Running head: RELIGIOUS CULTURE REPORT 1

Religious
Project # 1
By Isabelle Giles
September 29, 2018
Comm 2150- Philip Anosike
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Overview
Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints since birth, I chose
to attend a Catholic Mass. I had never attended a Mass, and have always been interested in doing
so since both of my parents were active in the Catholic church before I was born. My dad was
attending Catholic school to become a Catholic Priest before he met my mom in the church
choir. My parents often talked about the Catholic church, but I had never attended an official
ceremony.
The Catholic church has arguably existed since the time of Christ. There are 1.2 billion
Catholics throughout the world, with over 70 million members in the United States. (National
Catholic Reporter, 2018)
And the last census for Utah has estimated that 18% of Utahn’s ascribe to the Catholic faith. One
of the most common and holy rituals in the Catholic church is referred to as Catholic Mass.

Religion
The Catholic religion is recognized by many as the first and largest Christian church. It
has its origins from when Jesus Christ was on the earth, and continued from that time to the
present day. (GotQuestions.org, 2018) The modern-day Catholic church has a Pope that leads the
world-wide organization. The Catholic church also has Bishops, Priests and Deacons. I don’t
know enough about the Catholic church to know who was leading the Catholic Mass, and the
names or official roles of the other people leading the ceremonial meeting. Catholics believe that
the only way to gain true happiness and salvation of their souls they must believe that God lives
and love Him so he will give them his grace in return. One way to show their love to God is to
keep his law such as the ten commandments. Catholics also believe that Jesus-Christ is the Son
of God and that He took a human body and soul and came to earth while still keeping His divine
nature. (Catholic Online, 2018)

Religious Function
I attended a Catholic Mass that was held on Saturday evening, September 22nd. The
function was held at Saint Vincent’s cathedral in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mass lasted about 45
minutes, and was attended by approximately 150-200 people. The large majority of the
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attendees appeared to be over 60 years-old, and almost no children, teenagers or adolescents. I

only saw 1 entire family that included two small-aged children.
Catholic Mass is a religious ceremony and is the “central liturgical ritual in the Catholic
Church where the Eucharistic bread (Communion) is consecrated.” (Hardon, 2018) The Catholic
church describes the Mass as "the source and summit of the Christian life". (Vatican.va, 2018)
During a Catholic Mass, they teach that “through consecration by a priest the sacrificial bread
and wine become the body and blood of Christ. The Catholic Church practices closed
communion, with only baptized members in a state of grace permitted to receive the Eucharist.”
(Vatican.va, 2018)
Catholics are usually are encouraged to attend a weekly Mass, and I found that in Salt
Lake City, there are many places and times where people can attend.
The Mass that I attended begun with the entrance of the Priest who was dressed in ceremonial
robes. He was wearing a white robe, with wide long sleeves, and a green bib that he wore over
his robe. The robes looked ceremonial and appeared to have some significance that I don’t
understand. When the Priest entered, and walked up the center aisle, all in attendance rose to
their feet. The Priest was followed by a number of other individuals who were also dressed in
ceremonial robes.
Although I did not measure the length of time that we were on our feet at the beginning
of the Mass, we all remained standing for what seemed to be about 10 minutes. During this first
10 minutes of the Mass, the Priest addressed the congregation with some recited information.
The congregation in attendance all repeated or spoke in unison at certain points during the Mass.
It felt awkward for me, and I felt out of place, since I didn’t know what to say, and I felt like
people would recognize that I wasn’t Catholic, and that I didn’t know what I was supposed to be
doing at the Mass.
The Mass followed a specific pattern, and I noticed that everyone was following the
proceedings book. As I peeked over the shoulder of the man standing in front of me, I noticed
that the Mass had already been outlined. The songs that the small choir was singing, the
readings, and even when the congregation of people participated by all repeating a phrase
together in response to something the Priest had said, everything was written down in this book.
I might have felt less out of place, if I would have had one of the books to follow-along with the
proceedings.
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There was a small choir who periodically sang a number of songs. These songs
sometimes started with a solo, or just the choir singing with the accompaniment of the piano, and
then at times the congregation all sang together. I didn’t recognize any of the songs, tunes or
melodies. Again, I felt out of place as everyone appeared to be singing in unison, and I didn’t
know what to sing or how to appear that I was not out of place.
The Mass took place in a school gymnasium, next to what appeared to be the place where I
thought the Mass would take place. The basketball hoops were lifted up, and there were chairs
on the gymnasium floor, and there were bleachers set up on one side of the gym. All of the
chairs and bleachers faced a pulpit from which the Priest and others addressed the congregation
throughout the evening. There were flower arrangements throughout the gymnasium, and there
were a number of tall lighted candles.
At times throughout the meeting, different people approached the microphone, and did a
reading, or recited certain information. Each time that this happened, I noticed that it was
recited, read or memorized. The Priest was the only person to address the congregation, and
adlib, or speak his mind. It appeared that the Priest had prepared his thoughts on notes in front
of him, but when he spoke, he had his eyes forward, and he was engaging the congregation in his
sermon. Never, at any point did anyone ask a question, or speak out of turn. It was very formal
and followed a regimented, structured, pre-determined organization.
There were two times during the Mass where we all stood on our feet again. The first
was when baskets were passed around. I noticed that envelopes, checks and some cash were
being deposited in the baskets. I quickly reached for my purse and grabbed a few small bills of
which I gave a donation during the Mass. The second time we rose to our feet was during the
portion of the Mass where the Priest talked about the body and the blood of Christ. There were
goblets of what appeared to be wine, from which people drank, and there was a wafer or cracker
that was given to those who approached the Priest. I did not participate in this part of the Mass
personally, but stood patiently while the other members of the congregation partook.

Value Theory & Analysis

The Value Theory that I chose to discuss is the Comparison of Beliefs of Major Religions
found in the reading packet. The Catholic religion falls within the “Christianity” category.
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Some of the beliefs listed in this comparison are “The love of God and man; Ten
commandments; Service truth, beauty, goodness, justice, humility, learning.” (sprunger, 2018)-
I saw this portrayed as I listened to the messages that were read from the Bible and the sermon
that the Priest gave. He talked about being good to each other, and at one point during the Mass,
he asked everyone to turn to their neighbor, embrace them and wish them that the peace of God
would be with them.
Another belief is their explanation of Evil “Satan: Fall of man; Imperfection of creation;
egocentricity; alienation from God”. (sprunger, 2018) - The main subject of the sermon that
Priest gave was to encourage everyone to stay away from Satan’s temptations, such as gambling,
coveting, drinking and staying away from pornography.
Additionally, the belief of Salvation is described as “Evangelicals; Salvation comes from
faith in blood atonement of Jesus; Mainline: Faith in Jesus as Mediator -Savior”. (sprunger,
2018) -This was represented when the Priest blessed the wafer and wine in representation of the
body and blood of Christ. And as the members partook of the sacrament, the Priest restated the
phrase “Body of Christ” to each individual.
The dominant emphasis of a Christian religion is described as “Jesus as Lord; Fatherhood
of God; Brotherhood of Man; Kingdom of God; Church.” -As I entered the lieu of worship, I
noticed that there were many images and portrayals of the cross and the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ throughout the room.
Christians believe in the bible, and “Catholics also accept church tradition as
authoritative”. -The entire ceremony was around the reading of the bible,

Reflection
Participating in a Catholic Mass was something that I never thought that I would do.
There were times when I felt out of place. There were times where I felt awkward, and that I
didn’t belong. None of these feelings I had were the intention of those present or leading the
meeting. I’m sure that if I had asked them, they would have said that I was welcome to
participate. The awkwardness and feeling that I didn’t fit in, was self-imposed, but some of it
was due to the way in which the meeting transpired. It was very formal, and unfamiliar to me. I
didn’t understand the different leaders involved. I didn’t understand the significance of the
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clerical robes. I didn’t understand when I should repeat phrases in unison with the congregation.
I didn’t understand why people were drinking from the same goblet.
Although there were a number of things that I didn’t understand, I have such a greater
appreciation for the Catholic religion, and those who were in attendance. I am so glad that I was
able to go and have this experience! It opened my eyes. I saw and heard new things that I had
only seen in movies or heard about. This experience made me grateful for my faith, and for the
understanding that I have of these familiar religious ceremonies. I am empathetic to those who
might be coming to one of my religious ceremonies, since I believe that there are an equal or
more rites and rituals that I take for granted, and believe that they are “normal”, just because I
am familiar with them. I understand now that what is normal, and acceptable to some, might be
foreign and uncomfortable for others. Thank you for allowing me to have this experience!
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Works Cited

National Catholic Reporter. (2018). Global Catholic population tops 1.28 billion; half are in 10
countries. [online] Available at: https://www.ncronline.org/news/world/global-catholic-
population-tops-128-billion-half-are-10-countries [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].

Online, C. (2018). Catholic Facts and General Knowledge - Prayers - Catholic Online. [online]
Catholic Online. Available at: https://www.catholic.org/prayers/beliefs.php [Accessed 29 Sep.
2018].

GotQuestions.org. (2018). What is the origin of the Roman Catholic Church?. [online] Available
at: https://www.gotquestions.org/origin-Catholic-church.html [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].

hardon, J. (2018). Dictionary of Terms - A. [online] Therealpresence.org. Available at:

http://www.therealpresence.org/dictionary/adict.htm [Accessed 29 Sep. 2018].

Vatican.va. (2018). Catechism of the Catholic Church - The sacrament of the Eucharist. [online]
Available at: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm [Accessed
29 Sep. 2018].

sprunger, m. (2018). belief comparasion.

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Reflective essay

I always thought of myself as someone who was accepting and respectful of other
people’s belief, faith and way of life. But, when I read the description of the project and I
realized that I was supposed to go and participate in a cultural or religious function different than
mine, I came to the realization that I was not so open-minded after all. I started to judge and
criticize and became a bit resentful and quite reluctant. I found myself scared and nervous. I was
not excited about going and participating in an unknown ceremony in an unfamiliar place. I
thought I was going to be told to leave or people were not going to accept me or I was going to
stand out like a sore-thumb. Those unknown feelings brought to my knowledge how closed-
minded I was about other faiths. I guess I could say that I am ok with other religions as long as I
don’t have to be involved. Well, to my great surprise, I found that the feelings I had during the
ceremony were self-inflicted. None of what I thought, happened. But because I did not let my
guards down, I feel like I missed out a bit on the experience.

I believe that this project helped me see a bigger picture meaning that religion is personal
and there are more ways than mine to worship and find the peace human kinds are always in the
quest for. I am actually quite grateful for this opportunity and I feel like this project has helped
me overcome a religious prejudice and helped me feel closer to my parents as they were both
raised catholic. I had never taken the time to really talk to them and ask them how it was to be
followers of that faith. I actually have so many questions to ask them after this project. I found
that I was ethnocentric religion wise because I thought that any other religion was not as good as
mine and people were not making the right choice. Moving forward, I will be more open to
trying new things and I will try not be afraid of being outside my comfort zone. This class has
taught me so far that the world is so rich culturally and there is not only one right way to do
things.

This class also helped me make the connection with my other classes. One great example
of that is the fact that I was able to use the writing skills I learned in my writing classes. And as I
pursue my college career, I will be able to be more open to what is required of me in the classes I
will be taking and I will treat them as opportunities to learn and grow.