The Grande Dame

Week Seventy-Seven - Old Saint Mary's

  

11:00 Sunday morning mass, Old St. Mary's.  As proudly noted on the front page of their church bulletin, Old St. Mary's is the "oldest standing house of worship in the city of Cincinnati."  Given that fact alone, one might ask - why wasn't this my number one stop on the church tour?  Well, for one, I had actually been to Old St. Mary's a few years ago for a wedding, so the anticipation factor was slightly diminished.  2.  Location.  Location, location, location.  Let's be honest here, people - it is Over-the-Rhine.  13th Street to be exact.  I'll be the first to admit I'm a big baby about these sorts of things, but I wasn't about to venture down there all by my lonesome.  So when my husband offered to accompany me to mass this past Sunday, it was an easy call, and the next thing you know, there we were, north of Central Parkway.  Oh, of course, everything was fine.  Parking was easy, the neighborhood was quiet, and the security officer patrolling the front of the church?  Well, he managed to confirm a few of my worries while easing them at the same time, but it was all good. 

There really is nothing like Old St. Mary's.  Dedicated in 1842, the German Catholics of Cincinnati built St. Mary's, reportedly "using bricks baked in their own kitchen ovens."  I love that. The clock tower is the oldest in Cincinnati and one of the oldest in the United States.  The real beauty of St. Mary's, however, is on the inside.  Step through the front doors and be amazed.  The spacious interior is truly incredible, richly embellished with works of arts and religious adornments from top to bottom, front to back - elaborate stained glass windows, beautiful oil paintings, countless statues of and shrines to Mary, extensive gilded details.  Even the dark, wooden pews - worn, but polished - are beautiful.  An immense balcony holds the second largest pipe organ in Cincinnati (Apparently, Westwood First Presbyterian Church has the largest - the nerve).  The colors of St. Mary's are rich, warm, and reverent.  In addition, a number of historically significant items are displayed, something my husband found interesting and took the time to check out.  It's almost overwhelming.

Reading up on St. Mary's, I was  intrigued to learn that the high altar is a "privileged" altar.  As described on the church's website, a privileged altar is "one to which the Holy See has attached a plenary indulgence applicable only to the souls in Purgatory.  Every time a requiem mass is offered on such a privileged altar a plenary indulgence is gained for the deceased for whom the mass is offered."  Alrighty then.  Pope Leo XIII granted such a concession to St. Mary's in 1879.  I can't really fathom the whole concept, but I guess it's kind of a big deal.  Not only that, but apparently, visible under that same high altar are the bones of Saint Martura, a first-century woman martyr.  Now that's something you don't find everyday.  I didn't get to see Saint Martura, but that tidbit combined with so many other interesting facts about Old St. Mary's might just be enough to lead me to a guided tour of the church someday. 

Mentioned in the church's history is this amazing fact:  in 1846, at St. Mary's Church, there were 432 baptisms, 188 marriages, and 250 funerals.  Are you kidding me?  Do the math.  That works out to roughly 8 baptisms, 3 weddings, and 5 funerals every week!  Contrast that to the paltry numbers I received just this week from St. Ignatius where, in 2010, there were 125 baptisms, 22 weddings, and 64 funerals.  St. I's might be one of the larger parishes in the archdiocese today, but now I know the truth - it doesn't hold a candle to what was going on over 150 years ago!   

St. Mary's still seems to be a busy place these days with a full schedule of weekday masses, vespers, novenas, and even all-night vigils, although attendance at those opportunities is questionable.  The weekend masses themselves see only small congregations.  The most popular weekend mass is the 9:00 Latin mass, complete with Gregorian chant, pulling in slightly over 100 people each week.  The second most popular is the mass we attended, the German mass, attracting slightly less than 100 each week.

Did I know we were going to a German mass?  Yes.  Now let me just say, I don't speak a word of German, but I knew that, for the most part, I would have a general idea of what was being said.  This was something I couldn't pass up.  I initially spent a good deal of the mass straining to catch a word or two of German that I might recognize, and there were a few:  "nacht," "danke," "gesundheit" - I swear, I heard it - but then the novelty wore off, and I just listened.  What a fascinating way to step out of Cincinnati, if just for a short time.  Although, in the big picture, the number in attendance was minimal, I was still surprised by the size of the congregation that was there.  I was also surprised by the make-up of the congregation.  I had expected a majority of seniors, but what I found was an almost equal number of seniors, families, and young adults, apparently all fluent in German.  I watched as a little girl, no more than ten, followed along in the German missal.  The young couple in front of us sang along with every German hymn.  The priest, an older man, desperately clutching a cane, blew through the German prayers with ease but delivered his homily in English.  Guess he wasn't that fluent. 

This was a fairly traditional mass, including reception of communion at the communion rail or, as My Husband the Heathen put it, "bellying up to the bar."  I probably haven't knelt at a communion rail for over forty years, but what a great feeling it was.  I did have to steal a quick glance down the row to see what my options were - reception in the hand or on the tongue.  For the record, both were available, and I opted for receiving the host in my hand, although I think I was in the minority. 

Old St. Mary's may have achieved the impossible.  Not only was I taken out of Cincinnati for a while, I was also taken back in time.  How cool is that.      
      
ATTENDANCE:  Wenig

DURATION:  Einstundig