Explaining why

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

While the phrase "stop and go" Mass may make people in northeast Wisconsin think of traffic signals, it means something entirely different in one Baltimore parish.

At St. Ambrose Parish, the pastor, Franciscan Fr. John Pfannenstiel began celebrating "stop and go" Masses after reading about a similar idea in Chicago.

At a "stop and go" Mass, Fr. Pfannenstiel stops several times during the liturgy and explains what he is about to do before continuing.

Fr. Pfannenstiel began the practice to help both Catholics and visiting non-Catholics understand the significance and background behind the Mass, he told Stefani Manowski of the Catholic Review, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

For example, over the years he's been asked: Why do Catholics celebrate Mass on Sunday? Why is the Mass divided into the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist? Why is the body and blood of Christ held up three times during Mass?

"I also noticed a lot of Catholics aren't able to explain why we do what we do at Mass," Fr. Pfannenstiel said.

When he celebrated the first "stop-and-go" Masses last spring, parishioners didn't know what to expect, but they found them so helpful he scheduled three more for a weekend in November.

"We're doing it again because they got so much out of it," Fr. Pfannenstiel said of his 600-family parish. "There were things that they missed, and they wanted to bring their family and friends who had questions."

The "stop and go" Mass "really helps us appreciate the Catholic tradition and beauty of our Eucharistic celebration," he said. "It reaffirms that we are carrying on the commandment of Jesus when he said, 'Do this in memory of me.' "

"It helps people realize that what we do in Mass is very much based in Scripture, and they find that very reassuring. When you can draw together the vesture, the movement, the actions and gestures, it really is quite a beautiful gift."

As he celebrated the first of these Masses, Fr. Pfannenstiel said he noticed that the assembly paid close attention. "You could see on their faces that they were eager to know more and were hanging on every word. When they realize that we have worshiped like this since the 100s, it blows their minds. People treasure what they have more if they understand it better."

Certainly the idea of better explaining the liturgy and why we do what we do at Mass is praise-worthy. While priests may not feel comfortable with a "stop and go" Mass, there are other ways to impart the information. The implementation of the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal provides an excellent reason and opportunity for such an explanation.