Catholic Weddings

Poll: Your Parish

Tell us about your parish!

How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?  

How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?  

How are they at giving inspiring homilies?  

What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?  

What is the architectural style of your church
?     

What do you love about your parish?                               

What would you like to see improved at your parish?                     

Re: Poll: Your Parish

  • We have four Sunday masses - vigil on sat. Night, 0830, 1030, and 1230. They're all Novus Ordo, and 1030 tends to be the "family mass" since they have the nursery open then We have two priests, but I've only met one. They don't trade off the masses like most parishes, and we only go to 1030. The priest I'm familiar with is young, but I don't know much else about him. We haven't lived here long. We also have 3 deacons and a seminarian. He generally gives good homilies. Sometimes gets long-winded though. The architectural style is pretty bland. The building is round but the sanctuary is t-shaped. There's really not much exciting about it. I come from NY, where all of our churches are old with high ceilings, marble floors, etc... I've not been impressed with the newer churches in the flyover states. I do like the mission style ones in the southwest and CA though. I don't really love anything yet, I'm still trying to get settled and get to feeling like our parish is home. We have several groups. There are study groups, divorce and abortion support groups, prayer shawl ministry, etc... The bulletin is like four pages long listing all the groups.
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  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered? Six all together:   2 Sat eve masses (one in Spanish), 4 Sun masses (one EF High Mass, one OF High Mass, One Spanish, one OF Low Mass)

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?   We have four. One is actually married (converted Anglican) and he is a teacher at a private school, another is also a high school teacher at a religious school.

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies?   They are all really inspiring and definitely have very distinct styles. Our pastor is very firm and strong and such a leader, the married priest is very theological and can be dramatic, the other priest that is a teacher is truly great at teaching. I love his homilies bc I feel like he explains some of the hardest concepts so simply. The fourth can sometimes be hard to follow. He makes excellent arguments but they sometimes feel disconnected to one another.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in? A variety of choirs, bible study groups, altar boys, handmaidens of the altar, prayer groups, womens groups, youth groups, gospel of life group, legion of mary  

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?   Ours is traditional gothic and is currently under renovations, mainly repainting at this point.   

    What do you love about your parish? I love the community of people. They all seem to truly embrace the faith. Our priests are excellent leaders and are very wise. Obviously, I personally enjoy that they have instituted the traditional liturgy and I think the choirs and music are exceptional.                               

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?   I wish it would physically move closer to where we live - lol! We currently drive 30-40 min to get there. It is possible that we will move closer to the parish when we buy a house. I'd also love for them to have an EF Low Mass. There is a parish nearby that does this, and we will go every now and then. Sometimes a low mass is good for the soul.         
  • Ok Riss, I am just peeking in, but I'm interested in this Catholic Priest who is married. Maybe I just don't understand, but I didn't think that was possible? Or maybe I'm just not understanding, so explain this to the very confused person! :
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  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?   
    3 weekend masses, 1 Saturday afternoon and 2 on Sunday, they just started having biweekly adoration at the beginning of the year.

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?   
    We just have 1 priest and he was in the Air Force before becoming a priest.

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies?   
    I don't personally enjoy his homilies, he is very scripture based and I prefer a homily that makes me think and not a history lesson.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?   
    They have a lot of different volunteer groups and fairly active youth ministry.

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?      
    The church is very 1960's looking, clicky, it is very unique looking.

    What do you love about your parish?
    I love the community atmosphere, I grew up in this parish and always felt comfortable there.                                

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?
    I wish attendence would go up, whenever a priest or pastor leaves some parishoners go with them.
  • edited April 2013
    How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?   5:00 on Saturday, 8:00, 9:30 and 11:30 on Sundays, all Low Masses

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background? One, and we may have to start sharing him.  He grew up in the parish and it will be his last assingment before he retires in 6 years.

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies? He is great.  I have never fallen asleep :) and most of the time it seems like he is speaking directly to me.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in? I don't know them all - youth, Altar Society, St Vincent de Paul, prayer chain, bible study, missions, caregiving,  knitting group, children's choir, adult choir, "guitar" group,

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?   Lombardy – Italian Romanesque Revival

    What do you love about your parish? how everyone is welcomed and how caring they are. Father has been there for me for my annulment, my Anointing of the Sick, and my wedding. oh, and I can walk there!

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?      more attendance and involvement
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  • In Response to Re:Poll: Your Parish:[QUOTE]Tell us about your parish!How many and what kind of weekly masses Sat Eve/Sun are offered? Only two. 8 and 10 am

    nbsp;nbsp; How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?

    just one, and honestly I don't know him well. He can seem very busy, but i think it's just his personality. He always talks to me and I don't feel like he doesn't care, bit he does give off that hurried vibe. nbsp;nbsp; How are they at giving inspiring homilies? I am not sure I would say he is always inspiring, but the homilies are usually quite good and he does like to use jokes to keep people listening.nbsp;nbsp; What church groups are available for parishioners to participate in? Honestly, maybe 4? It is a super small parish, and there just isn't much. A choir, a community group, Knights of Columbus, and I think a children's choir just started. There may be a few more, but it is very small. nbsp;nbsp; What is the architectural style of your church? It is a small pretty bare Church. Very unlike what I am used to. nbsp; nbsp;nbsp; What do you love about your parish?It is the first Catholic ChurchI ever attended that felt so loving. I never felt like I was home until I went to this Church. It is also the first African American Catholic Church that was ever in the area. It's very influenced by African Heritage and even though I am far from knowing much about the African culture it is such a loving and open church, and rich in history and roots. They often have some of the most amazing music. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; What would you like to see improved at your parish? I wish there were more activities to be involved in and I wish it was funded better. It's in a pretty poor area and it needs a lot of work and updates and the parish just can't afford it. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Posted by Riss91[/QUOTE]
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  • Fun!

    How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?  
    Weekdays there are two morning Masses each day, and one morning Mass on Saturdays.  And then Sunday we have one on Sat evening, and 5 on Sunday (including one Spanish Mass).  

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?    4 priests officially are at our parish.  One of the priests speaks in tongues!  I've never seen it, though.  There are some other priests who frequently hear confessions/say Mass at our parish. 

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies
    ?  
    Each of our priests has different strengths, and I enjoy them all, really.  My pastor is my favorite though.  He kinda reminds me of Pope Francis.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?  
    Way too many to name.  Very active youth and theatre program.  Charismatic prayer group.  Lots of different seminars are always going on.  KofC.  Legion of Mary.  Pro-life group.  Lots of ways to get involved.

    What is the architectural style of your church?     
    It's not super traditional, but it's not super "mod" either.  It's a very open setup, with a 3/4 thrust sanctuary.  It's all wood or white...simple but beautiful.  Tabernacle is front and center. The outside looks pretty traditional, though, with a bell tower and stained glass. 

    What do you love about your parish?                               
    I like the community at my parish.  It's just very welcoming and feels like home.  And maybe this is bad, but I feel like a lot of other parishes around here have really bad music. I like that my parish has a great music director and talented musicians/singers!

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?       
    I'd like to see more confession times offered, especially for those who can't make morning confession times.  I'd also like to see the option of Latin Mass, or even just a more traditional English Mass, with incense and Gregorian Chant.

     

  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?   
    There's one Saturday evening, then two Sunday morning masses.  I've been to all three and they are usually packed!

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?   
    Only one.  He is the director of seminarians for our diocese and always has interesting stories about working in the diocesan office.

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies?   
    Really great.  He did a series on the various vocations where he talked about his personal journey in becoming a priest and I don't think there was a dry eye in the room.  He gets incredibly impassioned and makes you feel like you're the only person in the room and he's talking right to you.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?   
    We have KOC, Women's Group, Altar Society, Stephen Ministry, and a few others.

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?
    Honestly, the first time I was there, I thought the church had bought an abandoned Baptist church and remodeled it.  It's grown on me, but I miss the beautiful marble work and classic architechture of the parish where we were married.      

    What do you love about your parish?                                
    Everyone is so dang friendly.  We haven't had much luck finding anyone our own age to see outside of mass, but you never meet someone who doesn't have a smile and a kind word for you.

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?     
    I'm really unimpressed with our women's group.  It lacks any real focus, and when the leader stepped down, NO ONE volunteered to take her place.  They've had some good speakers, but things usually just devolved into gossip-fests.
    I'd also like to see some more young married or just straight up couples' events or groups.  H and I are hoping to get involved in marriage ministry soon.
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  • Ambybambi1125Ambybambi1125 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited April 2013
    How many and what kind of weekly masses Sat Eve/Sun are offered? 8a weekday mass Saturday 4:00p Sunday 8:30/10:30a services How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background? 3 priests, we are very shortstaffed and these 3 priests rotate between three different more rural parishes How are they at giving inspiring homilies? Our main priest, the one who I went through RCIA with and who is marrying us, is great. I knew he was the priest for us when he chose to give a bold homily on abortion on Christmas Day. What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in? Most groups are geared towards school aged children and a few high school programs, not very much for adults that I am aware of. What is the architectural style of your church? Small not sure what the style would be calledId call it traditional What do you love about your parish? I love the families, the smiling faces, the way the sunlight comes through the windows during mass, sadly their choir leaves a lot to be desired, but they try their darndest. What would you like to see improved at your parish? The choir program
  • Ash - he was formerly an Episcopan priest (sorry, I said Anglican by mistake) and they are allowed to be married. He coverted to Catholicism when Pope Benedict announced the formation of an American "ordinariate," or special diocese for Episcopal congregations that want to move to Roman Catholicism (driven largely by Episcopalianism's liberal drift). These congregations, the pope ruled, could keep some of their Anglican liturgy. More significantly, a small but sizable number of married Episcopal priests became married Catholic priests.

    FWIW, he's spoken a lot about his experience and how he doesn't believe it is good for priests to married. Basically, you are married to the Church AND to your wife - it's dfficult to fulfil your obligations to both "families" without neglecting the other...
  • Well... the parish we usually attend isn't technically our home parish at which we're registered... but it will work for this :)

    How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?   
    One Saturday 5pm anticipatory, two Sunday morning and one Sunday evening Lifeteen Mass.

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?
    Two priests: one pastor and one associate pastor.  The associate pastor is from Vietnam and makes delicious eggrolls and has sewn some of his own vestments!
        
    How are they at giving inspiring homilies ?  
    Both are very good... they are by no means theological treatises that I was accustomed to at my home parish, but they both are very down to earth and give profound, yet simple lessons in their homilies.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?  
    They apparently have a really popular faith formation program that draws from a lot of parishes in the area!  I don't know this from personal experience, though...   They also have perpetual adoration, Cursillo, bible studies, social justice outreach and an active NET ministries youth group.

    What is the architectural style of your church?  
    It's pretty modern with pews fanned out from the altar and a massive music section adjacent to the altar... the tabernacle is on the other side of the altar back in a perpetual adoration chapel.  They did incorporate a fair amount of wood and stained glass, so that helps warm it up and make it feel more church-like.    

    What do you love about your parish? 
    It is nearby and they have a lot of great adult faith formation opportunities that my husband and I have taken advantage of.  DH's mom has also worked there for 20+ years, so it's kinda his home base.           

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?    
    The music isn't to my personal preference and is a bit stuck in the 70's at the regular Sunday morning Masses!  Bring on the organ and gregorian chant, please :)  I can live with it, though... that's honestly my only complaint besides that it would be nice to bring the tabernacle back onto the altar.

  • Priestly celibacy is a discipline, not doctrine. Eastern churches allow married priests (have to marry first, then be ordained). 
  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?
    One Saturday evening, two traditional Sunday morning, and one Spanish mass on Sunday.  
    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?  
    Just one, plus a deacon. Our priest wasn't baptized as a baby and had one Catholic parent and one Lutheran parent. He is also really outdoorsy. He showed up to our first meeting in a track suit, having just come in from a hike. Didn't even have his collar on. FI and I had dressed up really nicely to make a good impression and look older, so it was especially surprising.

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies?  
    Great! He gives a lot of historical background, which is really helpful. And there have been so many times when he's been giving a sermon that applies to something in my life and I'm just like, "Oh, my God, I get it!"

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?  
    Mostly choirs, but also yoga and prayer shawls and stuff like that. I'm not active outside of the college community, so I'm not sure.

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?  
    It's modern, but it's a brick building, so it is still very nice.  

    What do you love about your parish?                    
    The priest. He's great. He's the reason we're getting married there (since it is nowhere near as convenient as FI's church. Also just how friendly everyone is (but that's true of all churches I've been to).          

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?    
    There isn't a crying room or anywhere for kids to go during mass unless the parents decide to remove the kids. I don't know what it is about this church that the babies are so loud. I went to Easter service at FI's church and there were TONS of babies, didn't hear a peep. But so frequently at my church I can't hear anything because the babies and kids are skwaking.
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  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered ?  we have 3; Saturday evening and 2 on Sunday mornings.
    How many priests are in the regular rotation? We have 1 priest
    Anything interesting about their background ?   Not that I'm aware of
    How are they at giving inspiring homilies ?   Sometimes they're great, sometimes not. Overall he does a wonderful job. The few I've disliked are when they get on specific political topics that are of concern nationally at the moment.
    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in ?  There are tons of groups, constantly. Mens groups, womens groups, prayer groups, we have a knitters group where they pray as they crochet blankets for the elderly and infermed; tons of groups, really.
    What is the architectural style of your church ?  Our church USED to be a little stone/brick/stained glass building that I was in love with; I wanted to get married in that church. A handful of years ago they built a new church on the site, and turned the old church in to classrooms in the parish school. The high ceiling got an officey drop ceiling, and now some classrooms have pretty stained glass windows. While I love my pairsh and the new church is still growing on me; I miss my old church. 
    What do you love about your parish ? I love the people... they're just fantastic
    What would you like to see improved at your parish? I honestly wish they were more accepting/kind. While I do love the people, as I said, often I feel that they quickly look down their noses at others who they think are "different". Also, we have a lot of people who come to church only on holidays, or on Sundays, but then are jerks the rest of the year. 
    Praying for a miracle!
  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?   
    We have 1 on Sat Eve, 2 Sun AM (9 & 11) and a Chinese Mass Sunday Eve at 5:30

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?   

    1 weekday, 1 Sunday Celebrant, 1 Deacon.  Our Sunday Celebrant flies out to us in San Diego from DC every weekend, then flies back after Mass on Sunday.  He works in DC, I think helping to head up the chaplains for the military or something.  Our Pastor is Irish, and goes home (Ireland) every summer to visit.

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies?   

    I enjoy their homilies, and generally find them quite inspiring

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?   

    I'm not sure exactly all the church groups we have, but I know there are quite a few, including some at the diocesan level, like a young adult group that crosses several parishes.  We also have KofC, Healing Prayer, bible study groups and prayer groups among others.


    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?      

    Not sure on the specifics.  It's fairly new (completed within the past 6 years), but I find it rather lovely.

    What do you love about your parish?   

    It feels like home.  I love our pastor, and the energy and passion the deacon displays.  The community is also quite welcoming.                           

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?                     

    As welcoming as the community is, I'd like to see more opportunities to be active in some of the various groups if you work during the day.  It feels like a vast majority of the groups meet during the day, and it's tough to get involved.
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  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered
    There is an anticipated mass at 5pm on Saturday, and two masses Sunday morning. They are all full or jam packed. We usually go to the 9am, which has a mix of more contemporary music along side some traditional stuff. There is also more chant getting incorporated, which I think is interesting.

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?  
    There are two officially assigned to the parish and one in residence who is affiliated with a local Catholic high school. The "in residence" priest says Sunday mass on a somewhat regular basis.

    We also have an Anglican convert priest who is married and has 6 kids! I do not believe he converted with the ordinariate, but by permission of Rome before it was formed, or at about the same time (individual conversions have been allowed on a case-by-case basis for awhile).

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies?  
    The pastor is absolutely fantastic, as is the in-residence priest. The former Anglican is good, but his homilies are a lot harder for me to concentrate on, especially with a wiggly baby who would rather crawl and explore and talk than sit still and quiet.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?  
    They have lots of great formal groups -- KoC, SVdP, a women's group, an amazing catechetical program, a mom's group. Sometimes, it feels sparse on "special event" type things that are easier to participate in with my H's irregular schedule.

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?     
    It is fairly traditional, with a Spanish mission feel, but was built in the late 50s or early 60s. It has a traditional cross floorplan, stained glass, and statues rather than 60s style architecture.

    What do you love about your parish?                              
    I love that it is very, very orthodox (the pastor describes himself as "by the book" but he is also really funny). I love that there are tons and tons of families there, so we don't have to worry so much about the baby. I love that it is a 3 minute drive from the house.

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?   
    I wish they had an evening daily mass (they used to and it was well attended) and more times for confession. I also think they would get big turn out at a Sunday evening mass, even if they didn't label it "Life Teen" or use contemporary music. We've also been slow to really find our niche, so it doesn't really  "feel like home" yet.
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  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?  

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?   We just have 1 priest.

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies?   His homilies aren't that great. He is very dry and sometimes very depressing which is probably due to the chronic pain he is in. I understand that, but our church isn't what it used to be when our old priest was there. That is another reason why DH and I like going to the other church in the area b/c that priest is much more lively and inspiring.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?   We do have quite a few groups. DH and I are beginning to get involved with the youth group. Currently, the director is a volunteer position and she does what she can, but it is a lot to undertake and plan.

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?   Traditional style, it was built in the 1880's I believe but they did major renovations about 15 years ago.

    What do you love about your parish?   The beauty of the church itself. The way the light shines in through the stained glass windows.                            

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?     I think our priest needs to be more willing to support exsisting ministries as well as be more open to changes and starting new ones.
  • How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?  
    Saturday 4:30, Sunday 8:30 and 10:30

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?
    1, and occasionally another comes in.  I think he's from our sister parish, and they swap sometimes.  Our priest is kind-of a jack of all trades.  He's in the military and has served twice in Afghanistan, plus I think he's a psychologist.  He has other qualifications, but I've forgotten what they are. 

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies
    ?  
    I love his homilies.  He's an older priest, but randomly throws out hilarious pop culture references and actually makes them relatable to the readings.  It's quite awesome.  I enjoy listening to him.

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?  
    Music (which is what I do-we're a folk group with acoustic guitars and stuff), and more stuff for children than adults. I'm not quite sure what else is out there.

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?     
    It's square, with the altar in the middle.  Post and beam with skylights!

    What do you love about your parish?                               
    I love that everyone knows each other.  I've gone to this church for 24 years, and the same faces I saw when I was little are still there.  Parishoners are very welcoming, and accepting of others. For example, there are homosexual couples that attend weekly mass, and as far as I can tell, they're not being judged by anyone there.

    What would you like to see improved at your parish?  
    Improved attendance.  We're not in a heavily populated area, but there still seem to be less people there than when I was little.
  • In Response to Poll: Your Parish:
    How many and what kind of weekly masses (Sat Eve/Sun) are offered?  
    One Saturday vigil in English, One in Spanish-- Sunday we have 4 Masses.

    How many priests are in the regular rotation? Anything interesting about their background?  
    Three priests in regular rotation.  One actually walked away from Woodstock when he realized how crazy it was, one was a banker, one was in a rock band!

    How are they at giving inspiring homilies?   AMAZING  --  Check it out for yourself!  http://www.swoycc.org/homilies.htm 

    What church groups are available for parishoners to participate in?  
    Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, Stitchers, St. Vincent's, Adult Education, CCD, CYO, Spanish Apostolate, and many many more!

    What is the architectural style of your church
    ?     
    An interesting mix of modern and traditional...   See the website again.  The current pastor did a renovation which made drastic improvements over blue carpeting with new tile!

    What do you love about your parish?      
    The community ~ HANDS DOWN!  I have a large number of friends of over 15 years, and I have taught them CCD, CYO and Vacation Bible school.  We cook for each other, we love each other and we support each other.....  I don't ever want to leave!
                         
    What would you like to see improved at your parish
    A little more compassion from the pulpit.  I love that we are traditional, I DO!  But not everyone fits the mold that our pastor has envisioned.  I would like to see a ministry to those who  can't fit in perfectly.
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