<p>*nj2011mom- mom2collegekids is correct in that I meant in lieu to my Sunday mass. my roommate’s mass was the same time as mine, so I knew that I couldn’t substitute a Protestant mass for a Catholic one. </p>
<p>And as far as attending other sects’ masses, my family is very old-school and traditional. I grew up with my grandparents telling me to never go to a Protestant mass, and they defended this claim with the whole Canon Law thing. I’m still not sure exactly what I can and cannot do according to that, and so far I’ve never been in a situation (except for the one with my roommate) to attend a non-Catholic function, so I think I’ll look into this further. </p>
<p>And these are great posts, by the way! I have a clearer idea of what YL is, and I’m sure the OP does now, too. *</p>
<p>Prots don’t use the word “mass” to describe their services. I do think that some Anglo-Catholics use it, too, though.</p>
<p>Your grandparents are thinking of the old rules (no longer exist) where Catholics weren’t permitted to go to other religions’ services. That has long changed. Heck, one of our recent popes went to a Synagogue…so it’s kosher to go to other faiths’ Houses of Worship. ( I think those old rules were pre-Vat II.)</p>
<p>However, a Catholic is supposed to attend Sunday Mass and attending another church’s services is not a substitute.</p>
<p>Just don’t take communion from some other religion True</p>
<p>Wow, I never knew things were more lenient now! This is good to hear! </p>
<p>So it’s perfectly fine for a Catholic to attend another religion’s mass just to see what it’s like? My grandparents always replied with “there’s nothing you need to see. All you need is what’s in the Catholic Church, and since it’s the one, true Church, it’s an insult to show interest in any other.” (I think part of that is just them being older and annoyed with youthful curiosity. ) </p>
<p>I come from a small, religious-focused town, and this type of thinking seems to be mirrored amongst other families, too. Is this just more traditional and conservative? Or, dare I say, completely backwards from how most Catholics are now?</p>
<p>surfcity–am I that transparent or are you just a good detective?</p>
<p>Thanks for all your thoughtful replies. This has been an informative discussion! Hopefully, my DD will not have any challenging roommate experiences!</p>
<p>Middlebrook- you would probably enjoy seeing how others worship. There are more similarities than differences. To attend one just needs to be respectful. It is easier to be a Catholic at a Protestant services than visa versa. I remember the first time I went to a Catholic service and I was so confused as to whether I was standing, sitting or kneeling! Protestants don’t do so many movements.</p>
<p>If you ever want to attend a worship service of another faith or denomination, it’s best to go with someone of that faith so that they can explain as you go along. I’m Protestant (United Methodist clergy as I already mentioned) and I’ve been to Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Reform and Conservative Jewish, Ba’hai, Muslim and all sorts of Protestant worship experiences. They were all very interesting and I learned a lot. I remember going to my first synagogue when I was in confirmation class and being fascinated that the Old Testament (for Christians) was literally coming to life - the readings of the Psalms, the prayers, the rituals. It actually informed my own faith. </p>
<p>To Middlebrook - you would probably benefit from an adult catechism class or confirmation class at your Catholic center (maybe a Newman Center) on campus. They can teach a lot about your own faith that perhaps you missed growing up with pre-Vat II grandparents.</p>
<p>Middlebrook - I guess it depends on the church your roommate was from, but I’m Presbyterian and wouldn’t have thought twice about ashes on your forehead. We do it at our church on Ash Wednesday.</p>
<p>Onward, there are protestant churches whose services are nearly identical to Catholic. (Episcopal, various Anglicans that don’t align with American Episcopalian, Lutherans)</p>
<p>I’ve been on trips where I stayed and hung out with people who were of different religions than me: evangelical christian, casual catholic, serious catholic, muslim, Jewish, Hindu (me) and we all got along great. We even discussed it a few times and had really enriching discussions. I have gotten into more heated discussions about proselytizing in the classroom but it was always interesting and there were no hard feelings as we strove to stay polite.</p>
<p>Really, we respected each other and had lots of fun. I can’t imagine anyone nowadays forcing their roomates to join any activity.</p>
<p>I would be happy if my kids were involved in youth groups in college. I am not familiar with YL but very familiar with Methodist/Baptist/etc. youth groups. I grew up in them and they are very popular where I live. D is a confirmed Catholic, attends that youth group and loves the local Awana (at a Baptist church). We live outside a very small (300) town, very small high school and many of the teens attend the youth groups at one of the two local Baptist churches.</p>
<p>Middlebrook–I don’t think it’s only elderly Catholics with that view. H is 54 and comes from 100% German Catholic stock. He was taught never to attend a Protestant service. You could attend Sat. night mass and Sunday services, couldn’t you?</p>
<p>I will most definitely agree with the poster who said it is easier for a Catholic to attend Protestant church than vice versa.</p>
<p>OP I’m not clairvoyant. I just know there’s a big YL presence there! FWIW the kids I know who go there and are involved are all around nice kids. No one off the deep end about it.</p>
( I think those old rules were pre-Vat II.)</p>