Phatmass Just Got Promo-d in an Academic Webinar

[Gabriela]

I was just in a webinar for the Communication & Christian Studies Network, and the moderator mentioned Phatmass in the Q&A. Apparently one of his students wrote her Master's thesis about Phatmass.

So now a bunch of academic researchers will probably be visiting here.

 

[Nihil Obstat]

I was just in a webinar for the Communication & Christian Studies Network, and the moderator mentioned Phatmass in the Q&A. Apparently one of his students wrote her Master's thesis about Phatmass.

So now a bunch of academic researchers will probably be visiting here.

 

We should act like irredeemable troglodytes and just wallow in absolute filth for the next little while to confuse the crap out of anyone who might be curious about Phatmass in an academic sense.

We will need a quick refresher though, to be convincing. I nominate @Socrates for the troglodyte tutorial, and @Hasan for the filth instruction.

[Gabriela]

Better yet, let's change the name temporarily to "BaptistMass" and act like a bunch of Protestants.

[Nihil Obstat]

Better yet, let's change the name temporarily to "BaptistMass" and act like a bunch of Protestants.

Dude, I said filthy troglodytes. Not Protestants.  

 

Disclaimer and whatnot. I urge you all not to get butthurt by an obvious and lighthearted joke.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

Dude, I said filthy troglodytes. Not Protestants.  

 

Disclaimer and whatnot. I urge you all not to get butthurt by an obvious and lighthearted joke.

 Good thing I don't consider myself a Protestant despite the use of that word below the picture of the Queen to the left of this text.  Anyone who is confused can read my essay in the "About Me" section of my profile. And, if a reader is still confused, that is not unexpected, because I am confused, too. I live in the hope that in the afterlife this mere human will finally understand--and I fully expect to be confused about one thing or another until then. 

However, to confound academics, I promise to remain filthy until I take a shower before I go out later today.  I wouldn't bother for myself, but I'm having my eyes checked and I don't want to gross out the doctor. Besides, my mother would disown me.  

Edited June 25, 2015 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[Nihil Obstat]

 Good thing I don't consider myself a Protestant despite the use of that word below the picture of the Queen to the left of this text.  Anyone who is confused can read my essay in the "About Me" section of my profile. And, if a reader is still confused, that is not unexpected, because I am confused, too. I live in the hope that in the afterlife this mere human will finally understand--and I fully expect to be confused about one thing or another until then. 

However, to confound academics, I promise to remain filthy until I take a shower before I go out later today.  I wouldn't bother for myself, but I'm having my eyes checked and I don't want to gross out the doctor. Besides, my mother would disown me.  

That reminds me, Iggy, there is a parish in my city that was formerly traditional Anglican and which converted to Catholicism recently. I bet you would appreciate it.  It remains very distinctly English.

[Era Might]

I was just in a webinar for the Communication & Christian Studies Network, and the moderator mentioned Phatmass in the Q&A. Apparently one of his students wrote her Master's thesis about Phatmass.

So now a bunch of academic researchers will probably be visiting here.

 

This might not be as flattering as you think. The title could have been "Between Tacos and Terrorism: The Post-Modern Narrative of Trans-Internet Flamewars and the Battle for the Mantilla Textile Industry"

[dUSt]

I wonder in what context we were mentioned. Haha

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

That reminds me, Iggy, there is a parish in my city that was formerly traditional Anglican and which converted to Catholicism recently. I bet you would appreciate it.  It remains very distinctly English.

You're right, Nihil, I probably would love it, and might make an effort to attend Mass there.

For all kinds of reasons, Chicago is a very middle-of-the road city for Catholics as well as for Anglicans. (Although Catholics would say that the Chicago area is very liberal for Anglicans.)

On the Catholic front, I am aware of only one Traditional Latin Mass Catholic parish. It is in downtown Chicago, about 15 miles from me. Other parishes, including one at least somewhat nearby, have occasional Traditional Latin Mass Masses. The Chicago Archdiocese has roughly 2 million Catholics, and that doesn't cover the whole Chicago area. (The Chicago Archdiocese only covers two counties--Lake and Cook. However the fastest growing county (I think) in the Chicago area is DuPage (south and west of Chicago and it is in a different Archiocese). To me, it seems strange that there are so few Traditional Latin Mass parishes, in a metropolitan area of roughly 8.5 million people. In the Chicago Archdiocese, 37% of the population identifies as Catholic. Not sure if that percentage applies to the other counties in the Chicago metro area, but bottom-line is that for such a large metro area, Chicago is very Catholic compared to comparable metro areas such as NYC, and LA. I'd expect more Traditional Latin Mass parishes in a population of 3 million Catholics or more.

For Anglicans, the Chicago area is also very "middle of the road." There are only two parishes that I am aware of that identify as "Anglo-Catholic." However, there are probably other parishes that are "high church" but they are harder to identify. Unlike other parts of the country, I am not aware of any Anglican parishes in Chicago that converted to Catholicism. (However, I will confess I haven't done extensive research--still I think I would have heard of them.) I know of one parish that is still part of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago but also identifies itself with one of the "breakaway" groups from the Episcopal church. (Personally, I have no interest in being part of a "breakaway" group--for me, it's either Catholic or Anglican--but that's just me.) I think part of the reason for the "middle of the road" nature of the Episcopal Church in the Chicago area is that there is an Episcopal seminary at Northwestern University (just north of Chicago). The presence of that seminary means that the Chicago area has a LOT of Episcopal priests, and a LOT of them are women. It would be very unusual to find an Episcopal parish without at least one female priest, and a great many parishes have a female rector/vicar.

That's a very long-winded way of saying that considering that Chicago has an unusually large population of both Catholics and Episcopalians, in both cases, more traditional parishes are very unusual.

I need to move and one of my considerations is finding a "parish home" I like. If I stay in the Chicago area, unless I live in downtown Chicago (and I'm not really an urban person, so that is unlikely), I'm not going to find a more traditional parish--either Catholic or Episcopalian.

The ideal for me would be either an Anglo-Catholic Episcopal church or a Catholic Church that uses the Anglican Use liturgy.

Music is also a HUGE deal for me. I live about 3 blocks from a very large Catholic parish--5 Sunday Masses, 2 Saturday Masses, and two daily Masses during the week. Yet this parish (which is also in an affluent neighborhood, so it's not a question of money--the median home price in my suburb is about $800,000) yet this church has no Choir Master!!! I looked on the Internet, and the parish has at least 20 parish groups, yet not one of them is a choir!!! I assume the parish has organ music at at least some Masses. Northwestern is about 5 miles away, and it has both undergrad and grad music programs, so I assume that parishes can hire student organists pretty easily. EVERY Episcopal parish that I know of, no matter how small or liberal, has a choir--larger parishes have multiple choirs. Note: I am not saying that the Catholic church near me is typical. I have no idea what is "typical." But the lack of music is just one of the many reasons I have never been interested in even trying to attend a Mass there. The reason I haven't tried to attend any of the 5+ Episcopal churches within five miles of me is more complex, and is mostly due to my physical limitations, but the reason is more complex.

A long-winded way of saying that that church looks lovely, and if it were near me, I would attend Mass there at least sometimes. Because of my physical limitations, I need a "home parish" that is closer than 10-15 miles away, which rules out both of the Anglo-Catholic parishes in Chicago, and is the reason I have never visited St. John Cantius, although I strongly suspect I would very much enjoy the high Traditional Latin Mass Mass, as it is celebrated in that parish.

[Nihil Obstat]

You're right, Nihil, I probably would love it, and might make an effort to attend Mass there.

For all kinds of reasons, Chicago is a very middle-of-the road city for Catholics as well as for Anglicans. (Although Catholics would say that the Chicago area is very liberal for Anglicans.)

On the Catholic front, I am aware of only one Traditional Latin Mass Catholic parish. It is in downtown Chicago, about 15 miles from me. Other parishes, including one at least somewhat nearby, have occasional Traditional Latin Mass Masses. The Chicago Archdiocese has roughly 2 million Catholics, and that doesn't cover the whole Chicago area. (The Chicago Archdiocese only covers two counties--Lake and Cook. However the fastest growing county (I think) in the Chicago area is DuPage (south and west of Chicago and it is in a different Archiocese). To me, it seems strange that there are so few Traditional Latin Mass parishes, in a metropolitan area of roughly 8.5 million people. In the Chicago Archdiocese, 37% of the population identifies as Catholic. Not sure if that percentage applies to the other counties in the Chicago metro area, but bottom-line is that for such a large metro area, Chicago is very Catholic compared to comparable metro areas such as NYC, and LA. I'd expect more Traditional Latin Mass parishes in a population of 3 million Catholics or more.

For Anglicans, the Chicago area is also very "middle of the road." There are only two parishes that I am aware of that identify as "Anglo-Catholic." However, there are probably other parishes that are "high church" but they are harder to identify. Unlike other parts of the country, I am not aware of any Anglican parishes in Chicago that converted to Catholicism. (However, I will confess I haven't done extensive research--still I think I would have heard of them.) I know of one parish that is still part of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago but also identifies itself with one of the "breakaway" groups from the Episcopal church. (Personally, I have no interest in being part of a "breakaway" group--for me, it's either Catholic or Anglican--but that's just me.) I think part of the reason for the "middle of the road" nature of the Episcopal Church in the Chicago area is that there is an Episcopal seminary at Northwestern University (just north of Chicago). The presence of that seminary means that the Chicago area has a LOT of Episcopal priests, and a LOT of them are women. It would be very unusual to find an Episcopal parish without at least one female priest, and a great many parishes have a female rector/vicar.

That's a very long-winded way of saying that considering that Chicago has an unusually large population of both Catholics and Episcopalians, in both cases, more traditional parishes are very unusual.

I need to move and one of my considerations is finding a "parish home" I like. If I stay in the Chicago area, unless I live in downtown Chicago (and I'm not really an urban person, so that is unlikely), I'm not going to find a more traditional parish--either Catholic or Episcopalian.

The ideal for me would be either an Anglo-Catholic Episcopal church or a Catholic Church that uses the Anglican Use liturgy.

Music is also a HUGE deal for me. I live about 3 blocks from a very large Catholic parish--5 Sunday Masses, 2 Saturday Masses, and two daily Masses during the week. Yet this parish (which is also in an affluent neighborhood, so it's not a question of money--the median home price in my suburb is about $800,000) yet this church has no Choir Master!!! I looked on the Internet, and the parish has at least 20 parish groups, yet not one of them is a choir!!! I assume the parish has organ music at at least some Masses. Northwestern is about 5 miles away, and it has both undergrad and grad music programs, so I assume that parishes can hire student organists pretty easily. EVERY Episcopal parish that I know of, no matter how small or liberal, has a choir--larger parishes have multiple choirs. Note: I am not saying that the Catholic church near me is typical. I have no idea what is "typical." But the lack of music is just one of the many reasons I have never been interested in even trying to attend a Mass there. The reason I haven't tried to attend any of the 5+ Episcopal churches within five miles of me is more complex, and is mostly due to my physical limitations, but the reason is more complex.

A long-winded way of saying that that church looks lovely, and if it were near me, I would attend Mass there at least sometimes. Because of my physical limitations, I need a "home parish" that is closer than 10-15 miles away, which rules out both of the Anglo-Catholic parishes in Chicago, and is the reason I have never visited St. John Cantius, although I strongly suspect I would very much enjoy the high Traditional Latin Mass Mass, as it is celebrated in that parish.

Move to Calgary. I will drive you to church myself.

[Dr_Asik]

That reminds me, Iggy, there is a parish in my city that was formerly traditional Anglican and which converted to Catholicism recently. I bet you would appreciate it.  It remains very distinctly English.

Wait, a *parish* converted? Like, the entire community? That's like, too amesome to be true. Not that I doubt you, but how did that happen?

Edited June 25, 2015 by Dr_Asik

[Nihil Obstat]

Wait, a *parish* converted? Like, the entire community? That's like, too amesome to be true. Not that I doubt you, but how did that happen?

 

They accepted Pope Benedict's offer to establish an Anglican Ordinariate. In fact this particular parish was one of the first, if not the first to do so. Each member of the parish chose whether or not to convert individually, and I believe the majority did. Their priests were ordained Catholic priests with permission after a certain period. They kept their church, although my understanding is that many other such groups did have to give up their buildings. 

[puellapaschalis]

The same has happened in the UK with the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

[Not A Mallard]

We should act like irredeemable troglodytes and just wallow in absolute filth for the next little while to confuse the crap out of anyone who might be curious about Phatmass in an academic sense.

QUICK! START A MODESTY THREAD!

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

Wait, a *parish* converted? Like, the entire community? That's like, too amesome to be true. Not that I doubt you, but how did that happen?

I'm surprised that you're surprised. Quite a few Anglican parishes (20-30?) in the U.S., several in Canada, and a number of parishes in the U.K. have converted to Catholicism. The Pope also gave them permission to use what is basically the traditional Anglican Mass, with some modifications. The Anglican Use liturgy is now an accepted Roman Catholic liturgy. Several people I know from Phatmass who are not former Anglicans/Episcopalians have attended Mass at Anglican Ordinariate parishes, and found that they liked the liturgy very much, and also liked the congregation. As you might imagine, a congregation of converts is different from the usual Catholic congregation. I'm obviously biased, but I think the Anglican Use liturgy is more beautiful even than the new Roman Catholic English liturgy. (The Anglican Use liturgy is essentially the liturgy I grew up with, so I am very comfortable with it.) I was formerly married to a Catholic, and while we were dating, we would alternate parishes each week. The Episcopal liturgy is so close to the English language Roman Catholic liturgy that I could switch back and forth with no problem. (Although, obviously, I did not take Communion at the Catholic parish.) There is an Anglican Use Web site that in its "links" section lists all of the Ordinariate parishes in the U.S. and Canada, as well as at least some in the U.K. (I don't remember if the U.K. list was complete or not.)

Again, I can't pretend not to be biased, but I think the music/chant at most Anglican churches, particularly traditional ones, is better (maybe MUCH better) than that at most N.O. Roman Catholic churches--and I expect that is also true for Ordinariate parishes. There are obviously exceptions on both sides. But, the Anglicans never went through the "bad guitar music, mediocre modern hymns" phase that the Catholics did, and it shows in the Anglican Mass--most parishes have a larger emphasis on music, and the music is higher quality. Also, Anglicans actually sing hymns as opposed to many Catholics. Personally, I love singing hymns--that's what I grew up with. I understand why Catholics don't sing much during hymns compared to most non-Catholics, but to me, if a congregation doesn't want to sing or doesn't feel comfortable singing, that's okay. However, in that case, I wish that they'd just omit hymns altogether instead of "going through the motions". In my ideal world, some other kind of music/chant would be substituted for hymns, but since I don't attend Catholic Mass, my opinion is irrelevant anyway. Note: I realize that not all Catholic Masses involve music. I'm talking about the music in the primary Sunday Masses.

Former Anglican/Episcopal priests who are already married have been allowed to remain married and be ordained as Catholic priests. When I talked with my Catholic friends about attending Mass at an Ordinariate parish, at first they had to get used to the fact that there was both a priest and a "Mrs. Priest," but after a time they got used to it, and even liked it.