Sunday Service Memories @ Disney

[surfsupdon]

Any of you remember going to church at Disney??! My sister and I have very vivid memories, especially the Easter Sunday Service in the Fantasia Ballroom at Contemp b/c it was "a Disney chrurch" as we called it.

I was young, around 7, and remember going to Disney church till they stopped offering it, as a teenager.

It was neat visiting the Polynesian on Sundays, having the service in the Luau Cove area, and then grabbing breakfast at the Poly or Grand Flo, hoping one day we'd be able to stay there (Caribbean Beach was the norm).

Easter Sunday was awesome b/c the ballroom at Contemp has covered in Fantasia murals, and there were neat Disney touches throughout the service itself. And it gave a reason to explore another Resort. We used to do Easter Sunday and then parasail or wakeboard.

I bring it up because everytime we sing a hymm or song in our church that we remember singing in Disney, my sis and I turn to eachother and smile, "We sang this in Disney." They are fun memories.

What little details do you remember?? What were your traditions if you partook in Sunday services on property??


Please note that this was not a religious post, but rather a post discussing memories from Disney events of the past.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Yes, we also attended Mass at the Polynesian years ago on Sunday. I remember that this was the first time ever that I attended Mass in shorts and tee shirt. I felt so out of place because I'm thinking I'm so underdressed for Mass. My usual attire for Mass is dress pants and dress shirt. However now I see people coming to Mass dressed in shorts and tee shirts all the time. My son was an altar server at the time in our church and I would have liked him to take part in the Mass but he was too shy to ask the Priest if he could help out. I remember the Priest was very welcoming and his homily was sort of comical, talking about the Disney characters. There was quite a crowd in attendance.
We loved the atmosphere and feeling that this was perfect to start out the week and be thankful for being able to be at Disney.

 

[wizards8507]

Yes, we also attended Mass at the Polynesian years ago on Sunday. I remember that this was the first time ever that I attended Mass in shorts and tee shirt. I felt so out of place because I'm thinking I'm so underdressed for Mass. My usual attire for Mass is dress pants and dress shirt. However now I see people coming to Mass dressed in shorts and tee shirts all the time. My son was an altar server at the time in our church and I would have liked him to take part in the Mass but he was too shy to ask the Priest if he could help out. I remember the Priest was very welcoming and his homily was sort of comical, talking about the Disney characters. There was quite a crowd in attendance.
We loved the atmosphere and feeling that this was perfect to start out the week and be thankful for being able to be at Disney.

I used to love Mass at the Polynesian. Somehow, it actually felt LESS touristy than Mary, Queen of the Universe. That places is a behemoth.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I used to love Mass at the Polynesian. Somehow, it actually felt LESS touristy than Mary, Queen of the Universe. That places is a behemoth.

We have friends who attend Mass there every time they visit WDW, but we have never been able to go there. I have been told it is a beautiful church.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

I did not know that Disney still had church services on their grounds. That's nice of them to still do that. I know that when Disneyland opened up in 1955 Walt had a minister there on opening day to say a prayer for the park. Not sure if the same happened in 1971 at WDW but in Disneyland for sure. I truly believe God has kept Disneyworld/DL as safe and happy as can be because of that since there are so few sacred exclusively happy places in the world anymore.

For those that would know the answer to this, I know that Walt grew up in the church but didn't attend much in his older years, but I always felt even just from the movies and the older attractions that there was always a religious side to him

 

[surfsupdon]

Yes, we also attended Mass at the Polynesian years ago on Sunday. I remember that this was the first time ever that I attended Mass in shorts and tee shirt. I felt so out of place because I'm thinking I'm so underdressed for Mass. My usual attire for Mass is dress pants and dress shirt. However now I see people coming to Mass dressed in shorts and tee shirts all the time. My son was an altar server at the time in our church and I would have liked him to take part in the Mass but he was too shy to ask the Priest if he could help out. I remember the Priest was very welcoming and his homily was sort of comical, talking about the Disney characters. There was quite a crowd in attendance.
We loved the atmosphere and feeling that this was perfect to start out the week and be thankful for being able to be at Disney.

You're right! It was fun, especially as a kid, because we were in Disney on vacation and got to wear our nicest pair of shorts and a polo shirt, compared to the usual Sunday routine.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I did not know that Disney still had church services on their grounds.

They stopped weekly Sunday services at the Poly years ago, the last one I attended was in 2002.

They still offer Easter services.

See http://allears.net/btp/church.htm .

 

[wdwfanatic4yrs]

:snore:

 

[wizards8507]

We have friends who attend Mass there every time they visit WDW, but we have never been able to go there. I have been told it is a beautiful church.

Oh, it is. The physical structure of the place is gorgeous, but the quantity of people in Hawaiian shirts and flip flops is a little overwhelming. I really enjoy Holy Family, which is up by Universal and about 20 minutes away but I much prefer their service.