The New Parish

We are blessed to have a Catholic parish 1/4 mile from our house. It is a very vibrant and diverse community. Catholics from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Vietnam, the Philippines are part of the normal life of the parish. As our family grows, it will most likely be a wonderful place to raise our children.

That being said, we have been completely underwhelmed during mass so far. We were extremely blessed at Holy Cross in Maryland to have a music director and a priest who collaborated to provide parishioners with the very best the Church has to offer in terms of music and ritual. Christ the King in Dallas also had a talented music director and a church that properly oriented parishioners interiorly and exteriorly in the celebration of the mass.

The mass at St. Joseph's is filled with every cliche invented since the advent of the vernacular mass: friendly, ad-libbing celebrants, inclusive language, folk guitar accompaniments, chirpy mass setttings, children's liturgy (with accompanying Sesame Street hymn), bad jokes, a preponderance of extraordinary ministers, an underwhelming altar presentation, and clapping.

The blame starts at the top and works its way down. The church actually has a beautifully constructed organ that is sparingly used. The choir is fully staffed, but is stuck singing hymns written and published by Oregon Catholic press. There is a beautiful, eastern-style crucifix hanging behind the altar, but it is surrounded by empty space. There are plenty of altar servers, but they are barely used during the mass.

Unless the pastor (who has been there since 1995) or the music director leave, I don't see much hope for the future. We will continue to pray that they utilize more of the rich tradition of the Church and stop trying to serve us McDonald's every week.