Catholicism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Catholicism - Assignment Example Therefore, to discover more about the traditions, theological characteristics and the way the Orthodox worship, I visited the Holy Orthodox Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco on November 15 at 6 pm. Because I do not identify with any religion, the purpose of the visit was purely to discover about the traditions and the practices of the Orthodox Christians. Upon entering the church service, I was amazed to discover that the Orthodox Christians have certain customs and traditions, which form a critical part of their worship. In fact, I was told that some are cultural in nature while others are just sanctimonious customs. The first most important tradition that came to my attention was the lighting of the candles. Just before the church service could begin, one of the bishops would light candles of different colors, including red and white (Holy Trinity Cathedral, 2014). The lighting candles would then be placed strategically at the altar. One of the congregants informed me that the lighting of the candles is an important part of the prayer since it acts as an offering that accompanies the prayers of the congregants. However, midway through the prayers, the candles were blown out and taken away. When I inquired why that was happening, a congregant who sat beside me, informed me that the there are instances when the candle is not supposed to be lit. These instances include when the Gospel and Epistle is being read, during sermons, when the congregants are standing, as well as during Great Entrances. The Orthodox Church is also very particular on the attire that a congregant is expected to wear when attending a church service. Although the Orthodox believes that God would accept mankind regardless of what one wears, the church encourages decent dressing. Accordingly, the Orthodox discourages to impress others. Instead, the church encourages all the faithful to dress respectfully in a manner that pleases God (Holy Trinity Cathedral, 2014).