So, for those who have been wondering what I decided on for vacation: I am taking a stack of books to a little motel in Tewksbury, MA. The agenda is to sleep, read, eat, sing, and just be. There seems to be some bluegrass festival within striking distance, and a few other choral opportunities too. Thursday seems to have scheduled a bloggers dinner at a local Italian Eatery. RC seems to be geared up to do some tour guiding around Boston environs. I am sure that one or the other of us may even post some pictures.
The New Adult Catechism from USCCB arrived today so that is going along for the ride. I will take along The Life and Times of St. Gaspar del Bufalo, as well. I also expect to finish Celebrating the Holy Eucharist by Arinze, A Treatise on Prayer from the Heart by Caussade, Catholic Matters by Neuhaus. I have three other books along for the ride to see if I can start on them as well. Imagine me most mornings with my feet up, a cup of coffee in my hand, and devouring a good book. Most evenings I will be chopping garlic, boiling pasta and sipping a good red wine. After Vespers it will be back to the books.
The computer is going along with a printer, so I can print out the boarding pass for the return flight and also do some blogging.
So, can anyone recommend a good place for Sunday Mass? It has to be a place where I can just pray without too much wierd stuff going on.
Father, I hope you have a restful break and enjoy your reading. Re the Mass, I thought that a priest always had to concelebrate a Mass and not just be a member of the congregation.
Actually, the law is not that clear, and I am just a bit lazy. I do not want to pack alb or choir dress. I would need another suit case. Actually, the possibility of concelebration may present itself, but I am always aware of the third degree I give unknown visiting priests (some of them have turned out to be bogus).
Thanks
Your bleg (or is it not a bleg if the blog owner does the begging?) for a good place to go to Mass without too much wierd stuff going on reminds me that I have often thought there should be a web-page that is a clearing house for just this sort of query.
I am often traveling, and not too internet savvy, have lucked (with both good and bad luck,) into extremes on both ends of the Liturgical spectrum when its opposite was only a few blocks away.
It would be nice to know where to go to Mass without being subjected to goofy add-ons, nonsense, heresy, noise, liturgical abuse, etc.
And I have friends around the country who have drifted away from Church, who I just KNOW I could get to start on the road back if I could only tell them - no, no, in the next town over there is a parish with no New Age homilies/Haugen psalm paraphrases/crabby priest who will not give communion to anyone in shorts/ asking strangers to stand up before mass and introduce themselves etc.
Now, I know some of this is very subjective, but does anyone know where you could get this sort information, for a start at least?
Fr. Keyes and I had a good day seeing the New Hampshire seacoast towns; back in Massachusetts, we visited the chapel of the Poor Clares' monastery in Andover. It's not far from his hotel, so it'll give him a good place to attend Mass. As it happens, we arrived on an opportune day, when the "Portiuncula Indulgence", a plenary indulgence, is offered to those who visit a parish church or a Franciscan chapel.
It never occurred to me that some men might pretend to be priests. With today's simplified liturgy I imagine they would be difficult to spot. In 'Called to Communion' I read that in the early days of the Church bishops used to give letters of introduction to people travelling to different Sees; perhaps that might have to be reintroduced for priests travelling to different dioceses.
Impostor clergymen are a known species of con-men, even in Rome. A friend of mine lived in one of the Roman colleges for a couple of years while he took his theology studies in the '80s, and during that time more than one man tried to pass himself off to the community there as a priest. Sometimes they fooled people well enough that they were allowed to "concelebrate" a Mass or take up lodging in the college.