Sunday, November 15, 2015

A Roman Catholic for a night

The taxi turned up. Twenty minutes late but the driver was apologetic and he made sure the office put him down to pick us up afterwards as well and he was spot on time.

So, mass in a Roman Catholic church. One thing I discovered is that congregations are alike everywhere: everyone huddles together at the back. But a major difference between the service and what I've grown accustomed to is the silence. Everyone came in, took their seats and didn't speak, or if they did it was in a whisper. And at the end nearly everyone got up and left without chatting.

Uncle got lots of welcome back kisses and I think he was pleased to be there. I managed to follow the service pretty well from the printed sheet except when the congregation went 'off piste' and said things I couldn't find. And it gave very clear directions - stand, sit, kneel - so I wasn't caught out. That aside it wasn't that much different from the Anglican service I am so familiar with, having grown up attending the local Church in Wales services. Except of course I didn't join in the Mary prayers or take communion (and it was only the bread, another strange thing I find).

We're hoping Uncle will be able to find someone in church to give him lifts in future. I don't mind going but it's a pain waiting for the taxi and it costs £16 altogether each time!

2 comments:

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

It's very kind of you to take your Uncle to church , even though the ceremony is unfamiliar .
All I can offer in the way of comfort is something the nuns always used to say to us , when we were children .... "You'll get your reward a hundred-fold in Heaven ." And , in this case , it's bound to be true , surely .

Liz Hinds said...

Maltesers x 100 sounds good to me, sonata!