Musings on a New Parish

Since I came to university I've attended the same parish, namely the city Cathedral.  In my old house that was easy because it was only 15 minutes away but now I'm about 35 minutes away. Adding in time to spend in prayer before and after Mass, it was taking almost three hours in total every Sunday. And if it was the only parish I could go to then I'd keep going but I realised that there's another parish that is less than 5 minutes from my house. I went to Mass there for the first time today and the service was slightly long but it still meant that I was home in about an hour and a half. It pretty much cut the time in half because I'm not having to travel so far to get there.

I'd known about the parish for a while but I'd always put off going there. The parish I attend when I am with my family has left me cautious of new parishes because I really don't like it there. I don't know why, there's nothing actually wrong with it as such but I just don't feel right there. I don't find it spiritually fulfilling being there and so I tend to be cautious of having the same problem when I go to new parishes. But I was really pleasantly surprised by this parish. I felt very at home there and it was fantastic. The priest was very warm and friendly, in his homily he had that perfect balance of presenting a serious message but still being accessible and easy to listen to. It wasn't a short homily but it was easy to pay attention to. I meant to introduce myself to the priest but he was meeting with the parents of the children beginning preparation for their first Holy Communion so I didn't get the chance. Next week I'll be at St Cecilia's but I think I will start going there on Sundays. I can still go to the Cathedral during the week, that's more convenient for Daily Mass with my class schedule but for Sunday's the new parish is just going to be so much easier. I have so much work this semester and even just that hour and a half I save from not having to go so far is invaluable.