5 /5 Peter Roeder: Gorgeous church:
So. Many. Statues. There were candlesticks all over the grenadines (the little steps above and behind the altars), and the decoration was plentiful but controlled. Superb taste in terms of music, liturgy, decoration, and functions of priest vs. congregation. There were many different things about Mass (in the ordinary form, or English) that just made sense
The congregation waited for Father to sit down after the collect was said, right before the first reading. Similarly, they waited to stand at the Gospel until he did so. It makes for a smoother liturgy. It looks better and just made sense
The music was superb. It wasnt some stuffy music graduate from a prestigious university trying to make a congregation sing difficult music. It was simple, clean, and beautiful. It tells any visitor who walks in (me) "we know who we are, what we are capable of, and what were doing."
The organ is also perfect for the space. Nowadays, in many parishes, that same stuffy music graduate will only play on an oversized, multi-million dollar organ thats designed off of some organ Bach used to play. Either that, or there is an electric canned organ from the 1970s that makes so wretched a noise that only someone half-deaf will play it. Sacred Heart has a hybrid organ. Some of the pipes are real, and sit in the bell tower, the rest of the organ sounds were sampled from another organ, recorded, and played back at Sacred Heart to give the organ there a much fuller sound.
A lot of words to say, they have the best for the Lord that they can provide with their means. This means they can quit playing liturgy games of making slow, tedious changes trying foolishly to make everyone happy and get down to business. Mainly, evangelism and spreading the Gospel. (Our main goal)
This is what every parish should strive for and should be the model for any parish divided on how to properly celebrate the liturgy
The congregation was friendly, and I felt right at home as a visitor. At some TLM (Latin Mass) parishes, there is a loud minority of radicals who think that anyone who attends Mass in the ordinary form (English) is going to Hell. Not only is this not true, but it makes for a stuffy and exclusive congregation. Since this parish offers both English and Latin Masses, they are much more likely to avoid the potential of attracting such individuals.
10/10 recommend
