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| 2507: St Patrick’s,
Scottsdale, Arizona, USA |
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Mystery
Worshipper: Amanda B. Reckondwythe.
The church:
St
Patrick’s, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
Denomination:
Roman Catholic,
Diocese
of Phoenix.
The building:
A modern structure dating from 2002, set in what is known in
these parts as a desert landscape. The grounds feature the Stations
of the Cross made out of stone slabs attached to boulders. Inside,
one finds oneself in a huge narthex designed to serve as a social
hall. Copper doors separate the narthex from the church proper.
Immediately inside the doors are two baptismal fonts, one large
tub-like font for adult baptism by immersion and a smaller font
for infant baptism. The main auditorium is spacious, with pews
surrounding the altar on three sides. The altar itself is oval,
resembling a dining room table, and sits in front of a large
Tiffany window. There is also a Blessed Sacrament chapel, a
chapel for the celebration of daily mass, and "reconciliation
chapels" (confessionals) – brightly lit, relatively spacious
closets where one may confess one’s sins face-to-face with a
priest or from behind a screen. A far cry from the dark boxes
in which Miss Amanda was shriven of the peccadilloes of her
youth!
The church: They appear to be a very active parish, with ministries and outreaches of all sorts, as listed on their website. I will mention only one: the parish nurse ministry, which includes information about various health issues in each Sunday’s bulletin.
The neighborhood:
Scottsdale is an affluent suburb to the east of Phoenix, notorious
for two annoying features: (1) a highly restrictive sign ordinance
that makes it virtually impossible to spot one’s destination
from a fast-moving car; and (2) the continued use of traffic
enforcement cameras, one of the only remaining communities in
the area still to do so. The church is located on 84th Street
at Shea Boulevard amid exclusive walled residential enclaves,
very near to the freeway known as the Loop 101 that encircles
the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The cast:
The Most Revd Eduardo Nevares, Auxiliary Bishop of Phoenix,
was the celebrant. He was assisted by the Revd Mr John Meyer
and the Revd Mr Jim Hoyt, deacons. The Revd Eric Tellez, pastor,
attended in choir albeit in full eucharistic vestiture. Paul
Hillebrand was in charge of the music. There were three acolytes
in albs and cinctures and an assortment of athletic footwear.
One of the acolytes showed bare legs beneath an alb that was
at least a foot too short for him.
The date & time:
Fifth Sunday in Lent and Solemnity of St Patrick (Parish Feast
of Title), March 17, 2013, 10.30am.
What was the name of the service?
Weekend Liturgy.
How full was the building?
Their website states that the sanctuary can hold 1200 people. It was completely full, with people standing along the sides and in the rear.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
No. There were no ushers on duty and no handouts to be taken.
Was your pew comfortable?
Yes. There were padded pews as well as padded chairs; I chose a chair.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Very noisy as people visited and the musicians and choir rehearsed. The bishop arrived in black clerical suit and was given a quick tour of the sanctuary area.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Good morning, everyone. Let’s go over our songs for today." When that was done, a video was played featuring various members of the parish staff giving announcements.
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
None. Everything was projected onto screens. There was no bulletin.
What musical instruments were played?
Piano, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, drums. I think there was also an Irish pennywhistle and a violin, or a good imitation of same on a digital synthesizer. There was a choir of about 25 people.
Did anything distract you?
The acolytes seemed unrehearsed and unsure of themselves. One of the deacons had to cue them via stage whispers and hand gestures as to where to stand, how to hold the book for the bishop, and what to do and when. There was also quite a bit of confusion at communion among the eucharistic ministers – who was to stand where holding what (chalice or ciborium).
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
It tried to be happy-clappy but dignity won the day, probably
due to the fact that the bishop was present. The color was white,
not purple, in keeping with the parish feast of title. The bishop
wore a marvelous lace alb beneath his chasuble, although the
deacons were vested more plainly. The bishop did quite a bit
of chanting, including the collect, sursum corda, preface
and per ipsum. But there were no bells or incense,
not even at the elevation. We recited the Apostles’ Creed, not
the Nicene Creed. The music was a cross between contemporary
Christian rock and Country & Western, with some old standbys
("What Wondrous Love", "Amazing Grace", "Tantum Ergo") given
a modern makeover to blend in with the harder stuff. Unfortunately
the modern makeover included a dumbing down of the text. For
example, in "Amazing Grace" we sang of the sweet sound "that
saved and set me free" instead of "that saved a wretch like
me". There was a surprisingly generous sprinkling of Latin,
such as "Miserere nobis" as the response to the intercessions.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
21 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
10 – Bishop Nevares spoke clearly and with conviction. His sermon was well planned and expertly delivered.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
God never tires of showing us mercy, although we sometimes tire of asking. Jesus revealed to us the face of God: rich in mercy, slow to anger, of great kindness. How quick we are to condemn others but how slow to examine ourselves. We are all sinners. Jesus came to call sinners. Mercy is the most important quality of a follower of Christ. We all go through terrible things in our lives, but think of how Jesus responded to all he endured: "Father, forgive them." Let God heal us. Let Christ be our example.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
This is not my style of worship, but I have to say that on balance it worked. The people certainly seemed very much into it. The singing was especially enthusiastic.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
Someone needs to take responsibility for seeing to it that the acolytes are trained and rehearsed properly and that they pay the necessary attention to how they dress for service on the altar of God.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
As the bishop was recessing up the aisle, everybody pretty much made a mad scramble for the exits. A woman came up to me, welcomed me to St Patrick’s, and asked me if I was a reporter (she had been intrigued by my note-taking). I told her a bit about the Ship of Fools, and she in turn told me about a website she was involved with – something or other to do with one of the more improbable apparitions of the Blessed Mother.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
In honor of St Patrick’s Day, a parish barbeque had been planned. I purchased a $5.00 ticket and joined the hungry throngs. We had our choice of hamburgers or hot dogs, with chips, lemonade and cookies. I chose a hamburger, and it was delicious. After receiving their food, people took it inside the parish hall, where large round tables had been set up. I chose an empty table to sit at, as it had been a long service and by that time I was interested only in eating and running.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
1 – I don’t live in Scottsdale, but even if I did, this is really not my style of worship. However, I don’t begrudge it to those who do enjoy it.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Yes.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
How well the bishop preached, but also how short one of the acolytes' alb was. |
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