The Wonderful and the Wlatsome

A Community-Created Listing of the Best and Worst of America's Catholic Parishes

This blog is a place for readers like YOU to help everyone out by donating entries to an online archive of descriptions of Catholic Parishes with which you have experience, so that your fellow Catholics will have a way -- when travelling, moving, or vacationing -- to find a good, solid, and orthodox parish.

Wlatsome is a grand middle-english word that means disgusting or highly unpleasant. I believe that its an excellent descriptor for much of the liturgical garbage that goes on today.

All Submissions Will Remain Anonymous!!

Donate your parish descriptions here!!!
(follow this template.)
(or send email to mcw28 -at- cornell.edu)

Disclaimer: Per St. Thomas Aquinas: Since, however, one's conscience should be preferred to a good name, Our Lord wished that we should publicly denounce our brother and so deliver his conscience from sin, even though he should forfeit his good name. Therefore it is evident that the precept requires a secret admonition to precede public denunciation.
So, please, talk with your pastor / bishop about abuses before sharing them here! Better to correct them than merely to complain. Furthermore, comments will be most helpful if they restrict themselves to indisputable, objective matters -- the existence and enumeration of liturgical abuses, for instance, and a simple discription (i.e., reformed-folk, traditional, Chant, Jazz..) of the musical style rather than focusing on personal tastes and opinions. Submissions will be edited for content and tone.

Archives
08/01/2003 - 09/01/2003
09/01/2003 - 10/01/2003
10/01/2003 - 11/01/2003
11/01/2003 - 12/01/2003
06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

ST LOUIS
Memphis, TN
6 PM, Nov. 15

The Wonderful: N/A

The Wlatsome: Lots of chatting before, after, and during the mass. Many people stood up in the back. Indian priest, who had little English and was hard to understand. New-age music with guitar, and low number of people participating in the singing. Lots of casual dress. Fountain-type holy water font.
- posted by Ambrosius @ 5:12 PM --

HOLY ROSARY
5:15 PM, Nov 8
Memphis, TN

The Wonderful: Praying of the Rosary encouraged. Large Print in Bulletin read, "Friday is a universal day of penance: abstain from all meat." Crowded, but quiet. Bulletin suggests that they are very active in the community

The Wlatsome: Priest wandered aisle during his sermon. Brought up the DaVinci Code, and did not explain its heresy or mention that it was anti-Catholic and / or heretical.
- posted by Ambrosius @ 5:11 PM --

ST PETERS
11 AM, Nov. 9
Memphis, TN

The Wonderful: Gorgeous church architecture and stained-glass windows. First church in Western Tennessee, and everything is preserved. Good attendance. Obviously a family-oriented parish. All priests are Dominican Friars.

The Wlatsome: Lots and Lots of loud chit-chat before and after the mass.

- posted by Ambrosius @ 5:11 PM --

ST PATRICKS
Memphis, TN
5:15 PM, Nov. 9

The Wonderful: N/A

The Wlatsome: Church stripped of kneelers. Memphis construction makes it hard to find. Tabernacle is very low to the ground, almost hidden behind the altar. The Nicene Creed was skipped. And, the peace, which was right after the General Intercessions, was five minutes of social time-- loud conversations took place, and the priest and deacon went in and out of the pews to greet every person in attendance. In the middle of the service, there is a 'meet the visitor' time, in which visitors are encourages to introduce themselves. The Collection Plates were not passed around. Instead, those making donations had to walk to the front of the church with their money. There were several Extraordinary Ministers for only about 20-30 mass attenders. Hand holding during the Our Father--not only present, but encouraged in the preface by the priest.
- posted by Ambrosius @ 5:10 PM --

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Name of Parish:Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Location: Moriarty, NM
Date and Time: ?

The Wonderful:The new GIRM is mentioned at every Mass. Music is provided by guitar and includes Spanish and English music.

The Wlatsome: Hand-holding during the Lord's Prayer. Recently, parishioners were even asked to hold up their hands Protestant-style to ask for the blessings of the Lord. Music is provided by guitar and includes Spanish and English music.
- posted by Ambrosius @ 7:42 AM --