Journal #6- Fish out of Water

Word Count: 470

Greek Orthodox Church- St. Basil's


I am a devout Catholic. I was born and raised in a very Catholic family where church is among a weekly activity. Catholicism is really the only religion I know. Since I have not witnessed many other different religious institutions, I thought it would be interesting to check out a different church. The church I went to was St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose. I attended with my friend a weekend service at the church known as the Saturday Vespers.

When we arrived at St. Basils, I was immediately drawn to the appearance of the church. It was beige, with white trim and looked like a house structure with a wooden white cross on the roof. There was four large green bushes in front. It was very nicely landscaped. My friend, who is a member of the church, informed me that unlike other Greek Orthodox parishes, primarily attended by Greek immigrants and Greek Americans, St. Basils is multi-ethnic and includes families from other parts of the globe. When we got out of the car, I realized that I was a little under dressed by looking at the others walking in. The people all appeared to be seniors and families.

During the service, my friend and I sat close to the front. I noticed that there was a lot of ethnic people and those of which were Greek- I didn't fit in with everyone but the community was very welcoming to new visitors. Throughout the service, music was played in Greek. The priest even spoke part in Greek. Although I did not understand a lot of the service, I really enjoyed being able to hear and witness another language and culture. The service was a lot different than that of a Catholic church. Catholicism is very strict in their beliefs- Saint Basil's was more open and the faith adhered prescribed more to Christianity. The church is not very big and it was filled up. The community of people all seemed very friendly towards one another and I could feel the closeness it radiated.

At the end of the mass, my friend and I were hugged by the priest and welcomed back again. As we walked to the car, we were stopped several times by strangers I had never met that so kindly said "goodbye" or "have a nice evening." Saint Basil's parish was something out of the ordinary. The kindness and openness the people shared with one another was beautiful and I left a changed person. Overall, it was a very interesting experience that opened my eyes to other cultures. I was very glad that I went outside my religious community and witnessed another- it broadened my understanding of other religious institutions.