3:30 Saturday afternoon mass, St. William. Okay, let's talk about the elephant in the room and get it over with. The cantor, who my husband lovingly dubbed "Betty," needed, well . . . let's just say, a little "coaching" in the vocal arts department. Betty. Drawing cats from miles around. Oh, I'm sure her heart was in the right place, God love her, all decked out in her Christmas sweater and freshly set hair, but this big, beautiful church needs a choir and not a Betty. Moving on . . . I had never been inside of St. William's church before. Expecting to find something remarkable, I wasn't disappointed - St. William's is definitely a Cincinnati gem. From the ridiculously high ceiling to the beautifully detailed frescos over the altar to the huge marble columns (twelve of them - one for each apostle), everything here is good. Impressive stained glass windows each hold their own lit candle. Frames for the stations of the cross are inlaid in stone into the walls (although a small green light underneath each one was definitely unnecessary). A spotlight shines on a crucifix suspended over the center aisle. Countless poinsettias and lit Christmas trees, as well as a large nativity scene, further enhanced the sanctuary. I should have read about the details and history of the interior of the church (on the church's website, http://www.saintwilliam.com/) before going there, but reading about them afterwards was just as interesting.
The congregation was predominantly the senior citizen set, older husbands and wives who more than likely have been parishioners of St. William's for most of their lives, and several aspects of the mass matched their generation: organ accompaniment, genuflection at the reference to the incarnation in the creed, the very traditional and sung "Our Father" (you know the one). Surprisingly, however, the celebrating priest did not match this 100-year old church. He was fairly young and seemed new to the trade. I noticed a few falters in his prayers and couldn't help but notice how very purposefully he referenced the prayer book during the Eucharistic prayer. It was obvious that he wanted to get the words and hand motions just right - even my heathen husband noticed. Kudos for his homily though. His thoughts and insights into the Epiphany and the three wise men were interesting.
What a difference from last week. At St. William's, I saw only one gentleman arrive slightly late. There was no milling about, and the silence before mass was deafening - a whisper would have been too loud. It may have been the difference in generations, but I'm thinking it was more a difference in attitude and respect, a difference in reverence. Here in Price Hill, it's clearly a privilege to be able to belong to St. William's, and should I return to St. William's anytime soon, it would be a privilege to hear Betty.
ATTENDANCE: Two-thirds full
DURATION: 50 minutes
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