On March 10th, I went to St. Judes church in Rochester Illinois to attend a mass service. The service started at 10:30 and lasted until about 12:00. I went with my friend who attended that church on a regular basis, so she walked me through what was happening throughout the service. Throughout the service, I made many observations that helped me understand the early church more. Through the reference of Pliny, Justin and Didache I was able to see ideas that were reflected in the mass. I will also be sharing how I made connections to the Early Church and what I liked and did not care for in the service. At the beginning of the service the choir stood in the front and lead the congregation in singing. The songs were found in a book in front of the pew, but most people …show more content…
I enjoyed listening to the choir, because all though I enjoy the contemporary music that is played at my church with a band, it was nice to just enjoy some quiet and calming music. However, the whole mass service made me feel highly uncomfortable. My initial exposure to the mass was walking into the room and having it be dead silent. There was no fellowship taking place, which made me feel even more out of place. It was not as inviting as other churched I have attended, but I could really see the structure and formality of it throughout the service. I believe that this assignment has been very beneficial for me that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and that I was able to get an education out of it as well. I was able to not only read about the elements and practices of the Catholic church, but witnessing it had a huge impact on me because I was able to connect the dots for myself. It was very interesting to see how Pliny, Justin and the Didache easily fit in with that one service. As well as being able to point out what I liked and did not care for during the mass