Protestants at Mass

[dandekay]

Go without expectations.  Take part in everything you wish to experience.
You will be accepted as pilgrims always are.  Forget the politics and follow
your heart.  It is much easier than you think.  Buen Camino.
----- Original Message -----
From: "David planning Le Chemin de St Jacques/El Camino de Santiago"
<caminoaOAKAPPLE.NET>
To: <GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, January 05, 2003 3:28 PM
Subject: Protestants at Mass


> I have a question about religious practices in rural France and Spain -
> I expect to be spending Holy Week in various stages before and after Le
Puy,
> and arriving in Santiago on June 14.
>
> What's the expectation these days when Protestants attend Catholic Mass
along
> the Camino?   When I attended a (Catholic) Marriage Encounter about ten
> years ago in Menlo Park, the priest told us that only those who accepted
all
> the teachings of the Catholic Church could take communion, but everybody
> else could come up for a blessing, as I did.    Then last year when I
attended a
> funeral in Palo Alto (adjacent to Menlo Park!)
> for a man who had converted to Catholicism during his final illness,
> the priest said he didn't care about "postal zip codes," meaning
denominations,
> and all were welcome to participate in communion.   I was surprised but
> I took a wafer and held it expecting to intinct it in the cup of wine, and
> was even more surprised when there was no wine offered to anybody, and so
> consumed the wafer without wine.
>
> So clearly everything I know is wrong.    I expect higher than average
> ecumenicality along the Camino, but it's mostly passing through
conservative
> rural areas.    So what's the correct expectation these days?   I'd rather
> not be part of any misunderstandings, but neither would I like to miss
> the traditional pilgrim services and blessings.
>
>
>
>
> My plan so far is at http://camino.oakapple.net
> I guess it's about time to buy airplane tickets.
> It looks like SJC->STL->LON->SJC might be about $1050
> and a combination LON->LYS and SCQ->LON about $150 (!).
> SJC=San José, STL=St Louis, LON=London,
> LYS=Lyon, SCQ=Santiago.
> STL is to attend the pilgrim gathering in Missouri.