An Ecumenical Weekend

Ecumenism means something along the lines of promoting unity and understanding among churches and denominations; perhaps working towards a worldwide church. I chose this word to describe my weekend because I was able to participate in two different religious experiences. Saturday afternoon I attended St. Lawrence O'Toole, a Catholic parish located a couple blocks from my house, and today I attended the church at which I work, Pittsburgh Mennonite Church.

I've never experienced a Catholic mass before and I was pretty excited to go with my housemate, Sarah. Here are a few observations and reflections:

1. The pianist played her small upright piano like she was playing a concert grand, and mixed with her sister's obnoxiously loud, pitchy singing it was quite entertaining.
2. This really cool Benedictine monk gave the homily, but unfortunately I couldn't understand what he was saying because of his mumbling, the poor acoustics and outdated sound system.
3. I really liked the liturgy that was incorporated throughout the service. Liturgy is good because it accurately, thoughtfully and creatively articulates the theology about which it speaks.

If I had the chance to attend a Catholic mass again I would. I enjoy worshipping with different congregations and seeing how they do things when it comes to church. And Catholicism isn't a bad thing. One of my pet peeves is listening to Christians talk negatively about Catholicism. They're both Christian. They both have their origins in the catholic church that existed prior to the Reformations.

Today I attended a Mennonite service (which I'm admittedly more familiar with), and it was interesting because today is 9/11. The service was dedicated to the remembrance of and lamenting for those who lost their lives ten years ago and their families. Again, a decent amount of litany was used and we sang a number of good songs (which is always good because Mennonites sing together very well). The service was definitely presented from a non-violent, anti-war position that advocated peace making through non-violent means. And the focus of one of the reflections on 9/11 given was, "[As a county] We turned to the flag instead of the cross." I understand the thought behind this quote, but I can easily see how it could be disagreeable with someone not familiar with the Mennonite peace tradition and strong belief in separation of church and state.

Both services had interesting qualities and elements of worship. I enjoyed my experience at both, and I strongly advocate the practice of worshipping with different congregations. It's always an enlightening experience, and, I would say, a good practice.