Hearing Mass. EcoWise at ShopWise. and a Boodle feast - Part I

I have Sundays off but boyfriend doesn't so I usually spend the day here at home and wait for him to get off at between 5 and 7 PM. At around lunch time, we would start IM'ing back and forth - what are we going to do, where are we going?

Yesterday, we decided to hear mass. Now, this is not something we normally do. In our 8 years together, we've attended mass together only a few times. When we started going out, he professed to be an atheist. He was going through personal struggles at that time and I'd like to think that I helped him turn back and rediscover his faith. No, I did not bring him to Church - not to mine, not anywhere. I gave him a wooden cross instead (rather lent him) and told him he could always hold on to it. Maybe we prayed together too. Okay, I also remember saying a silent prayer for him every night we were out together in the garden...

After some time and many long discussions with his closest friends who also did not believe in established religion, he just started hearing mass again.

I'm pretty open-minded about different faiths and religion. I grew up mingling with other kids from different churches - my ecumenical circle :) I owe that to the fact that our church was a member of, and my mom worked at, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP).

Anyway, since highschool I had it in my mind to visit other churches - a different kind of visita iglesia. At the time, one of my friends was a Catholic who went to Wednesday Novenas and my best friend was a Christian (she wasn't very active at church though at the time), so that for me offered opportunities to put that plan in to place. I was only able to attend a Sunday Service at my best friend's church once. I grew sleepy though. The youth service she invited me to some time later was more my thing. It was an afternoon event and she played the guitar. I actually enjoyed that. Sadly, boyfriend did not dig the praise music some of them were playing, he said he felt it was a little too loud. That's when I realized how he's not ready for that, he was raised and educated in Catholic institutions and though he respects other people's beliefs, he isn't ready for that much immersion.

Anyway, yesterday we decided to go hear Mass. There were no afternoon/Vespers mass in our Church at this time of year so I had to ask around for schedules at Catholic churches nearby. Because dining was also on boyfriend's mind and I was thinking of grocery shopping for Zune and oreo truffle ingredients, we decided to hear mass in Cubao. I asked my friend Vanette for the schedules in the Church near her apartment and asked her to tag along too if she wanted. It was my friend Joy who lived a few blocks away from the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish that took us up on the invitation.

I've only ever seen that Church from the outside a few times so I was surprised by its magnificence when we entered its doors. There was a lot of people too.

Sadly, I wasn't inspired. There was no misalet so I couldn't follow the readings and I could barely understand what was being read. I did try to pay attention to the Gospel reading and the succeeding sermon. The choir's singing was booming through the speaker system so I wasn't sure if the rest of the congregation was singing along, I know Joy and Alfred were, and I was trying too. Again, there was no misalet with the songs so I couldn't easily follow along. The only familiar song was what they sang at the end.

Everyone else was intent in their personal conversations with the Lord, I guess that's what is paramount. Sometimes I just feel that Sunday Mass is for celebrating your faith with others - it's a group event. If I was to have personal time with the Lord, I didn't have to be in Church with a hundred other people to do that. It reminded me of how family fits in my idea of church and Sunday services.

We didn't line up to receive communion too, which I've always found odd with some people.

Don't get me wrong, I am in no way trying to pass judgment on anyone or anybody, understand that I am searching for an outlet too and trying to understand myself and my faith.

Praise and Worship

For my TT a post down I listed the things/thoughts I have wanted to post about but have not gotten to. Today, as I was bloghopping (late TT visits and going through my blogrolls), I chanced upon http://www.gannsdeen.com/ and read beyond his TT post.

At first I only thought of linking to his page for his David Cook Always be my baby stream because although I followed AI this season, I missed the Mariah episode. I am rooting for Cook. Archuleta is adorable but really, Cook has got it.

Then I read about the best decision he's ever made.

Here's item 5 on my TT: My thoughts on being a non-active Church member who does not attend Sunday mass (or any mass for that matter). I specifically want to dig through my thoughts and feelings about what I can do to be part of either the Youth movement or Sunday School. I know I have something to contribute, I'm just not making time.

See the connection? Okay, maybe you don't because it's all still in my head, and in my heart. This piece is probably just going to expose one part of it. I know there's more.

It started with the music. He's TT was about Christian songs that you should hear. One of which was his own composition. I listened to it and liked what I heard. Understand too that's it's early afternoon here and the toob is tuned to ASAP and they just had their GaryV 25th anniversary tribute/celebration. I have been singing along and my parents have had no choice but endure the sound of my voice. Hehe.

I went to an all-girl Catholic high school. Whether or not you were Catholic, you had to be around to attend the mass that would be celebrated every month or for every special occasion. I seriously didn't mind because the services were much like our own Church services, they provided an opportunity NOT to be studying, and I liked singing along and learning their Church songs. That was really what I enjoyed most about having to attend mass with a multitude of girls - praise and worship through song. Mass without singing is just plain boring for me.

At Church, we sing hymns and people read the music from the Hymnal. I like those too. There's also local, relatively recently composed songs that go into the Sunday Liturgy. I like listening to everyone's voice mingling with each other. As a kid I wondered whether the older people actually attended classes to learn those hymns, everyone just blended perfectly.

In Sunday School, we would listen to and learn Kids Praise (another memory of my Aunt I wanted to write about last month but didn't get to) - yes, Psalty was my friend and I am so going hunting for his CDs - the complete collection.

Really, isn't singing praises like 5 times more wonderful? I mean compared to just sitting and listening and reciting stuff at Church?

Anyway, so that's what got me to thinking (again) about what my beliefs are and how my faith manifests. I belong to a Church denomination that's fairly small - The Episcopal Church in the Philippines, part of the Anglican Communion. My family history is intertwined with this Church's history. Really, it's more like an extended family. That's what I like about our small Church, we are found scattered throughout the country from up north to down south, but it's all just like one big family. Growing up in what I consider the heart of the Church just gave me an awareness of its life.

I distinctly remember the last summer I spent active at Church. It was the summer we moved house. I was with the SKEP, the Church youth group, and we sat with the Cathedral choir. Really, I went to rehearsals and sang at the Sunday Mass. We even had an Easter Cantata, I think the first and last that it was done. We had an awesome conductor. I truly enjoyed that time. It made me think that perhaps that was my place, my ministry - in music.

The 7th Regular Synod of The Episcopal Church in the Philippines

In this pre-dominantly Roman Catholic country, belonging to a different church is to be part of a minority. I was born into an Episcopalian community - my grandparents served the Church and are known figures in its history (in the background, of course), and my parents also served the Church and the community. I grew up thinking that maybe someday, it will be my turn to serve too.

Last night was the opening night of the 7th Regular Provincial Synod of the ECP. This is an event where delegates from all the dioceses of the national church would come together and talk about issues confronted by the church and society. This is also where they talk about their vision for the Church and its people, and in turn chalk out plans to reach that vision.

This year, they will be electing a new head of the Church, a new Prime Bishop.

Just as mom asked me to help out with their website, she has also asked me to help out with a special newsletter for this momentous event. I went to work early yesterday so I could catch the opening of the Synod last night. I didn't make it to the mass and the PB's speech, but I did sit down for dinner and the wonderful Entertainment Night. There were performances from all Dioceses present.

It was a fun night, it reminded me of what makes our church special - the sense of family.