Family Mass
Every First Saturday the priest from the Nantou Church visits my friends' home to say Mass. In the last months of their father's life he was unable to leave the house, so their home became a logical location for a First Saturday evening Mass.
We met before the priest showed up and prayed the rosary together. I just listened and tried to keep up. As I have mentioned before, the prayers are frequently chanted here. It can be a very intense experience for me, because not only do they chant, but they do it un-selfconciously and loudly.
By the time Father showed up, there were about twenty or so people crammed into their living room. One of my friends later noted with a little disappointment in today's turnout that last month they had more than forty. I couldn't imagine where they put them.
The Mass was wonderful, and because of the way their altar in their living room is set up, celebrated mostly ad orientum. I say mostly because for elevation, Father did turn around.
Later one of my friends asked me if we in America have family Masses. I told her yes, some do at times, especially in families like mine, where my grandmother sometimes has priest friends that are available to come over and celebrate Mass in our homes. I do get asked once in a while by people in the Chinese parish if foreigners do this or do that; one time someone asked me if we prayed the rosary in America.
One thing that was interesting to me, personally. about attending this Mass was that I felt as though I was visiting an important part of the history of the Christians in Shenzhen. My friends' home hosted many Sunday Masses for years before the Nantou Church property was restored. Before the return of Church property was this, as many people as could fit in their home, and then some, praying and singing together.
I'm not going to pretend it was anything like an underground or House Church situation. I have no idea what that would be like.
We met before the priest showed up and prayed the rosary together. I just listened and tried to keep up. As I have mentioned before, the prayers are frequently chanted here. It can be a very intense experience for me, because not only do they chant, but they do it un-selfconciously and loudly.
By the time Father showed up, there were about twenty or so people crammed into their living room. One of my friends later noted with a little disappointment in today's turnout that last month they had more than forty. I couldn't imagine where they put them.
The Mass was wonderful, and because of the way their altar in their living room is set up, celebrated mostly ad orientum. I say mostly because for elevation, Father did turn around.
Later one of my friends asked me if we in America have family Masses. I told her yes, some do at times, especially in families like mine, where my grandmother sometimes has priest friends that are available to come over and celebrate Mass in our homes. I do get asked once in a while by people in the Chinese parish if foreigners do this or do that; one time someone asked me if we prayed the rosary in America.
One thing that was interesting to me, personally. about attending this Mass was that I felt as though I was visiting an important part of the history of the Christians in Shenzhen. My friends' home hosted many Sunday Masses for years before the Nantou Church property was restored. Before the return of Church property was this, as many people as could fit in their home, and then some, praying and singing together.
I'm not going to pretend it was anything like an underground or House Church situation. I have no idea what that would be like.
Comments