Catholics, unlike Lutherans, worship with their coats on, which gives the impression they are making an obligatory pit stop. After Mass, most do not linger to talk but instead race to be the first out of the parking lot. Obviously, becoming Catholic was going to require a few adjustments, including giving up that Protestant feeling of belonging to a close knit community. The sanctuary of St. Mary s is devoid of statues, and the pews are arranged in a semi circle. This became an especially great temptation during the homily, which lasted twenty minutes and was delivered without manuscript or notes.
Many priests don t seem to know that rule.
I might have put up with the preaching, but the music was another matter altogether. This parish had well over a thousand members, so I could not understand why it did not have a choir. Instead, we were led in song by a large, well dressed, perfectly coifed woman who stood at the lectern and sang with great emotion off key into a microphone. The alternative to the song leader was the intensely earnest folk group with their three guitar chords. My first call as a pastor had been to a small rural parish with an average attendance of ninety and a choir of five.