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| 2555: St Paul’s
by the Lake, Chicago, Illinois, USA |
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Mystery
Worshipper: Misericord.
The church:
St Paul’s
by the Lake, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Denomination:
The
Episcopal Church, Diocese
of Chicago.
The building:
While the original parish was established in 1882, the present
parish house was acquired in 1910 and the present church building
was completed in 1925. The church is a smallish but nicely proportioned
and appointed Neo-Gothic edifice.
The church:
This Rogers Park neighborhood parish is known to be a bit more
conservative than some. They alternate between the 1928 and
1979 editions of the Book of Common Prayer, and seem
to use Rite 1 most of the time (this means there is a lot of
"thee" and "thou" in the spoken parts of
the liturgy). The parish website gives details about ministries
assisting the hungry, refugees (in particular programs to Sudan
and Burma), men’s and women’s support and service groups, devotional
prayer groups and the like.
The neighborhood:
Rogers Park is the northernmost neighborhood on Chicago’s lakefront
before crossing over into Evanston. It is one of the more racially,
ethnically, socio-economically and religiously diverse parts
of the city (maybe the whole USA).
The cast:
The Revd John Heschle, rector; the Revd D.L. Banner, rector
emeritus; Koji Torihara, choir director.
The date & time:
Third Sunday after Pentecost, June 9, 2013, 10.30am.
What was the name of the service?
Sung Mass.
How full was the building?
There were 50-60 people in a space that might hold three times
that.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Yes. An usher handed me a bulletin/service sheet and shook my
hand.
Was your pew comfortable?
They weren’t bad but could be re-spaced to offer more room front
to back for tall parishioners. It was hard to kneel.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Somewhat chatty here and there, but fairly quiet.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit." The first spoken
words came after an opening hymn and chanted introit.
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
The Book of Common Prayer 1979 and the Hymnal
1940.
What musical instruments were played?
Organ. There was also a summer choir of four singers plus the
choir director.
Did anything distract
you?
The acolytes (one lad looked like it might have been his first
Sunday) used small stepladders to get their candle lighters
up high enough to reach the altar candles. It seemed awkward
and potentially dangerous – if one fell, there are a lot
of steps and hard surfaces up there. At least they used a matched
pair of pretty wood step ladders for this holy activity. The
chancel is particularly cramped, and it wasn't clear if their
usual choir occupy the small choir pews of the side gallery.
I think a rearrangement of their sanctuary space might be in
order. Just saying.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
The service was very Rite 1 and proper. The voice of the rector,
whose cordless mike seemed always to be on, dominated the sung
and spoken responses.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
10 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how
good was the preacher?
7 – I give the rector good marks for expanding on the gospel
reading (Luke 7:11-17– Jesus raises a widow's son), and
getting the job done effectively without dragging things out.
(Their website includes a link for downloading sermons but it
appears not to have been updated since All Saints Day of last
year.)
In a nutshell, what was
the sermon about?
The sermon addressed the subject of Jesus' concern for and understanding
of the plight of the poor, and the impact that a miraculous
healing would have on those of little means.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
It was great to visit a modest sized parish that seems to do
a good job of keeping up a full schedule of worship, ministries,
and maintaining their building decently, in what are for many
challenging times.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The Rite 1 worship, the old hymnal, and the practice of facing
away from the congregation (no free standing altar here) may
be more of an artifact than the desire for a traditional sacramental
expression. Looking around, I saw that the congregation were
ethnically diverse and young. One gets the feeling they might
be looking for some changes in the future. I wonder if women
priests are ever invited to celebrate mass or preach at this
parish? Also, they rattled off the longest prayer list of names
I have ever heard. It felt like we prayed for everyone in the
zip code by name.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
I was greeted, engaged in conversation, and directed through
a confusing sequence of rooms and stairways to a parish hall,
where coffee was available.
How would you describe
the after-service coffee?
I got a cup of black coffee (OK). There was a decorated cake
awaiting someone’s arrival, but I didn’t linger for that to
be cut and passed out. I retraced my steps, only to find the
main doors locked! A couple of parishioners chatting in the
church didn’t offer me directions to another door. I had to
hunt around to find an unlocked exit to the side street.
How would you feel about
making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
7 – I’m sure if I came regularly, I would find many friendly people here.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
It was a good experience.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
Being locked in! |
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