I'm a cynic who's studied too much Church history--I see all the changes in the service as making it more of a circus to distract the attendees instead of a way to draw them into the liturgy. All this concentration on knowing the latest melody for the "Lord, hear our prayer" and then ducking out immediately after communion leads me to think that the average parishioner doesn't really know nor care what the Church is actually teaching.

A friend and I made a pilgrimage to Red Bank, NJ one time (we didn't have the money to take a real spring break, so we road-tripped to the Quik-Stop). While we were driving, we saw the church they must have used for some exterior shots at the end and almost crashed the car.

I think I once read that Smith didn't actually film any of Dogma in Red Bank, but I can't find it anywhere one way or the other. You could've gone to his comic store.

The wine they used to use in my very Irish parish when I was an altar boy was sherry, which is fortified. It was always to fun to see the proportions of wine to water the various priests preferred. The old pastor emeritus would get cranky if you put more than a drop of water in his chalice.

You could've gone to his comic store.

We did. Walt Flanagan was working the counter. It was weird. The church we saw was just a ways down the street, IIRC.

I'm Googling now, out of curiosity. It says some small bits were filmed in Jersey, and the majority filmed outside Pittsburgh. I wish I could find the pictures I took!

the average parishioner doesn't really know nor care what the Church is actually teaching.

And thus it has ever been. Consider all the centuries in which sermons were preached in Latin to illiterate parishioners.

The Episcopal church I was (briefly) Altar Guild for used tawny port. I think most churches that use wine use fortified wine, because it doesn't go bad as quickly when exposed to air.

I think most churches that use wine use fortified wine, because it doesn't go bad as quickly when exposed to air.

Probably depends on the size of the church. I used to go to the cathedral here in SLC, and they went thru quite a bit - no real reason to worry about spoilage.

Wow. Never heard that one. Growing up Southern Baptist, I was always told Jesus turned the water into wine because there were no other options. If coke/pop/soda had existed, he would have turned it into that instead.

What, He could look forward to the Meek inheriting the Earth and the end times, but the secret formula of Coca Cola was too well-protected a truth for Him to be let in on?

Anne's church experience was the same as mine growing up Presbyterian—they taught the Bible verses as wine, but no way were they going to be slipping mickeys to Sunday school students.

Probably depends on the size of the church.

When I was an altar boy, only the priest got any wine, so even with three Masses a day plus more on Sunday, a bottle would hang around a few days, anyway.

Growing up Lutheran -- communion involved wine. And in our congregation, the kids were confirmed (and thus able to take communion) in 8th grade.

'Course, this was when the drinking age was 18, so wine at 13 was a little less extremely underage than it is today, but still.

Going to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants tonight.

Shall let you all know how it is.

Am very excited.

Am not actually a teenage girl, despite all online appearances.