You know how a church can catch your eye and you follow it? Online churches are easy to follow, through social media. I follow several that way, digitally. But driving around, you know, you spot things. Church signs, I guess, especially when misspelled or full of innuendo.

So, I had an exercise routine that brought me past a Baptist church on a major route Sunday mornings. And I would see cars out front around 11 am and think to myself that I ought to just pull in and join up. I had visited that particular Baptist (ha-ha) church at least three Sunday mornings over the years (here and here). A woman from a Bible study I attend was a congregant but she never recognized me there, never said hello.

Recently that parking lot's been empty on Sunday morning. Even considering a possible switch of service time in observance of summer. That really caught my eye. I slowed down one rainy day for a closer look at the sign.

I emailed the pastor, asking where they were now meeting and got no response. Linkedin says he's working at a tire place and lists "pastor" among his former occupations. I contacted the woman who was a congregant and see she's moved out of state years ago. So she likely has no information about the church's closure. The folks must have gone somewhere. I just wonder where. God willing, another congregation will take over the property.

Sunday Snippets - a Catholic carnival hosted by RAnn at "This That and the Other Thing."

My two posts this week:

• Discussion of a suspected translation issue in this week's Collect at Commonweal
• Lecture sponsored by the K of C

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The first comment from Fr. O'Leary on this post at Commonweal identifies a "glaring heresy" in the Collect for this Trinity Sunday. After reading the Collect myself, I couldn't spot it, despite the Athanasian Creed being my favorite.

A deacon turned up an explanation of the heresy from the Pray Tell blog. And the deacon also remembered a theological problem in the EPIV of the 1970 translation that had been corrected. So there is precedent for correcting translation flubs, especially in this case where there is no Latin to stand behind it.

Here's Deacon Jim Pauwels's comment, with a quotation from Fr. McNamara archived at EWTN¹ -

For those who are interested, here is what I was recalling regarding the problem in the old translation of EPIV - it is somewhat similar to that of the Trinity collect under discussion. This is Rev. Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University. as quoted by Felix Just, SJ:

A more delicate problem arose from an English reader who asks:

The difficulty that I, as a mere layman, have with this Preface [of Eucharistic Prayer IV] is that it clearly and most obviously, in English, denies the divinity of Our Blessed Lord and of the Holy Spirit. It starts: "Father in heaven, it is right that we should give you thanks and glory: you alone are God, living and true." Is not this heresy? I know good priests here in England who never use this Eucharistic prayer now. It has to be said, by the way, that all this kind of thing simply causes confusion among the poor laity. Priests and, indeed, bishops should remember the laity when they consider the liturgy. We do not all have degrees in theology; mine is in English and I can, therefore, understand the meaning of words in that language.

Far be it from me to accuse the liturgy of heresy. But our reader certainly has a point that we are before a less-than-adequate translation. Indeed, if I am not mistaken, this translation was corrected in the missals used in the United States and now reads "you are the one God, living and true."

http://www.ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur107.htm

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¹ I haven't tracked down where Fr. Felix mentions this.

A week ago, I attended a lecture offered by a "dynamic Catholic evangelist," sponsored by the local K of C. I entered late and almost turned right around, because the crowd was so aged. It was my birthday, and I'm beginning to see a need to be more choosy with how I spend my time.

Against my better judgment, I stayed because I genuinely desired to hear what the write-up in the paper said would be discussed. Sometimes the write-up doesn't match what the speaker says. This was one of those times. It came across as a bit of a Catholic pep-rally but nothing like Fr. James Martin.

Right before the break, the speaker said that church attendance is down. And that churches are turning to gimmicks in an attempt to attract people. In a disparaging way, he described the introduction of popular music, hand-clapping and friendly fellowship. This prompted me to counter with what I've come to see as a major gimmick: the return of traditional Catholic liturgies and practices.

I described my observation of the Pontifical Mass celebrated last November. As I talked, it occurred on me that some of these K of C members had also likely been at the mass. So after removing my foot from my mouth, I acknowledged that. My criticism wasn't towards them so much. I know they've always been what they are. But the liturgy was a spectacle, a show, a titillation for the laity. My point was - and I stated this clearly - that something doesn't have to be new to be a gimmick. A gimmick can be made of something very old.

Now, my comments elicited from a man in front a put-down, "You don't understand the Latin Mass!" For that, a man next to him punched him in the arm and told him to shut up. Afterwards, the man who had done the punching talked with me at length about the sad state of Catholic religious education. Present company excluded, I'm sure.

But that's my new take. With Corpus Christi coming up. And I've never liked beer.

Sunday Snippets - a Catholic carnival hosted by RAnn at "This That and the Other Thing."

My post this week: Casual conversation uncovers religious hostility



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It's everywhere, isn't it?

After swimming and showering, I struck up a conversation with a kind-looking elderly woman in the high school locker room. We both remarked on how empty the pool had been, but chalked it up to the mild weather and the upcoming Mother's Day weekend. "It's practically a national holiday!" she said.

She spoke of her habit of visiting the Jersey Shore for Mother's Day with friends from Philadelphia. "There might not be much to look at this time, though they are making progress." They are indeed.

Then she mentioned Spring Lake. "You know, the Irish Rivera."

And how she'd once taken friends Margaret and Rose Murphy (emphasis hers, eyebrows raised) from Philadelphia and showed them t-shirts for sale on the boardwalk with the phrase "Irish Rivera" to prove it to them.

"The Kellys had a house there, you know, from Philadelphia? Grace Kelly?"

Well, who doesn't know? Poor Princeton lady, sandwiched between Catholic Philadelphia and the Catholic Jersey Shore.

Sunday Snippets - a Catholic carnival hosted by RAnn at "This That and the Other Thing."

My post this week: Concerns over priest misconduct in the diocese



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