Studying Catholicism

Fieldwork

Created by:

Elaine Vandenhazel
Salt Lake Community College
 The Catholics
Fieldwork amongst a Catholic community

Professor Guathier
Salt Lake Community College

The conduct of this study shows the slow assimilation of an outsider into
Catholic society. With the cooperation of society members their roles become clear.
This study was carried out in several different locations, but mainly in a catholic
cathedral amongst members of the parish. I was accepted into the community
despite being an outsider originally a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints. The members within this community varied in race and gender,
with the majorities being white and hispanic members. Many of these members
started as outsiders themselves and were able to find solace with the community,
banding themselves together to worship god.
Sarah Murphy was born into a family who were all members of the Catholic
religion but fell away during her early 20’s. She was able to find her community
and god again when she suffered with the death of her first child, a still born. She
made it her duty to befriend outsiders curious about Catholicism and the
community around it. She views these people as gods lost children and seeks to
return them to the way of Christ just as her own children have returned to him in
heaven. The rewards of this are eternal salvation for not only herself, but all those
who are able to return to God with her.
The members of this parish are able to operate as a productive society,
giving members support and love when they struggle with hardship. While each
member is encouraged to have their own individual identity, all come together
regularly to set aside that identity and conform to one that worships Christ. This
becomes abundantly clear to any outsider who attends mass or any other event
hosted by the Catholic church or the parish in particular. This study allows us to
understand how fieldwork is conducted within this community and how outsiders
are able to assimilate with the members if they desire to do so.

The Author
Elaine L. Vandenhazel is a student of anthropology at Salt Lake Community
College. Her fieldwork in Catholicism has taken her to several different parishes,
but most notably the parish of the Cathedral at Madeleine. She was born as a
member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints near Salt Lake City,
Utah. Seeking her Associates of Science at Salt Lake Community College she has
taken on a variety of courses. For the purpose of this written presentation, only
anthropology will be discussed.
Establishing Contact
There are several different religions in the Salt Lake Valley, so it is only
natural for me to explore others besides the one that I was born into. I speak
English and Spanish so it is easy for me to attend any mass meeting I would like. I
am familiar with the inner and outer workings of my own religion, but am unsure
of how Catholics conduct their method of worship. To establish contact with
members of the parish I attended one of the weekly mass meetings leading up to
Easter, when even inactive members attend to worship Christ. During this mass I
was able to meet a woman named Sarah, a long time member of Catholicism. She
saw me sitting alone and came to sit next to me. During the mass she showed me
the proper way to worship during group prayer, individual prayer, and the singing
of hymns. She shared her hymn book and together we sang with the rest of the
parish. After the end of the mass worship she inquired about my attendance to the
meeting as she had not seen me before. She was delighted to hear of my choice to
study Catholicism and invited any questioning I had. We discussed my upbringing
within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and how it relates to her
own experiences being born in Catholicism. She invited me to the funeral of
another parish member that was upcoming to assist in my studies and strengthen
my understanding of how they handle death within their community.

The Ceremony
I met up with Sarah approximately 30 minutes before the beginning of the
ceremony to question her on the things I had observed during the last mass
combined with other questions about the community. These questions are included
in the fieldwork notes. After our discussion we went into the cathedral and viewed
the body of the dearly departed parish member. Several of the family members and
friends of the passed one were chatting in the foyer area, Sarah and I went to talk
with them. They expressed their appreciation for our attendance and hoped that we
would be able to feel God's presence during the ceremony. We offered our
condolences and support to them with hugs and kind words.They were quite
curious about the results of my research into Catholicism and invited me to return
after my research is complete. During the ceremony we sat near the front quietly
while the priest and members of the family spoke. They shared stories of how the
passed member came to convert to Catholicism and was faithful until the day she
died. Sarah and I participated in many hymns and prayers. The ceremony lasted
approximately 2 hours and there was a small gathering for the immediate family at
the gravesite afterward. While how each member dresses for mass is not important,
it is important during funeral ceremonies, it shows respect for the dead and the
family members mourning them. The attendees are allowed to wear any color of
clothing that they desire, but the family members generally wear black. The
atmosphere of this event was somber and reverent.

Bible Study
Sarah invited me to a weekly bible study session with several of her friends
that she calls her ‘study buddies’. During this weekly session each invited person
brings a snack to share, to try and assimilate to this community I brought cookies
that I made with my younger brother at home. Before we began our study session
we got to know each other a bit better. Each person told me about their experiences
with discovering Catholicism, whether being born into it or converting to it later in
life. I shared my research assignment and shared my previous experiences with
them. This activity allowed me to establish rapport with the parish members and
better assimilate to the community. They shared their personal contact information
with me which showed acceptance and desire to have me as a member. I
appreciated how open and honest we could be with each other. There was no dress
code for this get together, as long as the private parts were covered it was
unimportant what one wore.

Choir Rehearsal
I attended a weekly choir rehearsal with my informant, Sarah. She is a
member of the parish’s choir and helps with the organization of these rehearsals.
They are open to men and women and while all clothing is accepted, modest
clothing is encouraged as it is still in the congregation area of the cathedral. For the
past few weeks before this rehearsal the parish members had been working on the
hymns for the Easter mass. For this rehearsal they were allowing the members to
sing their desired hymns and work on harmonization with each other. I assume that
this is to not overwork the members with upcoming performances in mass. The
members allowed me to choose a hymn as well and play the piano for it as I have
been playing since I was 7. I felt like a member of the community the most in this
experience. Several of the members said they could feel the spirit present when
they sang hymns together. While I do not know what spirit they are referring to I
could feel the sense of community through harmonization.

During this research project I was able to see how parish members in and out
of the cathedral. They shared their values, beliefs, ideas, and sense of community
with me. Despite having minimal previous knowledge about Catholicism and all
that it entails they accepted me. There were no setbacks during the ending of my
research assignment and I was invited back. I formed many friendships that I will
continue to explore even though this class has ended. I am grateful for the
experiences I have had and the blessings that I have received.