Abby Amstutz - Church Visit #2

Church Name: St. John Cantius Church

Church Address: 825 N Carpenter St, Chicago IL 60642

Date Attended: Sunday, April 17, 2016

Describe the worship serve you attended. How was it similar to or different from your regular context?

Accompanied by Michael, Brady, Darren, and Jess, I attended the Tridentine High Mass at St. John Cantius Church this afternoon. The “Extraordinary Form of the Mass,” as it is referred to, was remarkably different than my customary, low-Anglican context. Although I had heard individual components of the Latin Mass sung before, divorced from an ecclesial context, to hear them all together in their proper form and order, arranged around the celebration of the Eucharist, was an experience far more profound and sacred. The church itself, built in the Baroque style and completed in 1898, was beautifully gilded and opulently ornate, intricately painted with images of Christ, the apostles, the saints, and the faithful, all unmistakably very Western European in both features and apparel. Although elements of the service loosely reflected that which I was used to (the procession of the cross, the presentation of the host, and even the use of incense), the entire aura at St. John’s was distinct in its heavy solemnity and grave silence.

What aspects of Roman Catholic theology did you notice expressed in the service?

Two aspects of Roman Catholic theology were particularly apparent: the church as an institution, and the church as the keeper of sacred tradition. I was struck by the wide breach that seemed to separate the priest and the laity. Not only was this chasm fixed by the use of Latin in the liturgy, but most markedly by the dearth of direct laity participation, limited to a few responses and the reception of the host. Indeed, most of the liturgy (intercessory prayers before and after Eucharist, for example) was recited by the priest either silently or at a volume too low for the people to hear. It seemed as if anything of any importance during the service was being accomplished by the priest at the front, and the laity in the pews were inconsequential, merely an accessory. Secondly, I especially noticed the faithful preservation of the liturgical tradition by the Latin Mass. Although such a lack of variance from Sunday to Sunday rubs against my Protestant sensibilities, I acknowledge the beauty and sacred solemnity of these words that have united the faithful across the centuries.

What aspects of Scripture or theology did the worship service illuminate for you that you had not perceived as clearly in your regular context?

One thing I particularly noticed was the distinctive use of song within the Catholic tradition. Protestant services may be divided loosely into worshipping God through singing and receiving God’s Word through the sermon. However, at Mass, there is no such bifurcation. The most important parts of the liturgy are sung, either by a choir, or in Gregorian chant by a cantor. Yet this singing is nothing like spontaneous, individualized Protestant “worship.” Rather, it is the proclamation of truth. In that way, singing is not isolated to a “worship” capacity; it is the defender and preserver of the Church’s creeds. Likewise, worship is not isolated to singing, for the whole Mass is an offer of worship to God. In this way I believe Roman Catholic theology holds a better conception of human embodiment. We are not merely minds, but are profoundly affected by our senses. Therefore, a theology of worship that is integrative of mind and body, intellect and senses, more appropriately acknowledges the way God created humankind.