I went to Mass this
morning at St. Denis, which is right around the corner from this
apartment. It was the Scout/Guide Mass, so I got to see what Boy Scouts
and Girl Guides wear in France (their shirts are pretty different and
the neckerchief/scarf was worn differently too). One thing that was the
same was the attempt to provide kid-friendly music (not so much to my
taste).
Mass was full -- there is only one Mass at this parish, so maybe that makes good sense. I was sitting in the back, but people around me were saying the responses and singing, which surprised me a bit. What surprised me the most was the number of men at Mass. Lots of times, in Paris, I'd go to a French Mass and there would just be a few men -- a couple of older men with their wives and maybe a young couple or two, but rarely men alone. At church today, there were families with both parents, single men by themselves, older couples, and even a group of old men sitting together.
The priest was great -- not least because his sermon was interesting, reverent, and spoken slowly, with good enunciation ;) The consecration took a very long time; you could tell he was emphasizing every word. (Though I will admit that when I left the church and looked at my watch and saw 11:20 --mass started at 10:00-- I did think, "My kids are not going to appreciate this....)
And now, the response "Et avec votre esprit" doesn't seem so unusual to me!
Mass was full -- there is only one Mass at this parish, so maybe that makes good sense. I was sitting in the back, but people around me were saying the responses and singing, which surprised me a bit. What surprised me the most was the number of men at Mass. Lots of times, in Paris, I'd go to a French Mass and there would just be a few men -- a couple of older men with their wives and maybe a young couple or two, but rarely men alone. At church today, there were families with both parents, single men by themselves, older couples, and even a group of old men sitting together.
The priest was great -- not least because his sermon was interesting, reverent, and spoken slowly, with good enunciation ;) The consecration took a very long time; you could tell he was emphasizing every word. (Though I will admit that when I left the church and looked at my watch and saw 11:20 --mass started at 10:00-- I did think, "My kids are not going to appreciate this....)
And now, the response "Et avec votre esprit" doesn't seem so unusual to me!
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