The incident I cited above was the final straw; it drove me from that parish. This being Albany (Howard Hubbard country), there's slim pickings when it comes to orthodox teaching. Rather than toss it all away, I compiled a list of several other parishes nearby and attended each one over the next several weeks. Another freeper suggested that I include any Eastern Catholic Churches. There were 2 - Maronite and Ukrainian.
Three weeks later, the Maronite Church surfaced. Having read up on their liturgy, I went in prepared. I came away with a sense of 'Peace' unlike anything I had ever felt before. The following week I returned and once again was drawn into the reverence of their liturgy. When week 3 arrived, I tossed the list, returned to the Maronite Catholic Church and made it my parish.
May I make a recommendation? The Catholic Church is both Western and Eastern. As most of us realize, the Church began in the East. Our Lord lived and died and resurrected in the Holy Land. The Church spread from Jerusalem throughout the known world. As the Church spread, it encountered different cultures and adapted, retaining from each culture what was consistent with the Gospel. In the city of Alexandria, the Church became very Egyptian; in Antioch it remained very Jewish; in Rome it took on an Italian appearance and in the Constantinople it took on the trappings of the Roman imperial court. All the churches which developed this way were Eastern, except Rome. Most Catholics in the United States have their roots in Western Europe where the Roman rite predominated. It has been said that the Eastern Catholic Churches are "the best kept secret in the Catholic Church."
The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15). Pope John Paul II said that "the Catholic Church is both Eastern and Western."
Check your local community at the following link and look into attending an Eastern Catholic Liturgy (not to be confused with the Orthodox Church).
Eastern Catholic Churches in the U.S.
The Eastern Catholic Rites retain the rich heritage of our church, without the "novelties" introduced into the Novus Ordo liturgy. Incense is used throughout.
In the Maronite Catholic Church, the Consecration is in Aramaic, using the words and language of our Lord at the Last Supper. Communion is ONLY distributed by the priest. It is by intinction (the priest dips the consecrated host into the Precious Blood) and is ONLY received on the tongue. The priest administers communion with the words: "The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is given to you for the remission of sin and eternal salvation".
A Roman Catholic may attend the Divine Liturgy at any Eastern Catholic Church. You can learn more about the 22 different liturgies at this link:
All those experiences you cited, which I once endured, are now finished. We gather silently to pray and then have refreshments afterwards to share conversation. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Just remember, you must attend the same liturgy for 3 weeks.