Unsmiling disbelief

Sunday evening (bilingual) Mass at St. Cecilia’s in Los Fresnos, TX was— how do I put this delicately— interesting and unlike anything Steven and I had ever experienced before.  While the setting was lovely and inviting with lots of concrete benches in the churchyard and parishioners were cordial and glad to see visitors, the pastor was such an outlier that we didn’t know whether to be amused or concerned.

After Mass, I googled the priest on my tablet the moment we got back to our vehicle.  I wanted to understand why we’d been subjected to such unorthodox behavior during Mass.  The man read the day’s written gospel interspersed with his own personal statements!  Who does that?

To make matters worse, the homily was tasteless and totally bizarre.  Was the priest having an off day?  Was he drunk?  Was he high?  Was this his usual comportment— or just theatrics for effect?  We were appalled!

Sitting on the fifth pew on the left before the ambo, I sat there in unsmiling disbelief as my mind wandered momentarily.  What would Bishop Danny say?  Does he know?  Has anyone checked on the parish?  Don’t priests get evaluated the way teachers do?  Or is any priest better than none?  I missed Fr. George’s power-packed homily back home, but I’d appreciate him that much more soon enough.

Having visited a plethora of sacred spaces in my lifetime, I’ve seen and heard things that make me wonder how good people put up with what they face day in and day out within their parishes.  And, while I’ve never asked about church dynamics outright— it’s not my place to do so— I’ve been told by some that they’ve “prayed for years” for a good, down-to-earth, welcoming priest instead of one who resents his assignment.  But, we’ve also delighted in beautiful celebrations that make us want to belong.  So, except for mentally preparing for the photo opportunities— statues, stained-glass windows, stations of the cross— we remain open-minded, curious, and so eager to experience a new church community that we count the days until our initial encounter.

Like looking ahead to a blind date set up by a good friend, we hope for a memorable first impression— the church, the people, the priest— that will remain with us going forward.  That said, our first and most likely only visit to St. Cecilia’s was disheartening and concerning.  How can a priest be so irreverent during the gospel reading and so disrespectful during the homily and then, after Mass, parishioners smile and talk with the priest as if all is well?

The implications are many!  A small town has just one Catholic church, sometimes only a mission, so options are limited.  Parishioners have no say about abusive priests; only the bishop can intervene.  Priests come and go, but parishioners remain.  They are the real church, steadfast and true.  And, in the case of St. Cecilia’s, parishioners love their church and say so on their facebook page which, all on its own, makes us wonder if we might try Mass again, in English next time, to get a different perspective.

          

           

           

           

       

     

          

          

          

     

    

Prayer

Light of the World, enlighten our minds with wisdom and enkindle our hearts with compassion.  Let our moments of blindness be brief and instructive, so that we may never truly lose vision but, rather, gain insight as we seek to serve you in our brothers and sisters.  We ask this in your most holy name (Larry Livingston from Unbound).

O glorious St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr, you won the martyr’s crown without renouncing your love for Jesus, the delight of your soul.  We ask that you help us to be faithful in our love for Jesus so that, in the communion of the saints, we may praise him twice in our song of rejoicing for the blood that he shed which gave us the grace to accomplish his will on earth.

Quote

Arise, soldiers of Christ!  Throw away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light (St. Cecilia)

Links of interest…  St. Cecilia: about / her angel / Nov 22 / novena (more) / patron of music / prayer…  Help my unbelief…  St. Cecilia Church: facebook / Mass times / videos…

WP posts…  Afternoon Mass…  Angels keeping watch…  Full circle…  Mary’s Immaculate Heart…  Our Lady Star…  St. Benedict’s