This is a short post about an experience I had while attending a Catholic Mass service in Barbados. It was a very positive experience so I decided to write about it to remember and share the experience.
About the Mass
The Catholic Mass is a gathering of the faith community to praise and worship God. It’s a time where we interact with our God trough our prayers and singing. At this incredible event we are restored and nourished by hearing His Word and by receiving His gift of the Eucharist. It’s intended to be a celebration.
I look at the Mass as a joyful event. I’m happy to be joined with my brothers and sisters praying together, singing, worshipping together, and receiving God’s gifts. Sometimes, when I look at the faces of people in my church during a Mass, many appear serious, stoic, or in deep silent prayer. I’m not judging my brothers and sisters but many times the celebration is not always evident in the faces or actions of the people attending a Catholic Mass.
The Mass in Barbados
This is not what I experienced when I attended a Sunday Mass at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Bridgetown, Barbados. I was on a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean and our ship made a stop in Bridgetown on a Sunday. I searched for a Catholic Church on Google and found St Patrick’s in downtown Bridgetown. They held a Mass at 10 am. Once we docked I took a taxi to St Patrick’s.
St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church – Bridgetown, Barbados
At the church, I was greeted by a smiling man in a wheelchair who eagerly wanted to shake my hand and welcome me. More people from the St Vincent De Paul society greeted me with smiles. A deacon walked around welcoming people prior to the Mass.
A small music group started playing the entrance hymn as the Mass started with the procession. The music had an island rhythm accompanied by a drum. It was happy music. I noticed the priest was very joyful raising his hands to the beat of the music as he walked to the altar.
The Mass had all the usual parts. The priest gave a long homily after reading the gospel. He used a questioning and answering style in his delivery and made it into a lesson much like a school teacher. It was very good.
More music played during the offering, communion, and at the end of the Mass. I could see most people swaying to the beat and the priest again engaged raising his hands to the music. It reminded me of what the service was like when I attended a Pentecostal church for a short while. Jesus’s love was shining out thru all the people.
The local Lions Club members are wearing yellow vests
Towards the end, a representative from the local Lions Club gave a short speech and presented the priest with a financial gift. Then various groups were recognized. The visiting Lions Club members were blessed and applauded. All visitors were asked to stand and each tell where they were from. The visitors were then blessed and the congregation sang a short welcome song. I noticed all the faces were smiling as they turned around to sing to us
Each person celebrating a birthday was blessed and sang Happy Birthday. Each person/couple celebrating an anniversary were blessed. Finally, all the school age children were brought to front and blessed and applauded. Several announcements followed. Then the Mass concluded with the final blessing. It all lasted 90 mins with every person staying until the end.
Fruits of the Spirit
It was a beautiful communal celebration. People praising and worshiping God together. People showing love to visitors, celebrating special life events of their friends, praising and blessing the young in their community. It was uplifting to see and experience so much love and joy on display, which are the fruits of God’s Holy Spirit.
I shared my experience with a person on the cruise ship who was also Catholic. Her response was simply, “that’s exactly what the Mass is supposed to be, a celebration”.
Disclosure Notice: Some of the links on this website may be affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I receive a program fee.
