Please tell us about the best Mass you've ever been to in L.A., or anywhere
acatholiclife.blogspot.com is the source of the beautiful illustration above, which captures the holiness, reverence and beauty the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass ought to have.
If you have a moment to spare, could you please tell us about the best Mass you've ever attended in our archdiocese of L.A., and what made it so special? Or anywhere, if you wish.
Ole Q will think about his most special Mass and then let you know about it.
Thank you in advance!
posted by Quintero at 10:25 AM
5 Comments:
I would have to say the best Mass that I've been to in my 5.5 years in the archdiocese has been the 8:30am Sunday Mass at St. Peter Chanel (not my normal parish). The reverence was so far beyond anything I experience on a weekly basis here. If you happen to assist at a Mass when Latin is interspersed, all the better. And the preaching is top-drawer, orthodox & demanding.
I have yet to go to SS Peter & Paul in Wilmington, but I've heard great things about it.
Paul in Long Beach
Dear Paul in Long Beach,
Thanks very much for telling about the reverent Masses at St. Peter Chanel.
Reverence is a key ingredient, isn't it, when people talk about the Mases they've loved the most?
If you get to Ss. Peter and Paul, please tell us about it!
I had to be somewhere else midmorning and so I looked through the mass schedule for an "Early" mass. The earliest I could find was a 5am at St. Vincent DePaul (unfortunately its been shut down since then.) It was eye-opening. For some reason there were only about twenty men, the youngest (besides me) was sixty five but they responded with more reverence than I have ever felt with any other mass. There was no music, the priest didn't use a microphone, and everyone sat in the first five rows. Every since then I look for men like that, men are few in church, reverent men are almost extinct.
Dear Skeetor,
Good to hear from you, and thanks for telling about the wonderful Mass you found.
Sometimes things that happen by surprise are the best, and they turn out to have been providential, don't they?
One of the best Sunday Masses - I must say - that I've been to was, of course, the TLM in Santa Teresita in Duarte, which was offered by Fr. Richard Bishop. For Novus Ordo, the Norbertines in Silverado, CA (a bit far drive from L.A.) offer the best Mass with Latin in it, along with Gregorian chant, plenty of incense, and orthodox preaching. Consider, too, St. Peter Chanel & Sts. Peter & Paul, which is now staffed by the Norbertines. St. Victor in West Hollywood allows you to receive communion on the communion rail on their Saturday vigils (with Gregorian chant, although the Mass is in english).
And, I'm a bit hesitant to say this, but the best Mass I have EVER attended was at the SSPX church (Our Lady of the Angels) in Arcadia for their Holy Thursday Mass. It was a high Mass. Yes, we can argue how schistmatic they are, but the Mass was sooooo beautiful. I was literally in tears, in part because I have never experienced a TLM Mass on Holy Thursday, and also because I saw how reverent the priest and the people were towards the Holy Eucharist. And the chant/polyphony was amazingly beautiful.
For daily Mass, consider St. Peter Chanel, which has (I think) around 3-4 daily Masses, with confession before and during Mass, as well as perpetual adoration when it's not Mass. I just wish they used Latin for their Masses. I also attend Santa Teresita (it's nearby) for daily Mass with the Carmeltie Sisters. It's just nice to be in the presence of the sisters... you know that they would not let a drop of heterodoxy into their chapel! Plus, the people can receive communion on the communion rails. They also have a daily holy hour (4:45-6:00) with the Sisters, which is always a treat.
Ok, sorry for the long post. :)
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