I'm off to Las Vegas for a conference, so I may go to Mass Sunday
at this striking-looking church (once a shrine, now the cathedral); or maybe this shrine.
Since I'm interested in Latin Masses, I checked for one, but it doesn't appear there's a licit T-Mass in the diocese. There used to be a 1970 Latin Mass at this shrine, when it was a chapel of Discalced Carmelite nuns, but alas for the city, the Carmelites moved to Lincoln, NE. The chapel itself looks rather nice, but I'll have to see the sculpture out front in person to get a real sense of it: I assume it's a recent addition, since the place became a Vietnamese shrine-parish.
It is so sad that in all of Las vegas you cant find the Mass of Pope St Pius V, at least one that you consider licit. With such control the vatican has over this wonderful mass, the One True Mass, that the Vatican has to ban it like it is bad for ones salvation, while ICEL retranslations of the New Mass for the 4th, or 5th time but who is counting, is sold over e-bay and clown masses go on at the New Mass.
Ban the traditional mass, at least until 1988 when Archbishop Lefebvre forced JPII's hand, but ban such innovations like communion in the hand, wild music, clown masses, homosexuals in the priesthood, kneelers, dress code, etc etc and can someone with a straight face tell me something is terribly wrong with the "church"?
My husband always goes to Mass at the Cathedral when he is in Vegas for the NAB convention.
Jack, why do you make the same comment over and over, regardless of the subject at hand?
Remember, Richard. What happens there, stays there.
Ha: I caught a cold on the plane, so I've spent my evenings back at the hotel sipping generic Nyquil and sniffling. At least that's my story!
The cathedral is worth visiting, if only for the stained glass windows. The first time I was there - years ago - I thought "They look like pages from Marvel Comics". This is due to the angular nature of the windows and the characters in them. Each time I visit, I see more and more of the smaller details and the stories that they tell. I usually get there early so I have time to walk through and ponder them.
It is a large A-frame building. However it is still built in cruciform shape. Since the Cathedra takes the center, the tabernacle is in the right arm of the cross.
It is a small oasis in the midst of the glitter and sadness of the strip. It is walking distance from many of the hotels. If you are looking for other parishes ask someone from security where they are.
This last April, the concerge at the Mirage provided me with their cheat sheet for services. It only listed the Saturday masses at Guardian Angel. How many persons have used that list to absolve them from their duty.
The mosaic up front, also rather angular, started to win me over after a while.
I'd write more, but the return plane's taking off--
When we were LV a couple of years ago at new Year, we went to Mass on 1 January at the Shrine of the Holy Redeemer - opposite the Tropicana hotel. No latin, but some nice hymns to Our Lady - and it was fairly orthodox - apart from the priest asking everyone to introduce themselves to their neighbour at the begining of Mass. There are far worse Massses in parishes up and down the land here in the UK.
They did the same handshaking at the Cathedral, so I probably 'shared' my cold in the process. In exchange, someone else gave me a little skin irritation. (Mental note: wash hands before and after Mass.)
The music at the Cathedral was competently done by an organist and a percussionist who played tympani, vertical chimes, cymbals, xylophone, and glockenspiel. Probably a couple of other things too (cf. Daniel 3:5). It was actually nice, as it wasn't overdone. The baritone soloist had a weak grasp of the lyrics to the Schubert "Ave Maria", but a good voice.