Holy Rosary Catholic Church (Roman Catholicism)

In doing these entries, I’ve realized that with balancing my involvement with the UU every other week, I’m going to run out of churches and places of worship to attend on Friday/Saturday nights.  If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.  This week, though, because I’m familiar with Catholicism, and Saturday night mass is a mirror reflection of what one would experience on a Sunday, a friend and I attended Holy Rosary Catholic Church.

This entry probably won't be as exciting as other entries.  There are three reasons why.  First, there’s not much of a novelty factor for me when it comes to Catholic churches.  I remember the first time I entered into a Catholic church, I was astounded by all the imagery, the statues, the stained-glass windows – it was beautiful.  Being raised in a Southern Baptist background, that particular brand of Protestantism doesn’t really embrace the iconography and art of their Catholic counterparts.  Now that I’ve been to enough masses to know what to expect, there’s very little novelty to write about.

Secondly, I am writing about a Catholic mass.  The difference between a mass in parish A is going to be minimal in relation to parish B.  Catholics, to their pride and chagrin, haven’t changed much in the past few hundred years.  They pride themselves on tradition, and in embracing that tradition, most churches are in sync with each other when it comes to keeping their masses homogenous. 

Lastly, it’s difficult to describe a Catholic mass without nit-picking every little minute detail.  There are entire books written on what every little symbolic act committed within the typical mass represents.  I know enough to get by.  I know enough to recite the Lord’s Prayer, I can cross myself, I can genuflect – I can pass for a laxed Catholic.  Much of what I can touch on would require me to copy and paste large chunks of text that will probably bore the average reader, though there are some worth mentioning and reading at least once in life (like the Nicene Creed or Lord’s Prayer).  So much of the Catholic mass entails call-and-response and chanting, so in terms of worship…there’s not much to say either.

However, to begin our journey – my friend and I visited Holy Rosary Catholic Church for Saturday night mass.  To give a little background:  I have been to a few Catholic churches before, but the one I’ve had experience with is St. Boniface, the church my friend attends on the west side of Evansville.  Since I’ve been there before, I declined to review it as I would already have an inherent bias.  However, I’ll be using my previous experiences with St. Boniface as a reference point.  St. Boniface, for those who have never been, is the oldest Catholic church in Evansville (so I'm told), hence it has quite a bit more ritual, tradition, and the appearance of age and majesty that one would attribute to a church of its age.  The church was built in the 1800s, and looks it.  When one watches movies such as The Exorcist or The Godfather, St. Boniface is comparable to the churches that appear in those films, and that’s mostly due to the similarity in age.  Holy Rosary, though, is quite new – probably not much older than 30 years, if even that.

So, my friend and I arrived about ten minutes before mass.  Unlike my previous excursions into the church world, one thing I highly dislike about the average Catholic church is the lack of intimacy.  If my friend and I had been devout, practicing Catholics, we could have walked into this church for the first time, celebrated mass, never came back, and no one would notice.  The larger churches suffer from this problem, and large Catholic ones definitely are horrible about it.  At St. Boniface, the other church I attended with my friend (I brought this person as a reference), the only reason I felt welcomed in that church was because this particular person’s family and friends welcomed me as their guest.  We did not have that luxury here, so we spoke to no one except ourselves and the little girl who gave us our missal.  I’ll give Holy Rosary points for at least having someone stationed at the door to give us the information we needed to make it through mass, but aside from that, this church lacked that welcoming feeling I’ve received at others on my visits.

Upon entering into the sanctuary, I was struck by the relative simplicity of it all.  The church itself boasted a medium-sized sanctuary which probably seated about 300 people.  I would say that we had about 200 show up; maybe 250.  Compared to the beautiful statues I’ve seen before at other churches, for a Catholic church, I felt Holy Rosary was sparse on imagery.  There was one large cross at the back of the altar – probably about 20 feet – with a crucified Jesus upon it.  There was a smaller cross off to the side.  The altar itself was wide-open, with only the table (which comprises the actual alter), two candles with a green table/alter clothe…and that was really it.  It was beautiful, but simple.  As a side note, my friend informed me that Catholic tradition states that within the altar itself, there is a small fragment of piece of a relic that dates back to Biblical times.  I found that to be a very interesting fact, if not a little flawed in their reasoning.  I mean…how many fingernails can St. Peter have before we start seeing reproductions and frauds?  If you’re familiar with the history of relics, you’ll understand, but I found that to be an interesting nugget of information nonetheless.

The stained glass windows were, to me, the highlight of the sanctuary itself.  They were tall – about 15-20 feet high, and thin with no art-work actually being depicted.  Relative to everything else, they were the highlight, but compared to stain glass that actually depicts Biblical scenes, they were conservative in their appearance.  The first time I stepped into St. Boniface a few years ago, I was awestruck with how much there was to just look at.  Statues of the Apostles, Mary, Jesus, stain glasses depicting Biblical scenes, the 12 Stations of the Cross.  When I enter into a Catholic church, I expect eye-candy.  At Holy Rosary, though, I was underwhelmed.  To be fair, this is, like I said, a newer Catholic church.  My friend informed me that many of the newer churches, relative to the ones that are over 50 years old, look very similar to the one we were in, so my point of view was a bit skewed by assuming the older Catholic church was the “accurate” representation of how they should be.  In appearance, Catholic churches have the license to differ more so than they can in their actual functions.

So, we began the mass, and I took notice of how the people appeared.  If you’ve ever been to a Catholic church, you’ll probably notice that most people seem half-hearted in their worship, with a few very devout Catholics giving it their all during mass.  That appeared to be so here.  There was a pretty fair representation of all age groups, with some of the older parishioners appearing more devout, while some of the younger ones were fidgeting.  It appeared these folks were very much in-tune with the routine, and knowing how much mass does not change, there’s not a lot of free-form worship allowed, and that sort of monotony reflected on their demeanor during worship.  I very much believe that, looking at these folks, this was ritual; routine…it was what they did every week because they either are “supposed to” or “they grew up in it”.  I can’t assume too much of the folks that were there, but there were mostly couples and families, so I think my assumptions may be justified.  The only folks who appeared to be "into it" were the older ones over fifty.  Again, these are just my observations.

The hymns we sang were old-fashioned – much more in tune with what I grew up with.  We sang the Summons, How Great Thou Art, and we didn’t catch the third one because we left as it was playing.  The singing was restrained, especially so for 200+ people attending.  We took scriptural readings from Isaiah 50:4c-9a, St. James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35.  We also stated the Nicene Creed (look it up if you’re curious).  The Priest then gave his “sermon”, which is always, to me, the most exciting part of the mass itself.  I can’t really call it a “sermon” because of its length.  I remember taking my Catholic friend to my old Baptist church at one time.  The preacher there usually preached for about half-an-hour; maybe forty-five minutes if he really got going (which was rare from what I remember).  My friend, about twenty minutes into my old preacher’s sermon, elbowed me and asked “how long is this going to go on?”  I asked, “why?”  The response:  “my priest never goes this long!”  Growing up listening to such sermons, I usually find what the priest has to say a little short in substance compared to what I’m used to.  I’m used to sermons that follow the classic 3-point speech method:  point 1, point 2, point 3, done -- but they take about half an hour to get through it.  This priest, though, had only one point:  put your faith into action.

The priest, I have to admit, was one of the best ones I’ve heard.  He spoke with no notes, no prompts – he was going completely off the cuff.  He was quite animate and he was younger than what I was used to (30 to 40 years of age, as opposed to 50, 60, or 70 years old).  Again, I’m used to preachers who at least use notes or some kind of presentation aid.  This guy did not, which I have to respect.  His sermon came off as natural and he spoke with relative conviction.  Format-wise, the priest began his mini-sermon (as it appeared to me) with a joke about his camping experiences before moving onto an anecdote that provided the jumping-off point for his sermon.  He spoke of a couple in his old parish that he greatly admired.  The couple would, as he told us, go exceptionally far out of their way to assist anyone in need, so much so that this priest held them in great esteem.  The moral of this lesson was that this couple was a beacon of inspiration – they put their faith in action, as all devout Catholics should.  All Christians should take up their cross, go out of the way to help the poor, and be willing to accept the sacrifices that should be made in the name of their faith.  That’s…really about it. He spoke for about ten minutes, fifteen tops.  It was a fairly watered-down sermon, very light on using the Bible, and…well…it was meant to be family-friendly, easily digestible, and inspirational to those who were already devout Catholics.

We then ended the mass as most masses always end:  communion.  Now, I did a sacrilegious thing here that I normally do not do.  I took the communion.  As an atheist walking up to take a Catholic communion, that’s a pretty big act of blasphemy in the world of Catholicism.  I did it for two reasons, though.  The first was for immersion.  Most other churches I go to, there’s the opportunity to participate in worship, and it’s relatively exciting, if not just for the novelty of doing something new.  I’ve been to mass before; I’ve done it all before.  I never took communion, and I wanted to experience part of mass as a parishioner might.  I normally abstain from communion from any church out of respect, but – and this constitutes the second reason – I’ve abstained out of respect to the Catholic church before.  I don’t feel particularly compelled to abstain out of respect this particular time when I’ve bowed out the previous five to ten times before.  Plus…and I guess this is an additional mini-reason…I’ve always been curious to taste the wafer.  The wafer, by the way, is dry, gritty, and as my friend stated: “that’s the taste of God in your mouth – tastes like cardboard, huh?”  I didn’t drink the wine, mostly because I see it as an invitation to catch the flu from the 200+ folks there, but I wasn’t struck down by God for eating the wafer, and that’s one less novelty in life’s experience I have on my to-do list.

So, that’s that – my review of Holy Rosary.  Overall, it was a typical mass.  It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't my best worship experience, and I got what I expected.  Some fine points:  there was no bulletin, no announcements, and I couldn’t find anything on their community activities.  However, I know they exist, because I pass their sign just about every day, and there’s always something on it advertising that they’re doing.  They run a Catholic school next door, there’s usually a social fair, they’ve raffled cars, they’ve had book sales, bake sales – they’re involved and I would say proportionally so for the number of folks there on a Saturday mass.  That being said, this will probably be my lowest review for a church, simply because these types of churches suffer so much on the aspects of the experience I find to be important.  While the priest's message was fairly good, one of the greatest parts about doing this is meeting the people.  I’ve met some exceptional people, I’ve always attempted to be kind to them (if not being too revealing on my ultimate purposes), but they’ve always been hospital to me.  Not so much here.  The topic was marginally interesting, if not kind of bland, though I liked the presentation.  There was little depth to it, but it did have a bit of applicability; it never hurts to be told to be good to others.  Worship is something I would dock points from as well because, as much as I respect tradition, rigidity in worship doesn’t allow for full spiritual expression, and I usually prefer spiritual freedom in a service as opposed to following such a fine outline.  About the only “interpretive” part of the service was the silent prayer.  Everything else was highly structured.  There was no special music, and whereas some places you go to worship you can feel the emotion and sincerity in the room, it was sorely lacking here. 

For your consideration, the final tally:

1. Congregation
1. Friendliness (.2/1)
2. Message
1. Topic Interest (.5/1)
2. Inspirational/Educational Value (.6/1)
3. Clarity (.7/1)
4. Applicability (.7/1)
3. Worship
1. Content (.5/1)
2. Audience Participation (.5/1)
4. Outreach
1. Community Involvement (.8/1)
2. Variety of Activities (.8/1)
5. Information
1. Accessibility (.4/1)

Total = 5.7

Evansville Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)

Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints – Evansville, IN

Out of all of the churches to review on my list, I’ve never felt as intimidated by one as this.  People hear horror stories of how Mormons react if you ridicule their beliefs, how secretive they are on some matters, and how they can sometimes be very intimidating, or aggressive, or even annoying.  The most common criticism:  “they always knock at the worst times”.  I don’t know if this is true for Mormons as a whole, but I had nothing but the most positive experience when I visited their church.  I have to say that right off the bat in case any Mormons are reading – I won’t dismiss you for your faith if you extend the same courtesy to my lack thereof.  And while this review could be marred in what I think about Mormon beliefs, I’m here to discuss my experience in the church. 

When one mentions “the Mormons”, there are a lot of pre-conceived notions that come to mind.  Some write them off quickly:  “oh, they believe in magic underwear, and God is from another planet, etc.”  If one considers the current political climate with Mitt Romney as an open Mormon, the situation is one where Mormonism has lately received a larger degree of attention.  What I have heard from critics won’t factor into this review.  For me to comment on the theological beliefs of the Mormons based on how I’ve always heard them mocked would be doing them a disservice.  They’ll be more than happy to speak with you and set some of those matters straight.  We all know, though, that Mormons are infamous for seeking out people, and some folks view their proselytization efforts as a form of harassment, but out of all the churches I have been to, they’re the most accessible and open about what they believe, as interesting or odd as outsiders may believe.

So, in an interesting game of role-reversal different from what I have experienced in the past, I went knocking on their door.  Like Gilligan, the Skipper, and all the rest – I had no idea what I was getting into on my three hour tour, but I was curious nonetheless.  In reality, I had no idea that the worship services lasted for three hours, so I didn’t know I was going to be touring for that long…but because of the length of the service(s), this review might be a bit longer.

Before I jump into my experience with the church, I want to lay some groundwork that represents the basics of Mormon belief.  Mormons, for all intents and purposes, are Christians.  Relative to Baptists, Catholics, Pentecostals, or whomever – they’re an updated version of Christianity.  However, in a point that few other Christians would admit:  they share far, far, far more similarities with other sects of Conservative Christianity than one might think.  Mormons are usually misunderstood (and even ridiculed) for the differences, but if one removed the references to the texts in the Book of Mormon or the Doctrine and Covenants that were cited this morning, to me, the scriptures basically all read like what I was raised with.  The concepts of salvation, redemption, paradise, damnation – it’s all fairly similar.  If one could draw an analogy to each branch of Christianity akin to a row of Christmas trees, Mormonism has quite a few more differing ornaments than other types of Christianity, and it’s those differences that are usually highlighted far more than the similarities.  At the heart of Mormonism, though, is the belief that Jesus Christ died for mankind’s sins.

In terms of doctrine, Mormons revere the Bible as God’s word, but they have reverence for three other texts as well:  The Book of Mormon, which is a complementary Testament of Christ alongside the Bible, the Pearl of Great Price, containing wisdom texts and other varied pieces, and the Doctrines and Covenants, which describes Joseph Smith’s on-going revelations.  Of course, Mormon’s believe that Joseph Smith received a revelation from the angel Moroni, translated golden plates, and produced the Book of Mormon, which is essentially the other half of Jewish history, Christ’s revelation to the Americas, etc.  Whether or not it is true, again, I’m not concerning myself with.  I’ve read the vast majority of the Book of Mormon, and as an Elder said to me one time:  “examine it for yourself.”

With this basic understanding in hand, I would have to describe my experience as quite different in relation to my previous ones.  Saturday afternoon, I attempted to call the church several times, and looked for a website – I couldn’t find worship times, schedules, or anything like that.  A chance encounter with a Mormon Elder/Missionary (same thing) as I was driving was how I found out what time to show up.

So, I came in Sunday morning and it would be fair to describe this church as big and bold on the outside, and somewhat modest on the inside.  The church is located near 164 and it’s a large building.  It houses two separate congregations, or wards.  Each ward services two different parts – the 9:00 a.m. ward services the north/west sides of Evansville; the 11:00 a.m. services the east/south sides of Evansville, and Newburgh.  Today’s worship service was divided into three parts:  a general worship service, Sunday School, and an adult meeting afterwards.  Physically, the inside of the church is fairly big, but there weren’t a lot of frills.  There are seats and pews enough for 200 people, and it was pretty packed.  There wasn’t a lot of imagery, but the front of the sanctuary was spacious, with a podium, with decorative plants stationed here and there.  No icons, no crosses, no imagery.

Upon entering, I had a fifteen minute wait before the service began, and I was greeted by about ten people overall.  There would have been more, but these folks and I conversed for a few minutes each.  I was welcomed by the presiding Bishop Paul Daines (the only name I’m going to give in this review), as well as the Elder I ran into on Saturday.  These people, I can’t emphasize enough, are very friendly, especially if you let them know you’re new…and curious.  They retrieved a bulletin for me, were eager to answer questions, and the Elders volunteered to sit with me and guide me to alleviate confusion.  The bulletin itself was pretty simple, mass produced from a printer, and included very few announcements.  The information provided was somewhat sparse, but the worship service was structured enough to easily follow.

Some general comments on the parishioners:  they were conservative in their dress and appearance.  The men were well-shaved with short hair in suites and ties; the women wore a wider variety of clothing, but all were what one would typically describe as “Sunday best.”  I wore a black dress shirt and black slacks; I was underdressed and stuck out.  Most folks appeared to be of middle and upper class economy.  In this case, I believe this church reflected national Mormon demographics.

During worship, I found it interesting what was not included:  tithing, meet-and-greet, special music, and preaching.  Instead, we had a welcoming, some announcements, and a number of hymns (some I recognized, most I did not).  My overall impression of the worship service is one I’ve had from churches I grew up in:  some folks were interested, some looked really bored, and the children, if they weren’t coloring or drawing, were trying to keep from falling asleep.  Some points to mention:  any motion placed before the church is agreed upon with a show of hands; the singing was really sustained, and this worship service was, overall, relatively conservative.  There was a communion of sorts, called just “the sacrament”, and it included chunks of bread and little plastic cups of water (Mormons abstain from alcohol).  Mormon worship services are typically led by the laity with the Bishop taking a very passive role.  There were three speakers – one of the Bishop’s family members, another woman, and an older gentleman.  All three used children as their topical theme.  The first spoke very fast and I didn’t catch much of what was said (and I certainly couldn’t write it down).  The second spoke quietly, was very emotional, and I caught most of what she was saying.  Her message can be summed up as “children have an inherent reverence for God, and we must protect them” (at least, that’s what I extrapolated).

The highlight for me, though, was the last speaker.  He spoke on the subject of children as well, and his presentation was quite structured and easier to follow.  He made two main points that I caught:  children have fewer inhibitions, thus they’re more open to Christ; and children’s cognitive developments impact their susceptibility to Satan’s influence.  He commented on how these factors can influence and dictate how children view the world, and how these are spiritually significant to children (and subsequently ourselves).  He was very well-spoken, but this particular speaker hit a milestone in my church rotations.  He was the very first to mention Satan.  Listening to him had me harking back to my Baptist roots because this gentleman was not shy in discussing Satan’s role in leading believers astray.  He made a comment that would rub a lot of secular folks the wrong way but it’s something many churches teach:  “we must train up our kids from a young age to avoid Satan’s influence”.  Some of my readers may automatically hear “brain washing”, but I have no opinion on the matter worth mentioning here.  He also is very much for the “child-like” attitude that Christians should have, and made a point to mention that children are protected against Satan because of their lack of cognitive abilities.  Satan attacks through one’s thoughts, those thoughts become behavior, and that behavior defines character.

We concluded with another hymn and moved on to the second hour:  Sunday School.  Latter-Day Saints typically divide their Sunday School by age and spiritual maturity (a.k.a. how long one has been a member).  I, accompanied by my two elders, was placed in a class with adults who were newer.  I took a whole page of notes on the Sunday School lesson, but I’ll try to be brief in what we discussed.  The topic of the day was Atonement – one of the core concepts revolving around Christ dying for man’s sins.  Again, like the worship service, some folks were into it, some looked bored.  I rather enjoyed it.  The general lay-out of the lesson is as follows, and for those with even a passing familiarity with Christianity, it should be easy to understand:

1. Why is Atonement necessary for our Salvation?
1. Mankind is fallen.
2. Scripture References:  Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) 76:41-42; Alma 34:9
2. Why was Jesus Christ the Only One who Could Atone for our Sins?
1. Because he was ordained by God to do so; he was perfect, sinless.
2. Scripture References:  John 10:17-18
3. Christ Suffered and Died to Atone for our Sins
1. Description of Christ’s death and the spiritual significance.
2. D&C 19:18-19; John 3:16
4. The Atonement and Resurrection
1. Physical and Spiritual Resurrection; gives man hope for reconciliation with God.
2. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Alma 11:44
5. The Atonement Makes it Possible for Those Who Have Faith in Christ to be Saved from Their Sin
1. Parable of the Creditor – Basic story:  A man falls into debt with a creditor.  When it is time for accounts to be settled, the man cannot pay his debt.  The man in debt requests mercy, but the creditor, demanding justice, throws him in jail.  Both parties are justified in their actions on the principles of justice and mercy, but with the parties involved, both concepts cannot yield to one another to the man’s detriment.  However, a third party (symbolizing Christ), steps in to pay the creditor for the man’s debt, fulfilling the element of justice, while he becomes the new creditor for the man, with much easier terms to fulfill, thus extending mercy.
2. Articles of Faith 1:3; 3 Nephi 9:21-22; Parable from Boyd K. Packer of the Council of Twelve.

Once the third hour rolled around, I joined my Elder guides to another meeting, where the Bishop’s parents both spoke on their experiences in working with the Louisville Temple.  I won’t go into too much detail on the contents of their speeches, but I will vaguely touch on some points worth mentioning.  One of them structured their testimony on the three things a person takes to heaven with them:  character, covenants, and family.  Each of these, this speaker stated, were the three most important elements a temple should provide.  Here’s where my understanding turned a bit fuzzy.  Apparently Temples are different than just regular churches, and our speaker was focusing on their particular experience in constructing and running a new one.  I thought perhaps this person was using metaphor, so I was a bit confused at a point.  This particular speaker used quite a bit of anecdotal evidence, stories of visions, and life experiences to bolster their argument.  Understanding that this person’s speech was on matters of spirituality, I understand how this talk would include quite a bit of those elements.

With the conclusion of the last hour, I thanked the Elders.  I didn’t give them any contact information (for obvious reasons), but I did obtain their business card and names.  One of them commented that I looked “moved” by the spirit…but I neglected to mention to him that I drank about ½ a pot of coffee this morning, and I was really just jittery, complimented by the usual symptoms of overdosing on caffeine (including frequent trips to the bathroom).

In order to complete this review, I do want to make some very general observations.  I enjoyed my time at the church, and out of all the places I’ve been to, here I felt the most intimidated (at first), but also very welcomed.  The Mormons, like I mentioned earlier, get a bad rap for having “whacky beliefs” and for being aggressive in their missionary work, but they’re just doing what the Bible commands them to do.  I think most Christian sects could actually learn a lesson from one of the fastest-growing denominations in the United States.  Plus, I’m aggressive in my freethinking principles, so I can’t criticize them for something I do at times.  The Elders I spoke with were pretty knowledgeable, and I pestered the hell out of them (no pun intended) with questions.  I appreciate their willingness to educate me on their faith.  I didn’t obviously tell them why I was there, but I was comfortable enough with them to mention that I was exploring faiths, and was always interested in Mormonism from the Mormon’s perspective – not their critics.  They’re not nearly as intimidating if you come to them as opposed to them coming to you.  So, for my part, I thank them for opening up their church to me – a church-going atheist with the desire to learn.

Now…for the criticisms…which I don’t have many.  The worship services are long.  I admire their dedication for those who sit through all of it.  I mentioned to them that it tested my strength to a degree, as I was used to services that last for about an hour.  I was raised in a church where people fidgeted around the 45-minute mark, so if you last the whole time, kudos to your depth of spirituality (or curiosity).  The theology of Mormonism can be really overwhelming to someone who isn’t familiar with it, and I was able to understand it only because I was raised Christian, and I research Mormonism independently.  The services were too conservative for my taste, and I felt the services were essentially an 1850s spin on the old-time religion.  Doctrine aside, this felt like I was going to a Baptist church in Kentucky.  Also, I have to dock points for not being able to find information easily.  If I hadn’t run into one of their Elders, I wouldn’t be doing this review.

1. Congregation
1. Friendliness (1/1)
2. Message
1. Topic Interest (.7/1)
2. Inspirational/Educational Value (.8/1)
3. Clarity (.7/1)
4. Applicability (.5/1)
3. Worship
1. Content (.6/1)
2. Audience Participation (.5/1)
4. Outreach
1. Community Involvement (.9/1)
2. Variety of Activities (.7/1)
5. Information
1. Accessibility (.5/1)

Total = 6.9

St. Ananias (Eastern Orthodox)

I’m going to be very honest.  I really have no idea how to review this church, but I’ll do the best with what I have.  I have to be fair in my assessment, but I’m probably going to revisit them some Sunday so I can have a better representation of what a “legitimate” worship service was like.  I have a partiality to Eastern Orthodoxy because I don’t know much about it, it’s unique compared to the churches I have been to, and I’m fascinated by their take on Christianity.  However, two things worked against me:  1) Saturday night Vespers is not an accurate representation of a “normal” worship service and 2) this particular night wasn’t quite an accurate representation of a normal Vespers meeting because the Father was sick and couldn’t show.  So, I’ve decided to give St. Ananias a temporary score that is subject to change if I’m welcomed back on a Sunday morning.

Eastern Orthodoxy, for those who don’t know, is the church that essentially split with Roman Catholicism in the Middle Ages for a few reasons – the main beef being iconography, with issues concerning language and culture thrown in for good measure.  For the Western Europeans, they continued on the path with Roman Catholicism, answering to the Pope, while Eastern Europeans, parts of Asia, and Africa carried on the Orthodox tradition of Christianity, with no ties to Roman Catholicism aside from tradition and history.

In my religious studies, I have to admit that Eastern Orthodoxy is somewhat of a gray area where I have relatively little knowledge.  I know enough to have a casual conversation, but if we start talking in-depth theological views, I’m in over my head.  So, with very little information in my hand (or in my mind), I chose to sit in on Saturday night Vespers at St. Ananias Orthodox Church.  The experience was…interesting.

I pulled up the St. Ananias around 4:45, 15 minutes before start.  I thought I was lost or in the wrong place because I was the only car in the parking lot.  I sat for around ten minutes before another family pulled up.  They welcomed me, let me in, and I talked with a few of them briefly concerning why I was there.  Out of respect, I asked if I could observe their Saturday night gathering and I was welcomed in.

Now, I’ve done a little preliminary research and the Saturday night Vespers is a prayer vigil – plain and simple.  There’s no message, there’s no offering, and very little singing on the part of the parishioners.  So, you can understand how difficult it is going to be to write this review.  In addition to those issues, the Father was sick, so the mass was one where those who showed up did their part, but it was missing the element of leadership from the priest. 

So, upon walking in, I watched the few parishioners there kneel and kiss some pictures on a podium.  I didn’t get a chance to see who they were paying reverence to until after the service, but upon the podium were three framed pictures – one of Mary (the Theotokos), one of Christ, and another of St. Moses (kind of the “Saint of the week” as I found out later).  After sitting down, a younger gentlemen introduced himself to me.  He was about my age, maybe a few years older.  I was able to field a few questions to him, and he went out of his way to gather some information for me.  St. Ananias shines, my friends, in the amount of information I was given.  I have a stack of pamphlets, a calendar with the names of the saints, a couple of business cards, and enough reading for me to keep myself busy for a while.  As a kind of an aside, the calendar is really cool – they have a Saint for every day of the week, and trying to keep their feasts and fasts in line are difficult.  It’s a great reference tool.  Anyway, after a short first discussion (there was a second where I found out that St. Ananias is named after the Christian that anointed and healed Saul/Paul after his conversion on the road to Damascus) he took to the side of the sanctuary with another young woman in the choir.

Before the start of the service, I made a few general observations about St. Ananias.  First and foremost, it is the only Eastern Orthodox Church in town.  The congregation meets in the bottom of the health building across from Schnucks on Washington.  This place, if you’re not looking for it, is easy to drive by.  I’ve been driving by it for almost a year and a half.  I was astounded to learn that the Eastern Orthodox Church I wanted to visit for so long was almost right under my nose.  They are, to their credit, looking at options for a larger place of worship, but where they are now seems proportional to the amount of folks they normally have (50 people on a good day).  The sanctuary itself is small.  It sits about 50 or 60 tops people, but it is beautiful.  I can’t offer my compliments enough to the Father and parishioners – the iconography, the pictures, the items used in worship were all wonderfully placed, and obviously taken care of.  This place culturally aroused my interest the same way the Roman Catholic Church touched my senses when I sat in on my first mass.  The icons are very overwhelming at first, but after taking it all in, St. Ananias was beautiful – plain and simple.  The lights were dimmed, it was very quiet, and when I wasn’t scribbling notes, I felt at peace.  As I told the gentlemen I was talking with, I can see a very large appeal to coming to Saturday night Vespers.  If I was a believer, and I had a stressful day and I needed a spiritual connection, I would easily come to Vespers simply because of the mood and tone set.  I commend this church on setting about a mood that encourages thoughtful prayer to Jesus Christ.  I attempted to imagine what it would look like with hundreds of people both chanting and praying.  It would’ve been a heck of an experience.

So, 5:00 rolls around, and I felt a bit awkward.  There were about ten people there, with myself making around eleven.  I sat in the back, but I still stuck out like a sore thumb.  Vespers began with chanting, and, for the most part, chanting and repetition made up the service.  If you think of a Catholic mass with just continual chanting, no genuflecting, no message, you would have a rough approximation.  The young gentlemen I spoke to earlier and the woman he was with began chanting, sometimes together, sometimes separately, and sometimes in a call-and-response format.  I complimented him after the service; for one guy and one gal doing a chant for what could have been a whole crowd, I was impressed.  Their voices helped set a tone.  It worked for me, though some of the kids were bored out of their wits, so chanting can have both positive and negative results.  However, somewhere around the latter end of the service, I was remiss that I, as an atheist, have no god to pray to, as it would have been the key to experiencing the moment to its fullest.  As an observant, I can only relate to what it may have been like, but in terms of spiritual reflection, St. Ananias definitely excels.

During the service, the Father’s wife and kids came and spoke with me.  I was attempting to follow the service through one of the Great Vespers guides I was given, but it was more a template than a word-by-word representation of what would be spoken.  I was later told this, but while I was able to follow along to a degree, I did eventually get lost.  So, having these folks to talk to was quite helpful.  As a side note, one of the kids kind of rudely touched my forehead (not a big deal – won’t fault a child for being curious), but I was able to ask some further questions.  Vespers, for what it would have been if the Father wasn’t sick, would have been a bit of a different experience.  During the normal Saturday night meeting, he would have walked around the entire room with incense – rose, lavender, myrrh, etc.  I was sorely disappointed he wasn’t there for that.  What can I say – I am a big fan of incense, and I believe it very much helps in setting particular moods.  That combined with the dimming of the lights would have been so much more beautiful.  I attempted to play the scene out in my mind, but as the Father’s wife and I both agreed – there’s no substitution for the real thing.  I was able to ask her a few questions and she was very informative and polite.

As for the chanting itself, it was mostly filled with things you would expect to hear.  Again, I can draw comparisons to a Catholic mass.  One example of something that might have been chanted:

“Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this evening without sin.  Blessed are Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is thy Name forever.  Amen. 

“Let thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, even as we have set our hope in Thee.  Blessed art Thou, O Lord; teach me thy statutes.  Blessed art Though, O master; make me to understand thy statutes.  Blessed art Thou, O Holy One; enlighten me with thy statutes.

“Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever.  Despise not the works of thy hands.  To Thee belongeth worship; to Thee belongeth praise; to Thee belongeth glory; to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.  Amen.”

The service ended with more chanting, the Lord’s Prayer, and a few other readings that I, unfortunately, couldn’t follow along with.  I was able to talk with the young gentlemen again after the service.  Now, I have to say, the folks I talked to, in general, were pretty nice, but the mood compared to other services was very different.  I was comfortable enough, at the end of the service, to tell the younger gentlemen that I was a member of the Evansville Freethinkers, though not necessarily writing on their behalf, nor of their affiliation.  I mentioned I was co-opting a project with one of my fellow Freethinkers that was, for better or worse, a book about comparative religion (which is somewhat true – that’s a large portion of it).  I was able to explain to him that I was there to watch them worship, though, for my own personal research.  I related to him my fascination with religion, my insistence to get out and observe people worshipping in their natural environment, and how I’m always open to learning.  I didn’t drop the A-word, but he did ask me if I was a Christian, to which I honestly replied ‘no’.  He looked a little apprehensive, but I played ignorant so I could get some information out of him.  He took me around, showed me some of the icons, and I was able to ask whatever questions I needed.

Some things to point out:  Eastern Orthodox folks do cross themselves, though they bow before they do it in reverence of Christ.  They kiss pictures of Christ in somewhat the same manner as Catholics would genuflect upon entering a service.  They do a Lord’s Prayer and, from everything else I caught, they are more similar to Catholics than I realized, but where they differ, they do so in abundance. 

I asked what drew my guide to the Eastern Orthodox Church.  He shared his story, essentially believing that the Eastern Orthodox Church was the one, true church with the legitimate history that can be traced all the way back to Christ.  No argument there…except Catholics claim the same.  He found it to be the best fit for him, and I understand that as a reason to join a church or community.  I told him that the Vespers was a very unique experience – and I do mean that respectfully – as I was raised with a Western Christian tradition in Protestantism.  I related that I felt a little awestruck – the same way I felt when I went to the Catholic Church.  He was also able to relate to me what type of outreach programs they had, which were few, but considering the amount of members, the programs they did have were proportionate.  St. Ananias is a small-knit community – everyone knows everyone, so it’s much more insulated than a mega-church may be.

I couldn’t tell if it was his mannerisms, but after I told him I was part of the Freethinkers, he seemed a bit…off.  I eventually asked if he wanted to ask me questions, to which he asked what “freethinking” was all about.  I explained that it was an all-encompassing term that includes anyone who self-identifies as such.  Anyone of any faith can be a freethinker, even theists if they feel their faith is based on logic and rational reasoning.  I hope that put him at ease and that he didn’t think I was just a “dirty atheist” coming to sit in on their service.  I gave him my email address, as the Father usually follows up with people, and I left.

Now, knowing what I know about Eastern Orthodoxy, I hold it in high regard.  If I was going to convert to Christianity, I would join the Eastern Orthodox Church.  I admire the sense of community, their adherence to routine, how open they are, the rigidity of their schedules – there’s a lot of structure here that most churches don’t have.  Their doors are open almost every day where someone can come in and worship.  I love the openness of this church.  However, seeing as converting would be against my senses, I’ll have to keep the Eastern Orthodox church high on my list of respected faiths in a “what-if” scenario.

So, all in all, I’m giving it a grade that’s subject to change.  I go to these places for what constitutes an average worship service.  On average, the Father isn’t sick, nor is Vespers representative of a Sunday service, so instead of faulting St. Ananias for these, I’ll give them brownie points that I’ll exchange when I go again.  The church was small, but beautiful, and the people were generally nice, if not a bit reserved.  Or, at least they came off that way.  There wasn’t the joking and such I received at the Church of Christ, which makes sense since Vespers is a somber event.  There wasn’t a message proper, but I can still rank “the message” as it pertains to what reading material I was given.  For what I did see, and what I was able to learn, I found the experience very educational:

1. Congregation
1. Friendliness (.7/1)
2. Message
1. Topic Interest (.7/1)
2. Inspirational Value (.5/1)
3. Clarity (1/1)
4. Applicability (.6/1)
3. Worship
1. Content (.6/1)
2. Audience Participation (.5/1)
4. Outreach
1. Community Involvement (.8/1)
2. Variety of Activities (1/1)
5. Information
1. Accessibility (1/1)

Total = 7.4