tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57514902011-04-21T20:11:16.048-07:00The Wonderful and the WlatsomeA Community-Created Listing of the Best and Worst of America's Catholic ParishesAmbrosiusnoreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1086840597508522482004-06-09T21:08:00.000-07:002004-06-09T21:09:57.510-07:00Name of Parish: Queenship of Mary
Location: Plainsboro, NJ
Date and Time: Saturday Vigil 5:30pm, Sundays 7am, 8:45am, 10:30am, 12:15pm
Website: http://www.qomchurch.org/
The Wonderful: Solid orthodox pastor (who calls himself "pastor", not "administrator!) celebrates thoughtful, reverent Mass, no liturgical abuses to speak of, a growing parish with a lot of young families as well as some older Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1069290750625426542003-11-19T17:12:00.000-08:002003-11-19T17:12:55.746-08:00ST 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.Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1069290696921473202003-11-19T17:11:00.001-08:002003-11-19T17:12:22.450-08:00HOLY 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 Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1069290665854531992003-11-19T17:11:00.000-08:002003-11-19T17:11:30.983-08:00ST 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.
Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1069290637342811002003-11-19T17:10:00.000-08:002003-11-19T17:11:02.483-08:00ST 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 Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1068651899497922572003-11-12T07:42:00.000-08:002003-11-12T07:44:56.506-08:00Name 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 Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-106538375639607692003-10-05T12:55:00.000-07:002003-10-05T12:55:56.556-07:00Name of Parish: Prince of Peace Catholic Church
Location: 1110 Dykstra Road, N. Muskegon Michigan 49445-2014
Time: Sunday Mass, 11:15 AM
The Wonderful: Delightfully enthusiastic parishioners! Im guessing this was a Charismatic Mass (bulletin didn't say so, but based on songs, gestures, swaying/handholding, etc, Im guessing it was). EVERYONE responded and sang loudly (but well!) - Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1065366994835240982003-10-05T08:16:00.000-07:002003-10-05T08:16:34.770-07:00Another Impassioned Plea
Gentle readers,
This site has not been updated in two weeks. Why? Because no one has taken the mere *five minutes* it takes to send in a brief description of his parish. It's really not so hard to do. You don't have to be eloquent; you don't even have to have anything particular to say. Just tell us -- you got a choir? How about an organ? Young priest? Long lines for Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1064073060408817042003-09-20T08:51:00.000-07:002003-09-20T08:51:09.193-07:00Another Church Review Site
Brought to my attention by a reader:
Busted Halo's Church Search. Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1063889730125611622003-09-18T05:50:00.000-07:002003-09-18T05:56:06.833-07:00Name of Parish:The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Location:1695 Central Avenue Memphis, TN
Date and Time: 12:00 Noon Mass, Sunday
The Wonderful: A "renovated" Cathedral which manages still to be pretty. An ethnically diverse group of friendly parishioners in a lovely old downtown neighborhood. Lovely organ and a cantor with a strong voice at the 12:00 PM Sunday Morning Mass. Beautiful Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1063852488407961162003-09-17T19:34:00.000-07:002003-09-17T19:37:29.010-07:00A Liturgist Sends His Concerns
My objections to anonymity and on-going liturgical battles:
As cruel as liturgists and priests can be in their viciousness to lay people, I've seen the same kind of cruelty from semi-informed liturgical busybodies. The priest who did FOCCUS for me and my wife before we married (admittedly a good friend) , was the target of a rather ruthless tattle campaign. Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1063651902582556742003-09-15T11:41:00.001-07:002003-09-15T11:51:42.473-07:00Name of Parish: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Location: Creole, LA
Date and Time: 8:30 AM, Sundays
The Wonderful: Very orthodox pastor; a true "lover of souls" who is remarkably devoted to the salvation of the people under his care. Devout and pious parishoners -- many of the women voluntarily wear mantillas, for instance; devotional services (rosary, benediction) very well attended -- form a very Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1063651440611924212003-09-15T11:41:00.000-07:002003-09-15T11:44:00.526-07:00Name of Parish: St. John the Evangelist
Location: Lambertville NJ
Date and Time: 8 9:30 11 12:30(Spanish) Sunday
The Wonderful: Worship in a beautiful Gothic style stone Church, that still has its original marble altar. 8:00 and 11:00 feature the talented music director. Orthodox Priests and faithful. 12:30 features a Spanish language Mass with a great music and enthusiastic worshippers. Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062733439353062972003-09-04T20:43:00.000-07:002003-09-04T20:43:59.263-07:00Name of Parish: St. John's Roman Catholic Church
Location: Bangor, Maine, USA
Date and Time: 9:00 a.m., any given Sunday (8/31/03 in this case)
The Wonderful: This very large brick cruciform gothic church was built in 1856 in the "Irish ghetto" area of Bangor by immigrants from the Great Irish Potato
Famine under 24-hour armed guard against an active "Know-Nothing" contingent in the city. TheAmbrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062710567070272582003-09-04T14:22:00.000-07:002003-09-04T14:56:38.626-07:00Name of Parish: Holy Family
Location: Cahokia, Il (5 minutes from downtown St. Louis on Illinois Rt. 3 at Camp Jackson Road)
Date and Time: 9 AM Sunday
The Wonderful: The longest continuously active parish in the US (since 1699!), it is housed in an historic Log Church, twice leveled by fire, though today's church is a grandfatherly 200+ years old. The Indult Tridentine Latin Mass is offered -Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062708109322792442003-09-04T13:41:00.000-07:002003-09-04T13:42:04.893-07:00Name of Parish: Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception -- Denver
Location: Denver, CO (Colfax & Logan)
Date and Time: 6:30 pm young adult mass, Sundays
The Wonderful: Archbishop Chaput or Bishop Gomez usually says the mass (usually the AB -- this is his regular mass). The mass is packed with young professionals, and the AB uses the homily to catechize us with orthodoxteaching. Completely Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062646561274892852003-09-03T20:36:00.000-07:002003-09-03T20:43:39.143-07:00Some People Begin to Question This Site's Existence ....
Notably Lane Core, who sent the following link...
Re: The Wonderful and the Wlatsome.
http://weblog.theviewfromthecore.com/002282.html
I would really like to have some other opinions. Am I taking things the wrong way? Thanks. God bless all.
I have, incidentally, re-edited (a right I always reserve!) one of the submissions to which Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062609967907524902003-09-03T10:26:00.000-07:002003-09-03T10:26:17.786-07:00Name of Parish: Our Lady of Walsingham (Anglican Use)
Location: Houston, TX
Date and Time: 10:30 AM (Anglican Use) High Mass
The Wonderful: A beautiful Mass! Celebrated ad orientem; the text of the Mass is largely the Tridentine Missal, translated by Cranmer during the English Reformation, only with the parts he changed, changed back (i.e., the Roman Canon is restored). So, the language is Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062606173661277292003-09-03T09:22:00.000-07:002003-09-04T06:59:26.350-07:00Name of Parish: Immaculate Conception
Location: Ithaca, NY
Date and Time: 10:30 AM Sunday Mass
The Wonderful: The parish still prays three Hail Marys (silently) after each Mass (a leftover of the Leonine Prayers after Low Mass), giving a blessed few moments of silence after Mass so often lacking in parishes. The organist and choir are reasonably competent. There is one very beautiful stained Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062604928790513582003-09-03T09:02:00.000-07:002003-09-03T09:02:08.746-07:00Name of Parish: St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church
Location: Scranton, PA
Date and Time: 10:15 AM Tridentine High Mass
The Wonderful: The place exudes reverence. The choir is superb. The congregation sings -- well. The priests deliver very good, faithful homilies. Lots of incense. Quite welcoming, though you're left alone if you don't wish to talk. Heaven on earth.
The Wlatsome: n/aAmbrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062604441150974742003-09-03T08:54:00.000-07:002003-09-03T20:37:42.696-07:00Name of Parish: Holy Name Cathedral
Location: Chicago, Il.
Date and Time: 12:00 Noon Daily Mass, May 2002
The Wonderful: The musical apparatus in the Cathedral is phenomenal: two first class organs, a superb organist. The devotion of the (mainly) Hispanic daily Mass crowd is impressive.
The Wlatsome: Well, the interior is ugly. Ok, hideous. You can look at pictures here. Particularly bad are Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062544308545327572003-09-02T16:11:00.000-07:002003-09-02T16:11:48.616-07:00The Parish: St. Anthony's
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Time: 10 AM
The Wonderful: Beautiful old German church with lots of statues and fine woodwork. Top-notch choir sings polyphony, Gregorian Chant, and solid hymnody, accompanied by one of the best pipe organs in the Midwest. Incense. Solid preaching. Communion rail is still used for Communion.
The Wlatsome: Can't think of anything. Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062540887822774412003-09-02T15:14:00.000-07:002003-09-04T07:02:49.880-07:00Name of Parish: St. James
Location: Montague, Michigan
Time: Any Sunday Mass
The Wonderful: Friendly priest, friendly and welcoming parishioners
The Wlatsome: Terrible music and singers. Priest does not deliver homily from the pulpit (even at Easter Vigil Mass). Much of the congregation conducts itself in an irreverent manner, i.e. lots of loud talking before and after Mass, and Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062540835302047102003-09-02T15:13:00.000-07:002003-09-02T15:16:50.686-07:00Name of Parish: Sacred Heart of Jesus
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Date/Time: 12:30 pm Sunday Tridentine Indult Mass
The Wonderful: Beautiful, traditional Tridentine Mass. Twice a month is high Mass (sung, wonderful voices and organ) and twice Low Mass (with traditional after-Mass prayers led by the priest - three Hail Marys, St. Michael Prayer, and prayer to the Sacred Heart). The Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062540703393784782003-09-02T15:11:00.000-07:002003-09-04T07:05:57.300-07:00Name of Parish: St. James Cathedral
Location: Seattle, WA
Time: Sunday Mass (Time not given)
The Wonderful: A beautiful Cathedral with lovely statuary, small Chapel on the north side with walls of candles surrounding a gorgeous statue of Our Lady and infant Jesus. Liturgies at the Cathedral are usually beautiful - lots of incense, a great deal of Latin, fabulous Cantors and choirs. All theAmbrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062540530883440282003-09-02T15:08:00.000-07:002003-09-02T15:17:14.080-07:00Name of Parish: St. Alphonsus
Location: Seattle, WA (Ballard area)
Date and Time: Sunday Mass (Time not given)
The Wonderful: A rare find in Seattle - reverence and orthodoxy! A fairly new priest, pretty young, Fr. Ramon Santa Cruz, SOLT. It was wonderful to hear traditional Catholic teaching during his homilies! Mass is Novus Ordo, often sung in Latin during the Kyrie and Agnus Dei (muchAmbrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062540395014496122003-09-02T15:06:00.000-07:002003-09-04T07:10:29.140-07:00Name of Parish: St. Ann's
Location: Raynham, Massachusetts
Date and Time: Sunday Mass, 9:30 or 11 am, any Sunday
The Wonderful: Both the priests (both quite young, and both fairly new - or at least arrived within the last two years while I lived out of the area) are friendly and seem energetic.
The Wlatsome: Hymnody from the typical, reformed-folk reptertoire, sometimes accompanied by Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062539856375919422003-09-02T14:57:00.000-07:002003-09-02T15:01:57.066-07:00To Clarify ....
A friend pointed out that it might not be clear how to contribute to this collection. So, here's the scoop: email me at mcw28 -at - cornell.edu with the information. That's it! You can format it if you like, or you can just rant and I'll format it / edit it for you. Totally up to you. Please contribute! This blog will fail without YOUR support -- yes, that means you! And you! Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062537862552588142003-09-02T14:24:00.000-07:002003-09-04T07:13:40.106-07:00Name of Parish: Our Lady of Poland
Location: Southampton, NY
Date and Time: 9:30 AM, May 2003
The Wonderful: Great ethnic church feel -- zillions of statues, including (the giveaway) an Infant Jesus of Prague. Decent music -- several hymns with a competent organist on a middling little organ. Friendly congregation, reasonably devout. Parish appears to have some devotional life, judging from the Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062360814248067902003-08-31T13:13:00.000-07:002003-09-02T15:56:49.226-07:00Name of Parish:St. James the Apostle
Location: Trumansburg, NY
Date and Time:5 PM Saturday Vigil Mass, 8/30/03
The Wonderful: The Pastor, a Capuchin named Fr. Eugene, is solidly orthodox and gives solid, thoughtful homilies without any nonsense. The music is traditional, if simple (two hymns, plus an offertory Organ piece) and generally the people are participative. The congregation is Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062359610676500252003-08-31T12:53:00.000-07:002003-08-31T12:54:26.113-07:00Submission Template
Name of Parish: St. Anonymous the Vague
Location: Anytown, ST
Date and Time: 11 PM Sunday Mass, Month / Day / Year
The Wonderful: (here follows your enumeration of what's great about this parish -- is the music heavenly? Are the homilies brilliant? The marble sparkling? Put all that here)
The Wlatsome: (here, you tell us why we might want to avoid this parish. Are the Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751490.post-1062359324310663632003-08-31T12:48:00.000-07:002003-08-31T12:58:16.696-07:00Welcome to the blog for all of us!
I have for some time pondered the possibility of building a website to complement www.masstimes.org, which is a great resource, but which does not distinguish Our Lady of the Spirit of Vatican II from St. Stanislas the Stern. I take as my rough model The Mystery Worshipper, an ecumenical effort of similar style. I had a couple of abortive attempts to design Ambrosiusnoreply@blogger.com