Maybe I'm Spoiled

By going to a diocesan parish, but looking at the photos currently posted at Ordinariate News of the institution mass at St John the Baptist, Bridgeport reminds me more of my days in TEC than as a Catholic.

One memory my wife and I have of being Episcopalians is the common experience of having to lean over two rows of pews to exchange the peace. This mass at St John the Baptist was, admittedly, on a Friday night, although the mean temperature for that day in Philadelphia was 56, with no precipitation.

I have simply never seen such a sparse attendance at our diocesan parish, even at noon mass on holy days of obligation. But this was a special occasion -- presumably the most important in the parish's history. No need, it seems, for ushers to direct traffic to the communion rail. My rough guess here is that the maximum attendance would have been maybe 100, including choir and altar party.

I've mused in the past that pushing too hard to provide visuals of success is likely to result in embarrassment over any medium or long term. But realistically speaking, these photos of what ought to be a very special occasion for the parish are on the borderline of discouraging already.

I'm wondering if Bp Lopes is under heavy pressure to show some kind of success with the OCSP.