  They seem to be longer than in St. Louis.

Father started off his homily by reading the Epistle and Gospel in English.  Then the announcements.  In July 2007, Beverly Sills died.  She is quoted as saying "Man plans, God laughs."  She often said she was not happy but she was cheerful.  She had troubles but was cheerful...  So what does an opera singer and a Jew have to do with us?  (oh dear...that was a PC fail)  Today is Gaudete Sunday.  It is the first word in the Preface.  That word often defines the Mass and if the word is meaningful enough, the day.  Beverly's life defined joy.  The key is to be cheerful as no one is really happy.  It's measured in degrees.  We can only be completely happy in heaven (Houston, we have a problem.)  Cheer is a disposition.  It's a good habit. (Cheerful people make me suspicious...) It predisposes us to the gift of happiness.  Joy can occur in the midst of sorrow.  Happiness is the satisfaction of desire.  We can never be truly happy here as our desires can never be satisfied (such a ray of sunshine there Father)  A sign of happiness is the eruption of joy (yeah...I'm not going there...)  It is an intense response and we are not capable of sustaining it (snork...I'm so like a teenager here).  Our desires, provided that they are intrinsic and well ordered and well formed, are good.  It is Union with God that gives happiness.  A Greek philosopher remarked that short is the joy from guilty pleasures (which is why I need many pieces of chocolate).  A young priest on the internet discussed how God's salvation is at work among us everyday.  It is the mixture of the perfect and the imperfect.  ...the sparkling wine of joy... (I totally lost what he was saying he was going so fast, but that was a cool phrase) Happiness needs sadness.  Joy needs sorrow.   St. Teresa said joy is prayer, joy is love.  Joy is a net of love.  Let us cast our net and see what we catch.

St. Patrick - North Little Rock

View from the Back Pew

 

Both in the Old Baptistry

I think that's St. Gerald maybe?  I'm not sure..

The Good Shepherd and the Child Jesus in the Temple

 

St. Joseph

St. Jude

I think...

St. Michael the Archangel

St. Patrick

Either he or St. Gregory was also in the Choir Loft.

St. Peter

St. Theresa 

(Honestly I never know which one is which...)

St. Anne

In the Choir Loft.

Sparkly!

Apparently I live in a mission diocese.  I expected that would involve 

desert, palm trees, tropics, outhouses...not ...well, here.

Although that's pretty cool...I can say I've been to the Missions :P

St. Patrick - Tipton IL

St. Patrick in Tipton IL.

St. Patrick - Wentzville

Good Afternoon.
I attended the 9 am Mass at St. Patrick in Wentzville.

The Church was built in 1987.  I am now more convinced that the oldest Baby Boomers have no taste.  I'm not following this paneling in the Church thing.

Music was accompanied by an organ, piano and choir.
Gathering:  Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise
Gloria:  Heritage Mass
Offertory:  Dwelling Place
Communion:  Worthy is the Lamb
Communion Meditation:  Hail Mary
Recessional:  City of God

Music people and pastoral assistants who put the Mass together..can't decide on whether or not to sing the Sanctus in Latin or in English?  Well, who says you have to make a decision when you can sing both at the same time!  Why yes!  Encourage that active participation in the pews by encouraging parishoners to sing in whatever language they want!  I kid you not.  The Sanctus was sung in two languages at the same time.  It sounded like the sopranos (grumble.  they get all the good parts) were singing in Latin.

At this Mass there was a Children's Liturgy of the Word, so all the children gathered, were blessed and then left, while being sung "Children go to hear God's Word" because clearly, if they had stayed in Mass, they weren't going to hear God's Words.  They were going to hear what the rest of us heard, which was the word of Luke, Paul, and Mark.  Clearly not God's Words.

The homily started off with how we were celebrating Ascension.  Until a few years ago, Ascension was always celebrated on the 40th day after Easter, which was a Thursday (Actually that depends on your diocese or on your Rite for my EF friend.)  Why did Jesus have to ascend?  Why couldn't He have stayed? He could have.  (Jesus Fanfiction could speculate...) If He didn't return to the Father, the apostles could not receive the Spirit, the Paraclete.  The focus would not be on what the Church could do, but what Jesus could do.  Jesus wanted to tell them it was time for them to continue the mission.  We see how He brought them to the point being able to say goodbye.  The Paraclete gave them gifts.  They are different but they would be one.  The Founding Fathers were thinking about this scripture when they came up with our National Motto, From the Many, One.  They were thinking of all the different immigrants that would come and join our country.  (Uhm.  I hate to burst your bubble, but it was more like there were 13 separate countries being joined into one, but we can go with your interpretation....)  Though the Church is many, we are one.  One Liturgy (oh sweet Lord....where to even begin with this statement...), one Church.  We are many and different.  We are of One Faith.  We form the Church as a whole.  We are given different gifts, we are still supposed to share those gifts.  All of us are called to follow.  That is our mission in life.  (YES!  I am a follower!  perfect!)  To return to the Father like Jesus.  Called to work in this life to go back to the Father.  God gives us each day as a new start.  Sacraments give us the grace to do this.  To serve and be nourished.  Up to us if we are willing to choose that.  Where the Spirit leads to the Father.

Father used Eucharistic Prayer III and there were bells along with hand holding at the Our Father.


Pictures:

St. Patrick - Wentzville

St. Patrick

View From the Back Pew

The Holy Family

Station VIII

Sacraments of Initiation?

Jesus with Children

See the black head child in the red outfit totally being ignored by Jesus?

Yeah, that's how I feel.

Eucharist?

Links:
Website of St. Patrick

St. Patrick - Armagh

Happy Feast of St. Patrick!

There is a church in the archdiocese, named St. Patrick, in the middle of nowhere (google maps couldn't even find it), that is only open 2-3 times a year.  It was open today!  So of course, I couldn't pass this up and off I went.

St. Patrick was founded in 1843 and closed in 1924.  It is under the control of St. James in Catawissa.  This is an old school church.  The walls are about a foot thick.  There's no electricity (seriously).  Oh and no heat.  It was probably around 40 F in the church today.  You could see your breath.  The pews were very narrow and close together.  Anyone over 5'6" will hit their knees on the pew in front.  The kneelers are fixed to the floor.  Oh and not all of them have padding.  It was very cool as in awesome.

Music was accompanied by a small choir and an organ.  The music was even old school:
Opening:  Holy, Holy, Holy
Offertory:  Humbly, Lord, We Worship You
Communion:  Lord, Who at Thy First Eucharist
Closing:  Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens
We sang the Responsorial Psalm and the Mass parts.

Father said Mass very reverently.  We used Penitential Rite A:  the Confiteor and the Kyrie.  The Intentions were good, with the first being for those who teach the Catholic Faith like the Pope and the Bishops.  He used Eucharistic Prayer III and there were bells at the Consecration.  At the end of Mass, we recited the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.

Because the patron of St. Patrick Church is St. Patrick, the usual readings for the Fourth Wednesday in Lent were bypassed for the readings for the Feast of St. Patrick.  Additionally, the priest can wear vestments that are primarily white.  Father wore green...with St. Patrick embroidered on the back.  They were lovely vestments...just the wrong color.

The homily wove the story of St. Patrick with the Gospel from Luke about how Jesus was going to make Peter and friends fishers of men.  St. Patrick was a fisher of men.  Both St. Peter and St. Patrick saw their humanity.  They were open to God's blessings and grace which multiplied.

Pictures:

St. Patrick

Side of Church

Bell Tower

With Bells that actually rang at 11 am.

Cornerstone/Plaque

View From the Back Pew

er...actually 

View from the Middle Pew!

Close Up with Lit Candles

Detail of the Stained Glass Window

The only stained glass windows were behind the altar

in the Sanctuary.

Plaques of former priests

Oil Lamps to light Church

Not lit today.

St. Anne and Mary

Stations of the Cross

The Eighth Station

Odd Station as in it doesn't match the others seen above.

Painting of St. Patrick

St. Patrick

Links:
St. Mary and St. James website which has some history of St. Patrick
Pictures from Rome of the West (new ones here)

St. Patrick Urbana IL

Greetings all!
Jake, my precious little basset, is scheduled to be released from the hospital on Sunday morning at 8:30 am, so I went to Mass at 5 pm on Saturday, December 5.  I attended Mass at St. Patrick in Urbana, IL.

St. Patrick was built in 1901 and is an old style Church.  However, the interior and furnishings are modern, but with the original stained glass windows.  There were banners along the side.  The confessionals were gone and in their place were little shrine areas. The church was pea green on the inside.

The piano was upstairs in the choir loft.  There was a cantor who sang very nice.
Opening:  People Look East
Offertory: ?? was a solo.  A Voice Cries Out?
Communion:  I Sing A Maid
Closing:  Come Long Expected Jesus

The Advent Wreath had white candles with purple and rose ribbons around them.  There was no processional cross, but rather the sacramentry was carried in the procession.  Before Mass, all of the various ministers were introduced.  Father had a sparkly purple koi on the front of his vestment.

The homily was about John the Baptist preparing the way.

During the Our Father, everyone held hands (but me) and at the response people raised their hands up.  This just drives me bonkers, BTW.  I'm fine with the adlibbing, puppets, dancing and other liturgical shenanigans but raising your hands up like the Protestants just makes me roll my eyes.

The Lamb of God was about Jesse Tree and how Jesus was a branch and should have mercy on us.  Father's chalice was covered with a chalice veil.  It was blue-green and looked like a pillar candle holder.

No consecration bells, but an extra blessing at the end.

OH! A view from the back pew first!  A parishioner questioned me after Mass as to why I was taking pictures and notes.  I really wanted to tell her I was writing to the Vatican but I was good and just said "because."

Pictures:

View from the Back Pew

Sorry it's blurry.  I even used the tripod

It was just dark.

Oh and that is the Jesus escaping Crucifix

St. Patrick

 

Guardian Angel Window

The Holy Spirit

About 100W I think...

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

This was the only station I could definitively identify.

Shrine to Mary

Pelican stained glass windows

The narrow windows between the saint windows

featured symbols.

(scroll down at the link for a bit for the pelican)

Link:
St. Patrick Website