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| 1527: St Leo
the Great, Baltimore, Maryland, USA |
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Mystery Worshipper:
Psalmist.
The church:
St Leo the Great, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Denomination:
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese
of Baltimore.
The building:
St Leo's is a red brick building in the style of so many late
19th century Catholic churches. The west facade features a colonnaded
porch reached by twin staircases. A rather Italianate bell tower
stands at the east end of the church. A serviceable enough exterior
– but the interior is very pretty, with traditional stained
glass windows, lots of memorial plaques, and a veritable crowd
of statues. Noteworthy are the statutes of St Anthony and the
Archangel Gabriel directly behind the altar. The nave is reachable
via elevator, which makes sense given the mature age of the
congregation.
The church:
St Leo's has been the focal point of life in Baltimore's Little
Italy for more than a century. Generations of Italians have
been baptized, married, and buried from this venerable old church.
The congregation's size has waxed and waned over the years,
but recent times have seen many families return to the fold.
St Leo's has a strong feel of family.
The neighborhood:
Little Italy, just east of the area known as the Inner Harbor,
was founded in 1849 to serve the growing Italian immigrant population.
The neighborhood has shrunk in size from several decades ago
but is still a place with a fierce identity, featuring dozens
of fine Italian restaurants and a vibrant ethnic culture, including
the St Anthony and St Gabriel street festivals in June and August,
respectively.
The cast:
The celebrant wasn't introduced, and when I inquired later of
an usher who he was, the usher couldn't tell me. It should be
noted that the office of pastor is currently vacant, the former
pastor having been removed for reasons all too familiar to Catholics
over the past decade or so.
The date & time:
Good Friday, March 21, 2008, 3.00 pm.
What was the name of the service?
Good Friday service.
How full was the building?
It was a standing room only crowd, more than 300 people.
Did anyone welcome you personally?
Several ushers were at the door greeting people. As I arrived,
they were busy helping an elderly lady up the stairs, so I didn't
interrupt them.
Was your pew comfortable?
St Leo's pews are probably original, with short benches and
rigidly upright backs, about as comfortable as they sound. On
the other hand, the seats are padded, and the kneelers were
very accommodating.
How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
Most of the people in the congregation seemed to know one another.
There was a low-level buzz of conversation as people found their
seats, but when the service started, they were all business.
What were the exact opening words of the
service?
I'm afraid I missed them, as there was a commotion in my pew
just then. I assume they were the words prescribed by the Good
Friday liturgy.
What books did the congregation use during the
service?
I was surprised to find there were no books in the pews. They're
all stacked at the back of the church. I had failed to notice
this when I entered, and realized too late that I probably should
have picked one up.
What musical instruments were played?
No musical accompaniment. The cantor led the hymns a cappella.
She was good.
Did anything distract you?
Lots of things. I am accustomed to blessing myself with holy
water as I enter a Catholic church, and I was surprised to find
no holy water in the fonts. Just then I remembered, oh yes,
Good Friday, they would of course be dry. The order of service
was distracting as well – after all, we experience it only
once each year. For example, when everyone first filed out of
their pews and went to the front of the church, it wasn't for
communion, it was to kiss the foot of the crucifix. Communion
came later. But most distracting of all was the denim jacket
embellished with large rhinestone wings that a woman in front
of me was wearing – the rhinestones caught the light every
time she stood up.
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
The worship was exactly what I expected it would be, by the
book and middle of the road. It felt like home.
Exactly how long was the sermon?
8 minutes.
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7 – No surprises, just a standard sermon.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
The journey toward Easter and preparation for that.
Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
One of the hymns sung was "Were you there when they crucified
my Lord." I saw several people with damp eyes during that.
I was touched too.
And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
The lectors who recited the St John Passion were, well, uninspired.
What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
No one hung around, as the service was immediately followed
by a stations of the cross procession through the streets of
Little Italy.
How would you describe the after-service
coffee?
No after-service coffee. The stations of the cross procession
lasted about an hour, and included a cross-bearer, children
dressed as angels, flag-bearers, priests, a horse-drawn carriage
with a life-size wooden likeness of the dead Christ, and at
least 100 people behind. They proceeded through the streets
of Little Italy, stopping at designated businesses and homes
to recite prayers. Photos of the stations inside the church
were blown up to poster size to mark each of the 14 stops.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
8 – As it has always been, St Leo's remains a strong part
of community life. I think anyone who attended St Leo's would
feel welcome.
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
It would be closer to the mark to say that the service and the
stations of the cross procession afterward reaffirmed some of
the things I like best about being a Catholic. I very much had
a sense that the people who were there had taken time out of
their regular day to drop in because that's just what you do.
I like that assumption of duty as just being routine.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
I'll definitely remember the procession. I've certainly attended
many stations of the cross, but this was the first outdoor stations
that I'd ever seen. |
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| The Mystery Pilgrim |
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| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here. |
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| Read reports from 70 London churches, visited by a small army of Mystery Worshippers on one single Sunday. Read here. |
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