Independent Catholics Relocated to Historic Danforth Chapel

[rug]

By Rev Phillip Lichtenwalter | Posted: Sunday, December 09, 2012 12:57 PM

After spending the past year meeting in rented worship spaces, St. Catherine of Siena American National Catholic Church is making the move its own worship space. In order to accommodate the substantial growth of the parish, the Board of Directors is excited to announce that St. Catherine of Siena American National Catholic Church will be moving to the historic Danforth Chapel of Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ located at 826 Union Boulevard, St. Louis, MO. Masses will begin on Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 5:30pm.

“We needed a space which could accommodate our growing parish and increased social justice outreach ministries,” commented Connie Butler – Board President. “We needed a space to call our own which would allow for continued growth.” The Board of Directors approached Rev. Dr. Allen Grothe, Senior Pastor of Pilgrim UCC, concerning the status of the adjacent Danforth Chapel. Learning the space was available and that Pilgrim UCC was interested in such collaboration, discussion began surrounding the use of the chapel.

In anticipation of St. Catherine's arrival, the Rev. Dr. Allen Grothe, Senior Pastor of Pilgrim, affirms, "Given our common commitment to the inclusiveness Jesus himself embodies, I consider it a joy and a privilege to share our building and our mission with our sisters and brothers from St. Catherine of Siena.” He continues, “We at Pilgrim believe people are created for communion, one with another and all with God, and this is yet another way in which to live out that belief along with St. Catherine. We look forward to exploring and discovering all the ways in which God would use us to support each other and to minister together, making of our shared space a center for ongoing outreach to this world which God so deeply loves."

With this move, St. Catherine is now open to a multitude of new options for the parish. To accommodate the substantial growth, the Church will now offer two masses each weekend, Saturday Evening Vigil and Sunday Morning. The liturgical schedule will also include monthly First Friday devotions, Lenten Stations of the Cross, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novenas, weekly Sacrament of Reconciliation, bible study, adult religious formation, youth programs and increased social justice outreach. “This move is more than just a relocation of the parish community,” commented Fr. Phillip Lichtenwalter, Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena ANCC. “This is a journey into sharing our Christian faith and truly building community in collaboration with Pilgrim UCC and the neighboring churches.”

http://interact.stltoday.com/pr/local-news/PR120912125711326

http://americannationalcatholicchurch.org/

Something similar happened 115 years ago around the Irish dominance of the hierarchy. They're still around.

http://www.pncc.org/

[hunter]

1. I'd enjoy attending Mass in such a place.

Conservative Catholic family members would probably be upset, others merely uncomfortable.

When our kids were younger we were traveling and attended an Episcopal Service, "High Church," which is similar to the usual Catholic Mass. It wasn't something we mentioned to a few family members. My wife's cousin had married a Lutheran and I remembered the agitation among a few elderly Catholics who attended.

I also remember elderly Catholics who wouldn't set foot in an alien church, not even for weddings and such.

My wife's family is strictly Catholic. I grew up in a household of continuous religious warfare and we ended up attending Quaker services because my mom wasn't welcome anywhere else. There she could say what she had to say about her ongoing conversations with God and the Friends would nod their heads respectfully and the service would go on. When my mom was outspoken in other churches it didn't work out so well. I have wonderful childhood memories of her arguing with Catholic Bishops and Priests in very inappropriate venues. My mom had zero tolerance for Priests who were not bright and I think a few of them set off her Grizzly Bear mom protective radar. Fortunately she did not disrupt our wedding, probably because she was making sure that her mom, my crazy grandma, didn't disrupt our wedding. My other surviving grandparent, my dad's father did not attend our wedding because I was marrying (in his words) "a Mexican girl." He later got over that.

My parent's used to live in a White Republican area of California. Attending Mass there was uncomfortable. My wife's parent's live in a liberal place. Attending Mass there is lovely. Our own community is solidly Democratic, working class, and majority Mexican-American and Catholic. The Spanish language Mass is very Mexican, The English language Mass tends to be liberal and cosmopolitan. White "conservative" Catholics are a minority.

Honestly, if there was an American National Catholic Church here, I'd be there. But I imagine my wife's parents would be uncomfortable in such a place. The boundaries between Church, community, and family are not well defined here, but the Roman Catholic Church is the Church wherever one goes.