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Nicholas Belnap
Sarah Billington
COMM 2150
30 Sep 2016
Catholic Culture
Catholicism or Roman Catholic Church is a Christian religion that believes in the Holy
Trinity and the Bishop of Rome or the Pope. It began in the 1st century AD with the teaching of
Jesus Christ and the first leader of the church the apostle Peter. Today the church has over 1.27
billion members. They believe in the threefold ordained ministry or Bishops, Priests, and
Deacons and the Holy Orders that they carry out such as the sacrament. (Cox)
Through my research I found the Nicene Creed which is a profession of
the Catholic faith and it is widely accepted by most domination of
Catholicism. The creed goes as such "We believe (I believe) in one God, the
Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and
invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and
born of the Father before all ages. (God of God) light of light, true God of true
God. Begotten not made, consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things
were made. Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven.
And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost and of the Virgin Mary and was made
man; was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures. And ascended

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into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of the Father, and shall come again
with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose Kingdom there shall be
no end. And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who
proceedeth from the Father (and the Son), who together with the Father and
the Son is to be adored and glorified, who spake by the Prophets, and one
holy, catholic and apostolic Church. We confess (I confess) one baptism for
the remission of sins. And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen" (Wlhelm) This is a simple but
accurate explanation of the Catholic or Roman Catholic Church believes. The
key points of this creed which reflex the values and beliefs of the church are:
one God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary, the resurrection of
Jesus of the third day after his crucifixion, and the confession of their sins.
During their Mass there were many things that were foreign to me and
that I did not understand. Thanks to a video guild that I watched after it gave
an in depth explanation of what each part of the mass meant. The meeting
begun when the priest entered with his assistance in a form a procession
where they go to the alter. The assistances in front of the procession leading
the way for the priest to the alter. Once at the alter the priest kissed it. This
reference to the alter symbolizes Christ. (Draw Near) They then do the sign
of the cross which is where each member crosses themselves to take the
form of a cross of their body. As they do such they speak the three names
Father, son, and Holy Spirit. These symbolisms of the cross drawn on their
body it that of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross.

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After this the priest began to preach to the people gathered in the
church. After which one of the priests assistance offered a pray, which is
referred to as the Penitential Rite. This rite asks for Gods mercy,
forgiveness and reconciliation. The prayers draw on pleas for mercy and
forgiveness found in the bible. (Draw Near) This was followed by a hymn or
a song sung by everyone in the church.
What came next I found very strange, the priest offers up the Collect,
which is done in the form of a chant. I had never heard anything like the
Collect before so it was confusing, but fascinating. The Collect acts as the
opening prayer to collect the prayerful intentions of the people who are
gathered for worship. (Draw Near)

I was also in wonder about how many

prayer were offered before the actual service began. The next part of the
mass was the Liturgy of the word or a readings from the bible, that were
somewhat emphasized by the priest or the person reading them. Next it was
followed by another hymn sung by the people in the church. Then the next
reading takes place.
Once again we stood again with another hymn, and as someone who
has attended several different religious meetings. I have never attended on
that involved so much sitting and standing before. The Priest finally started
his lesson for the congregation; he said several phases to the people which
were repeated back. I had never seen this either and thought it was
fascinating of the interaction between the priest and the people there.

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Several minutes later they did the creed. I quoted the creed above,
explaining it as each persons proclamation of faith in the church and in God.
Next was another prayer read one of the deacons. We then come to the two
things I thought were the highlights of the meeting. First the collection of the
offering of those in attendance, while the preparation for the items on the
alter is done. Where a pray is offered again, with everyone on their knees.
The prayer was offered over the bread and wine, or the body and blood of
Christ. Several prayers and songs are done, followed up by the Lords Pray
and the sign of peace. I found it very interesting and enjoyed the
connection it made on those in the church with one another. After another
hymn we went into the end of the meeting, this was each person going up
and receiving the body and blood of Christ.
I think this religious experience ties into the two of the Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck Value
Orientations, The nature of human nature and relationships between humans.(Nakayama
Martin 101, 104) First the nature of human nature, throughout the meeting they spoke of God
and Jesus and their teaching though the bible. They often talked of the love of God and the
kindness what we should share. The kindness and love towards others is why I think these two
connect. As it says in the book One solution is a belief in the fundamental goodness of human
nature. (101) They would not teach the love of God and love each other if they did not believe
in the goodness that each person has the capability to do.
This also ties into the next one, the relationship between humans. The two go hand in
hand in the church setting. They believe in the inherit goodness of human and then emphasis this

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in group of family connection. I would say they fall under the category that is listed as Some
cultural groups are more group oriented. (104) This was clearly shown near the end of the
service then the sign of peace was done. Where people shook hand and others hugged. This
would not be the case if they were focused on individualism. They would also not donate money
to the church during collections if they did not care about the group.
Over all it as a good experience and I enjoyed it. I had attended a catholic meeting once
before a long time ago, but I was excited to see it though different eyes. I was also thankful I
found a video that went though and explained each section of the meeting in detail. After
watching and listening to this it allowed me to more fully understand the meaning of the service.
I learn that catholic was very devoted people and very involved in their religion. Though the
religion is not for me, my attitude did change in the aspect of the people of the church. I found a
deeper respect for those who attend, and for the values such as love and forgiveness that they try
to live their lives by. The theories in the book helped me look at the church from a different point
of view allowing me to see the group connection and the human connection I might have over
looked before. Over all this will help to look at difference situation from difference angels, so see
why their culture is as such, allowing me to better understand who they are and where they come
from.

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Reference Page
Cox Noel, The meaning of catholicity with respect to ordained ministry in the Anglican

Communion: An examination of the ecclesiology implicit in the validity of orders debate, Web,
http://anglicanhistory.org/academic/cox_validity2007.pdf

Dictionary, web http://www.dictionary.com/browse/catholicism

Draw Near- A Video Guild to Catholic Mass, Youtube,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co0qalRkEJs
Martin Judith, and Nakayama Tomas, Intercultural Communication in Contexts, Book

Wlhelm J., Wed, http://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/nicene-and-nicenoconstantinopolitan-creed