Cathedral parishes - impersonal and unfriendly?

ICTHUS · 09-13-2004, 09:12 PM

Has anyone else here attended a Cathedral parish? If so, have you found that you sort of get lost in the congregation, and sort of like it's large and impersonal? This is just something I noticed when I was RCC and wondered if anyone else here had had a similar experience.

P3chrmd · 09-13-2004, 10:23 PM

Not really, I rather enjoy the beautiful larger parishes! They are so awsome! All the art and beauty helps to really concentrate your mind on God! To me, the more people the better. I fell more part of an awsome body of believers.

Pennypacker11 · 09-14-2004, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ICTHUS

Has anyone else here attended a Cathedral parish? If so, have you found that you sort of get lost in the congregation, and sort of like it's large and impersonal? This is just something I noticed when I was RCC and wondered if anyone else here had had a similar experience.

I absolutely love large Cathedral Masses but as it is with any large church service, it is easy to get lost in the crowd. It is large. Is it impersonal. Well, first, it is not individualistic, as many non-denominational churches are. I think that is one reason that it may come off as impersonal, the point of mass is not to give an individualistic emotional rush. However, I think that most parishes offer things outside of the mass that remove the sense of the parish being large and impersonal.

goldenchild · 09-14-2004, 01:10 PM

Cathedral Masses are wonderful I think. Everything is so beautiful and makes a point to show the importance of the Mass and the Eucharist. I'm not knocking on other Masses. I normally go to a Mass at a very "charismatic" Church. It caters to converts and people who enjoy Protestant services and music and such. But the Cathedral Masses are really cool. And yeah, they can seem impersonal, but I don't really think that's the point of Mass anyways. We don't go to mass to congregate with friends. It's not a social event. We go to take part in the sacrifice of the Mass to the best of our ability with the rest of the faithful.

kepha · 09-14-2004, 01:28 PM

Being a spectator in a service, (or Mass for that matter) is boring.
Being a participant in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not.

If being entertained and having your social needs met brings you closer to God, knock yourself out.

But unless you eat of the Flesh of the son of man, and drink His Blood...well, He is waiting for you. But then again, you don't need the inconvenience of being made worthy to consume a symbol.

kepha

kepha · 09-14-2004, 01:50 PM

G.K. Chesterton once said that the best argument against Christianity is Christians. That is certainly true of Catholicism. Pope John Paul II, putting it politely, says, “The Catholic Church does not forget that many among her members cause God’s plan to be discernible only with difficulty.” (Ut Unum Sint, 11). But is that really an argument against the truth of the faith? I don’t see how. To argue that Catholicism is untrue because it doesn’t transform the lives of those who don’t practice it, is like arguing that aspirin doesn’t work because it doesn’t relieve the headaches of those who don’t take it.

"My family claims to be Catholic, but they don’t take it seriously, either."

Try to remember that many people are Catholic by default. If you ask them what they are, they’ll say, “Oh, I’m Catholic.” But what they mean is, “My ancestors were Catholic.” It’s more an ethnicity than a religion for some people. It’s what they are, not what they believe.

"I agree with the basic teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church. But, I am still in the Baptist church. That is because I don’t see enough fruits coming from the Catholic Church."

Actually, it’s an individual (not a church) that’s supposed to produce good fruit. A church can only proclaim the Gospel and introduce people to the One Who alone can make them bear fruit, but it can’t make people believe its teachings, and it can’t make people live its life. Good fruit, then, is how we tell if an individual is a faithful disciple. The fact is, you can find plenty of good fruit in the Catholic Church, and you can find plenty of good fruit in the various Protestant churches, too. And that’s because the secret to bearing fruit is to have a living, vital relationship with Jesus Christ, who is the source of all grace and life. And because the Catholic Church has been endowed with the fullness of the means of grace that Christ established, a Catholic is able to have the closest possible relationship with Jesus, including even the reality of physical communion with Him.

But notice I say, “is able to have,” not “is guaranteed to have.” ...

more at:
http://www.catholiceducation.org/art...cs/ap0103.html

kepha

Robbi · 09-14-2004, 07:15 PM

I have to agree with you Kepha, in my up bringing, and I think its similar with alot of European backgrounds (that I have come across), that its more to do with ethnicity than religion. ie. Croation=catholic, Serbian=orthodox....then they fight each other???????????????????????????????????????????????????

Anyway back on topic, i havnt been to a cathedral mass but have always wanted to go to one especially for Christmas or Easter....with the big occasions such as the above...try finding your friends and family afterwards outside! Its hard enough with the smaller parishes.

ICTHUS · 09-14-2004, 07:34 PM

Kepha, and others: I wasn't arguing against the communal nature of the Eucharistic liturgy - this, I affirm (even as a Protestant!)

What I was instead point out was that I have observed that cathedral parishes are not as tight-knit of a community of faith as smaller parishes.

kepha · 09-14-2004, 10:38 PM

Ichtus, I agree with you. It appears impersonal mostly due to the volume. Kinda like living in a large city as opposed to a small town. But it comes down to what you make it. The more social elements are found in the activities listed in the bulliten and the posting board at the back of the church. Friendships need to be fostered. People should know one another. For the most part, they do. I think every cathedral has a web site

kepha

goldenchild · 09-15-2004, 02:14 AM

Icthus in what you are saying I think I can definitely agree. Cathedrals and the services there do seem impersonal. They are big and cathedrals are now normally located in big cities where people don't know each other. I do know about how some(probably many) Protestant churches where I have had friends that went to, seemed to be more tightknit and everybody knew everybody. This is something that bugs me that many Catholic churches are like that, that there isn't always much of a family atmosphere. But there are both spectrums of course, there are many Catholic churches in small towns and countrysides where everybody knows everybody and it's all cool like that, I've been to a few(my grandmother lives in the country...) But yeah, as far as Cathedrals go you're right.

mmiskie · 09-20-2004, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldenchild

Icthus in what you are saying I think I can definitely agree. Cathedrals and the services there do seem impersonal. They are big and cathedrals are now normally located in big cities where people don't know each other. I do know about how some(probably many) Protestant churches where I have had friends that went to, seemed to be more tightknit and everybody knew everybody. This is something that bugs me that many Catholic churches are like that, that there isn't always much of a family atmosphere. But there are both spectrums of course, there are many Catholic churches in small towns and countrysides where everybody knows everybody and it's all cool like that, I've been to a few(my grandmother lives in the country...) But yeah, as far as Cathedrals go you're right.

If you are a member of a large parish community, just going to Mass on Sunday may seem impersonal. But in this case it is really up to you to take the innitiative. Once you involve yourself in ministries or other organizations of the church you will meet others, make friends, and really enjoy your membership in the body. Remember...the church, on a global scale, is really huge ! You are a part of the body of Christ. Start functioning as such....a cell among billions....remember Paul's teaching about the parts of the body serving the entire being. I learned this personally. It was more about me and my attitudes getting corrected, than about the parish as a huge entity. I had to come to understand that first.

goldenchild · 09-23-2004, 02:07 AM

yeah.

2ManArmy · 10-07-2004, 01:54 PM

As far as Mass goes, it doesn't really matter what social standards are met, because Mass is more important than any of that. But I can understand someone having a concern about wanting to take part in activities outside of Mass at their parish and having a hard time if the church congregation was impersonal. I have found small parishes very impersonal, and big ones warm and inviting, while I have also found that sometimes it's vice versa. So I guess it just depends, really.

ICTHUS · 11-26-2004, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2ManArmy

As far as Mass goes, it doesn't really matter what social standards are met, because Mass is more important than any of that. But I can understand someone having a concern about wanting to take part in activities outside of Mass at their parish and having a hard time if the church congregation was impersonal. I have found small parishes very impersonal, and big ones warm and inviting, while I have also found that sometimes it's vice versa. So I guess it just depends, really.

Of course the focal point of the Church's worship is the Lord's Supper, in which we renew our Covenant with Christ in the memorial of His saving death. However, the Church is also a community of believers who are to spur one another towards the goal of Eternal Life - as such, if a sense of community is lacking, in one sense the parish is deficient

2ManArmy · 11-29-2004, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ICTHUS

Of course the focal point of the Church's worship is the Lord's Supper, in which we renew our Covenant with Christ in the memorial of His saving death. However, the Church is also a community of believers who are to spur one another towards the goal of Eternal Life - as such, if a sense of community is lacking, in one sense the parish is deficient

Which is why I said "as far as Mass goes".
God bless.