What really caught my eye was this paragraph:
I also feel connected with Catholics all over the world in a way I never felt as an Anglican. The Mass I say at school or at St Mary's is the same Mass being said at St Peter's in Rome, the same Mass being said at the slum school we support in El Salvador, the same Mass being said in the ugly modern brick church we once attended in England.
With all due respect to a priest, that's well, nonsense. These days Mass isn't the same from one church to another and hasn't been in more than 40 years. The intent may be the same. The sacrifice is the same but the actions? Oh heck no. Go to my parish and you'll find a lovely, reverent Mass. Go to the one a mile away and you'll find a freak show. Go to one five blocks away and you'll find a priest who waxes poetic about his beloved Green Bay Packers during the homily.
I have attended a Mass where the priest behaved like comedian and brought his dog. I've attended Mass where the priest shilled for the Democrats and all but told us to vote for Hillary. I've attended Masses where the priest was so offensive that I ran out. I've been to Masses where everything BUT holiness appeared to be present. I have been to Masses where the main purpose seemed to be to give the Eucharistic ministers something to do or to give the choir a chance to put on a concert. The Pope wouldn't recognize some of the things I've seen as a Mass at all and Cardinal Arinze would run away screaming. Fr. Longenecker is in for a big shock.
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