I went to a Mass at OLW not long ago with the younger Fr. Hough. They had both a man and a woman come up out of the congregation to do the readings, Fr. Hough after the announcements asked for people to stand up with birthdays that week for a blessing (followed by wedding anniversaries), and had a family bring up bread and wine at the Offertory Procession. At OLA; the lector is vested in part of the group in the sanctuary, the priest no longer even bothers making announcements (much less blessings) and there is no Offertory Procession beyond the ushers bringing up the collection. I'm not sure on what basis you believe OLA is less stuffy and exclusive than OLW. Parishioners at OLA might be shocked if they saw the video of Bishop Lopes washing feet on Maundy Thursday, along with the many exchanges of a sign of peace among the clergy present.The pro-OLA visitor told me most recently,
The times I've been to mass at OLA, I recall it being less radical and much more comfortable than OLW Houston, with its "incessant kissing of the altar," last Gospel, etc.In an earlier e-mail, he observed,
There are many young families in OLW and some do bring children. Many of the young women wear veils. White for unmarried women, black for married ones. Everyone is dressed to the nines. Ward and June Cleaver, Wally and the Beaver. It’s a completely different feeling than the big Catholic parishesI've got to say that whenever I've been to Texas, I like the place, but in cities like Amarillo, they know right away I'm not from there, and I don't fit in. I've never been to OLW or OLA, so I can't offer my own opinion. So take this for what it's worth.
Except that none of my former Episcopalian Texas correspondents feels at home in either OLW or OLA, despite some number of visits. If I were the CDF, I'd pay attention to this.
