Religion, a belief or set of common beliefs about the supernatural world, is a cultural universal, existing in one form or another, in all human societies. It is often characterized by stylized rituals, songs, and dances. It defines a people's solidarity as one society, and it also distinguishes those who are not a part of that society. As an institution, it serves to pass on beliefs, values, morals, and codes of behavior from one generation to the next (Newman 38, Myers 1998.) As a guide to human behavior, therefore, knowledge of a culture's religion can tell a sociologist much about that culture's actions (Kottak ch. 17.)

Part of the function of a religion is to define a community. The rituals, rules, and regulations of a religion distinguish its followers from nonfollowers. In the Catholic Church, a spirit of community is nearly as important as the beliefs themselves; "catholic", after all, does mean "together" or "community". While one can be devout on her own, participation in a weekly worship service ("Mass") is considered mandatory. The manifest function of Mass is to worship and praise God; but the latent function, the creation of community, is an integral part of Mass. (Newman 33-34, 38.)

While community always results, it may not always be a result of the same methods. My interest, and hence my field work, resulted from the variation in the rituals of the Catholic Church between Mass celebrated at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Notre Dame campus and Mass held in the chapels of two dorms, McGlinn and Carroll Halls. Basilica Mass is highly stylized, following the proscribed rituals exactly, whereas at McGlinn and Carroll, the atmosphere is much more relaxed. In all three cases, however, a community is created. This leads to two questions: first, how is community created in the different Catholic Masses? Second, what is the reason for the differences in the Masses?

For my field work, I observed several Masses at each location, and recorded what I saw. While I observed as much of everything as I could, I concentrated on three main aspects of the Masses: the physical objects used - the "props", and the decorations of the chapel or church - the dramaturgical "setting" were surveyed; the "actors", which includes the words spoken, and the attitudes of the priest, lectors, and other players in the production of Mass. Third, the differences in the "audience", which was the congregation, were considered. I also asked questions of people who attend either Mass, in order to understand their opinions.

Mass is in many ways a grand production. Because all actions are scripted, it lends itself well to dramaturgical analysis (Newman 166-8.) Comparing Mass to a play separates different components, and allows their roles to be seen clearly. By analyzing Mass in this way, I could attempt to answer both of my original questions.

In a play, the scenery sets the tone of the entire production. The setting of Mass, like the setting of a play, establishes the initial atmosphere of the service. The Basilica is very ornate. The ceiling and upper portions of the walls are covered with intricately detailed paintings that depict grandiose religious scenes. The walls are mostly stained glass windows, depicting much the same scenes as the ceiling, and alternate with elaborate paintings. Panels of the ceiling and white columns are a lapis-lazuli blue, with gold stars that are arranged in very minutes arcs which lend a sense of infinite space to the church. Gold leaf is used in abundance to enhance the paintings and the columns. The building is oblong, with rows of pews facing an altar, which is set back a distance from the pews and is elevated. There seems to be a contrived system of lights, so that rays of light fall on the altar. The lighting in the room in general appears natural, like sunshine. The choir sings from a high loft in the rear of church, facing the altar.

No gold leaf and scintillating paintings are found in McGlinn Hall. Three walls are painted a homey beige, one is wood-paneled, and the carpet is a coordinating tannish white. The altar is placed closer to the congregation, with a space behind between it and the wall. In McGlinn there are no pews, but chairs arranged in a horseshoe shape. The priest sits to the side, almost even with the congregation. The piano and choir are against the left wall. Carroll Hall is somewhat similar to McGlinn. The colors of Carroll's chapel are subdued like those of McGlinn, and the altar is on the same level as the congregation. Carroll, however, has pews, and although the altar is on the floor level, it is separated by a greater distance than McGlinn's. It seems to be set off largely because of the ceiling, which is arched lengthwise in the center. This focuses the attention to the front of the room.

The religious objects used, like the rooms themselves, similarly differ. At the Basilica, the chalices and bowls are gold, perfectly polished and smooth. At McGlinn, everything is made of glass; beautiful, but plain and simple. Carroll's equipment is gold, but not nearly as fine as that of the Basilica.

The details in these rooms are important because of people's reactions to them. People fall silent upon entering the Basilica, and except for a few comments about the astounding beauty of the church, all conversation ceases. It is as if they are in awe of the Church and of God. At the dorm Masses before Mass commences, it can be as loud as a high-school cafeteria, and the conversations range from idle gossip to homework. It is a much more relaxed, casual atmosphere. In both cases, the attendants feel that they have participated fully in the community. College students who regularly attend Basilica Mass often describe it as being "more real" than dorm Mass. The sheer majesty of the building, and the artistry of the props used, promotes a communal sense of pride at being in such a beautiful place. It is special, an elite experience, to worship in such a beautiful place. Many students, however, prefer dorm services because they are less formal. The community here seems to stem from the relaxed atmosphere. Church becomes an intimate worshipping experience with friends. In fact, many male students conscientiously ensure that they attend their dorm's Mass. Why? "It's a Morrissey male-bonding sort of thing. We can't miss that." "You know, it's Alumni Hall." Hall Masses connect friendship with worship, and that creates community both during Mass and in the dorm. In all three cases, community is created, but whereas at the Basilica it is created by a feeling of distinction, in dorms it is created through closeness with friends.

Part of this closeness is due to a blurred line between front stage and back stage action. The hosts, the unleavened bread believed to be transformed into the body of Christ, used at the Basilica are perfectly round, probably manufactured, wafers. No one in the congregation is responsible for making them; as far as the people in the Basilica congregation are concerned, the hosts just appear. The procuration of hosts to use for Mass is completely a back stage activity. In McGlinn, however, volunteers sign up to bake bread for Mass. Part of a back stage activity has become front stage. Everyone knows (or can know) who is baking bread, so that person becomes a connection to the process of Mass. It pulls the production down from the pedestal that fits Basilica grandness to something plain, mundane, shared by everyone in the dorm. In addition to the successful management of "props", the people creating the performance are crucial to the formation of community. Just as the design of the worship areas create community from either extreme grandeur or extreme plainness, a spirit of community is created by the "actors" from opposite directions. The "actors" in the Basilica Mass production are very practiced, formal, and also somewhat impersonal. The priest's homily is about a general theme, usually the topic of the reading, usually well-prepared in advance. The rule at the Basilica is generalization, statements that apply to the community as a whole. In this way, no one is alienated, and everyone can easily understand the message and apply it to his or her own life. The broad statements include everyone who attends Mass, which forms a sense of community. A well-prepared homily also generalizes the message because it could fit any group of worshippers (and in fact may already have previously in the day.) This can be contrasted with Carroll and McGlinn. Preparation and generalization are not necessarily present in dorm homilies. At one Mass in Carroll, the priest ad libbed a reference to the ever-present loud music of room 318 in his sermon. Similarly in McGlinn, the priest commented on one girl's large pink bunny slippers. One guest speaker at McGlinn directed a statement to her brother and her roommate, both of whom were present. She was an excellent speaker, but was often rambling, relying heavily on her notes, and occasionally halting herself, restarting and apologizing. Incidents such as these would brutally disrupt a Basilica service. The dorm homilies benefit from specific statements and roughshod homilies. The relaxed homily adds to the relaxed atmosphere already instilled by the surroundings. Although specific statements could in theory isolate people, in practice it has the opposite effect. It adds a little bit of humor, and the specific statement brings the community together. Even if a given participant does not personally know, e.g., the inhabitants of 318 Carroll, he or she can easily relate to a similar experience. The individual being amicably teased becomes the focal point of a net which draws all participants together.

The formal/casual split is also evident in other "actor" domains. The lectors, or readers, at the Basilica are chosen by audition. They have practiced and are scheduled in advance. In the dorms, things are much less formal. The lectors are residents of the dorm, less skilled than the lectors for Basilica services. At McGlinn, the lectors are volunteers, scheduled, but not as practiced. In Carroll, the lectors are chosen minutes before Mass begins. Unlike Basilica Mass, the lectors at dorm Masses sit with everyone else. Because it is a dorm, the lectors are friends and roommates of the people listening; lectors are not demarcated from everyone else. Lectoring is, at the Basilica and other churches, a back stage activity. Preparation, selection and scheduling do not occur in front of the congregation. The occurrence of these activities in front of the congregation in Carroll is a clear breakdown of the back stage/front stage boundary; but it does not create embarrassment or a sense of impropriety. Instead, its function is to create community in the dorms by encouraging participation.

Liturgical music, although it once again differs drastically from Basilica to dorms, is a more subtle but integral "actor" factor in the creation of community. At the Basilica, liturgical music is provided by a variety of student groups, most of which rehearse for several hours each week. It is many ways more a performance than a celebration of faith; the congregation usually does not sing along loudly, but instead listens in awe to the very beautiful singing and playing. When the congregation does sing, they are brought in by a cantor, a soloist who directs when the congregation responds with a refrain. In contrast to this are the informal, almost anti-formal productions in McGlinn and Carroll. The music, for example, in McGlinn, is played on a piano badly in need of tuning, a flute and clarinet which have problems tuning with the old piano, and sung by a small contingent of singers. They make a lot of mistakes, but this usually passes unnoticed. They do not practice as often as the Basilica groups, nor do they command the same sort of authority. Often it is very hard to hear the singers, for at McGlinn, all participants sing, and the songs are well known by almost everyone. Singing has long been recognized as a way to define a religious community. (Kottak ch. 17) Similar to the differences in "setting", the formality of the Basilica's music ministry and the informality of McGlinn's music ministry. Like the Basilica's setting, the theme of the Basilica's music is grandeur and glory, creating community through the creation of awe. The informal music style of McGlinn complements the informal setting, once again creating community by encouraging participation.

Carroll Hall, on the other hand, has had no music for most of this semester. I queried, and was told that the pianist is abroad this semester. Obviously, music did not contribute to Carroll's community during the first half of this semester. When Palm Sunday (an important Catholic holy day) arrived, however, there was music - a resident of the dorm volunteered to play a few songs he knew. Music, although it had been absent for a time, is considered to be crucial enough to the ceremony, that it absolutely had to return for an important Mass. Moreover, the resident and a group of his friends plan to continue leading music at Mass for the rest of the semester. Music in this instance brought people together because of its conspicuous absence.

Group prayer is a way to bring people together. It brings forth common concerns, and binds people together through expressions of grief and praise. At the Basilica, such "petition" prayers are organized ahead of time, usually praying for world peace or wise political leadership or other things of that nature. McGlinn and Carroll both share spontaneous "petition" prayers, where people are encouraged to ask the congregation to pray for specific concerns such as sick relatives, or exams. Individuals are encouraged to add their own intentions silently at the Basilica. It would be oddly out-of-place to say aloud, "My aunt has cancer," at a Mass at the Basilica, but like the specific statements in the homilies, such petitions draw the dorm community together.

Thus far, I have shown the diverse ways in which community is created at the formal Basilica Mass and at the less formal dorm Masses. The next question is, how is it possible that the creation of community is so different? It is the same religion, after all, yet the styles are remarkably different. I believe this can be explained in by the third portion of the dramaturgical analysis, the composition of the audience.

The differences in the composition of the respective congregation allow for, and in some cases drive the changes in Mass. At the Basilica, there is a diverse mixture of age sets. Alumni, college students, and members of the South Bend Catholic community are all present. At dorm Masses, the assembly is homogenous by age, as most worshippers are college students, and nearly homogenous by gender. The differences in the people force a change in the Mass structure.

Basilica Mass is forced to be formal because that is the only way it can bring together an amalgamation of people that otherwise has very little in common. The people cannot interact with each other; therefore they must interact through the Mass itself if community is to be created. A rigid, impersonal structure allows this to occur. A college student and a 60-year old alumnus may not have many concerns or ideas in common, but both can relate to a majestic church, a generalized sermon, and beautiful music. They did not share in a community before, so the Mass must begin with nothing in order to create community. A dorm at Notre Dame, where there is no Greek system and nearly everyone lives on campus, is a community already. At Carroll especially, a dorm of 107 people, it is not much of a stretch to say that everyone knows everybody. This extends into Mass. Chances are, everyone will know, or at least recognize, the lectors and musicians. Because they are the people with which the audience lives, the front/back stage wall crumbles easily. A formal Mass structure like the Basilica's would only serve to alienate people. In an environment where everyone knows one other, and has a very specific range of common experiences, an informal Mass is more appropriate. Mass in dorms has no need to create its own brand new community; it merely needs to bring the existing community of the dorm into the Mass. Viewed in this light, the variation in the Masses is merely a reflexive action. Since the latent purpose of Mass is to create community, then the Mass should change to best accommodate different audiences. To bring together a congregation of "unlikes", Mass at the Basilica will focus attention on the workings of Mass itself. It will bring people together by having them interact through the setting and through generalization. Mass at McGlinn and Carroll Halls only has to take a pre-existing community and fit in into a worship system. The best way for this to occur is to make Mass as informal and welcoming as dorm life itself.

The latent function of Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the chapels of McGlinn Hall and Carroll Hall is to create community. Just as a Broadway play requires a complex interaction of props, scenery and actors in order to create a convincing tale for the audience, Mass requires a proper ritual involving objects, architecture, and priest and laity in order to successfully create a worship community. Unlike a Broadway play's script, however, Mass must be flexible, evident here in changes in formality and rigidity, in order to accommodate the congregation and create a successful performance. The "audience" at a Mass is therefore the molding force of its style and technique; "when the curtain falls", the structure of a Catholic Mass is result of the need to create a community out of individuals.

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