As a team, we were surprised that anybody on our team had grown up in a Catholic household. We all knew that the Catholic church has a big presence in the city of Tampa, and that is why we decided to attend mass at The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Tampa, Wednesday, September 19 at 12:10 pm. I grew up in Medellin, Colombia with my father, whose family attended the Christian church when he was growing up. However, he told me and my brother that he took us to the Christian church when we were little kids but we hated it so much that he never did it again. As I grew up, I never felt the connection with any religion, and even though Catholic church if very big in my hometown as well, I never went to church, neither remember being at one when I was a little kid. In addition, as a young adult, I became an atheist as I do not believe in the existence of a God; however, I respect everybody that thinks differently and I love to learn about other cultures and religions.
As I walked into the church, I felt lost because I did not know if I could sit wherever I wanted to, as it was a Wednesday and there were a lot of sits open on this huge, amazing, colorful church. It was also somehow overwhelming seeing all these different images, sculptures, stained glass, among many other forms of art, all devoted to god, saints, angels, among others. I am not sure what kind of architectural style is this particular church, but for me, it looked Romanesque with lots of round arches and a very high ceiling.
During mass, I just tried to be very respectful with everything around me, as I started to understand that there is a lot of symbolism on everything around me and all that is part of the mass. Also, I just followed and mimic what people did during the ceremony as there were parts where they all got up of their chairs, sat down again, went on their knees to pray, etc, and I did not know the phrases that they all responded together out loud after the Father that conducted the mass.
What I liked the most was that everybody treats each other like family, and you could feel that there is a culture of understanding, helping, and collaborating. I do not feel comfortable interacting with people that I really don’t know, but I was immersed in the whole experience and felt part of that community immediately. I also think that the Father was the principal reason why I felt comfortable during this experience because he had a perfect tone of voice, pace, and corporal expression. He gave his interpretation of the Bible in a modern way, and I think I took a very valuable lesson.
If I were to go back to mass, I would really like to know how to fully participate in everything that goes on, so I would read and practice at home to also understand why everything gets done that way. I talked to a Catholic friend that recommended me to do the confession before the mass, and I hope to do it one day.
UT Recreational Hazard (MGT 330) 