Catholic Mission Of Our Lady Of America Analysis

Misión Católica Nuestra Señora De Las Américas (Catholic Mission of Our Lady of the Americas)

Religion is very important to most people in society today. It has been around for many years and many different religions have emerged. It is hard for a person to step into a religious environment that is unfamiliar to them. I have never been inside a church and all of my life my family never really told me about religion. The social phenomenon I studied was a Catholic Mass. On Sunday morning, October 23, 2011, I attended the Catholic Mission of Our Lady of the Americas Catholic Church in Lilburn, GA. Stepping into the church, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea what would happen or if I would stand out from the crowd as a new-comer. I did get stares, but everyone was very friendly. They wanted to get to know about me and my background. My experience was very overwhelming because I did not know what to do. There was so much kneeling, praying, standing up, and people doing the signs of the cross; I had no idea when to do these things.
Catholicism has been a long-standing part of American history because Christianity has been around for years therefore it is culturally accepted.
Today most of society can accept different cultures and religious beliefs unlike people years ago. According to the church, they are guided by the principles of Jesus and are protected by Our Lady of Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary). The church is home to Hispanic immigrants. Its goals are to provide its people with “growing faith, promoting human development, enhancing their dignity and cultural wealth” (Misión). Believers of Catholicism are most likely to participate in this belief and event. People during this event, tend to put everything aside as they step inside the church and focus more on their religion. This was very noticeable once I stepped into the church with others; they did the sign of the cross as if they were giving God their time
now.
The church is very welcoming to new members. When I told people that I was a new-comer they welcomed me and told me that I should come more often. They aren’t forceful about making you believe in their beliefs. They just want to let people know that there are people who can help, including the church. Most people who attend this church are Hispanic, but there are a few Americans who attend. Everything is said and written in Spanish.
The group meets in an elegant but simple Catholic church. There are many sayings throughout the church walls. There is a big window in the center of the church, behind the altar, where a big statue of Jesus on the cross is high up in the center of the window with gold curtains on the side. In the right corner there is a statue of Mary and in the left there is a statue of ____________. The setting puts everyone in a quiet, respectful, and peaceful mood. The space is so big that if they were to speak, their voice would be projected really loud. The building suggests that the people are very serious about their religion. The church is greatly taken care of which can mean that they really appreciate all that they have and their God for providing it to them. The attendees mostly dress in casual clothes. Women tend to wear a minimal amount of makeup and little jewelry. Women may want to show what that the way God created them, is the way they should look, which is without makeup just natural beauty.
The people at this church seem to be just like any other normal person with a deep religious background. They are very quiet and reserved when in the church but once outside they are very social. This shows their respect for their religion and God. From what I observed, there were mostly females at the church. This may be so because the husband may be working or just may not want to come. Females also tend to be more attached and have a strong will when it comes to important things to them. This can come from the motherly side of them. There was an equal mixture of older and younger people in the church. A lot of Hispanics go to the church as stated before. This is a Catholic church that wants to instill great faith in its people and promote self wealth. Its people tend to be of the working and middle class. Since the church “is home to Hispanic immigrants” (Misión), the people may not have good jobs, just regular minimum wage or lower paying jobs, which is enough to get them by. They wear decent clothes and speak in a respectful manner. These people own decent cars, nothing too expensive. The building and its furnishings are moderate and in good condition. The building isn’t greatly decorated; it is kept to a minimal level. The children seem to have a good educational background, especially since they have a youth group with very prominent teen and college teen leaders who are helping them.
Rev. Luis Guillermo Cordoba is the priest. He is the leader in the church and provides the sermons. The vicar and the assistants (deacons) help the priest with his sermons and other needed things. Once everyone is seated, they wait for the priest. One of the assistants says a greeting, telling everyone to greet each other and rejoice in song while the priest walks to the altar. The priest greets everyone and tells them that they may sit. He reads from the Bible and his three assistants each have a reading or lecture. The first reads from the Old Testament, the second reads from Psalms, and the third reads from the New Testament. The priest then gives evangelism and lectures about the readings. Before doing so everyone gets up and does the sign of the cross. This shows how high of authority the priest has on the congregation and that he is well respected. Also showing his authority, he transforms the wafer and the wine into the body and blood of Christ by blessing it, which is then distributed to the people throughout the church. What I noticed is that the assistants wear the same color robe as the priest. When I asked about this, people said that it was to show their authority in the church.
Men and women do not show a higher role over the other. They appear to be equal. Before the wafers and wine are blessed, they are bought to the priest by a married couple. I asked my friend’s mom about this and she said they represented unity; the church with everyone a part of it is represented as one. It also represents commitment to their faith and religion. Marriage is a commitment to one other and if you are not committed then all else will fail. The congregation must have a commitment to God in order to live well.
Overall my experience was pretty good. I had no complaints since everyone was very accepting and friendly. Even though I am not religious or do not believe in God, I would go back to participate in the community service events that the church does. One upcoming event that I will be attending is a Christmas event where they bring Christmas to very poor families who can’t afford a Christmas. I highly respect this church for all of its charitable events. They really want to help others and believe that it is an expression of their faith. They want to “fulfill the Gospel in the new millennium” (Misión). In my opinion, they are definitely keeping Catholicism alive.