October 5, 2009

This Has to be Some Kind of Record

This morning, at the early Mass, one of the devout souls arrived during the consecration and then departed straight from receiving Holy Communion.

13 comments:

Unknown said...

I can beat that. At daily mass, every once in a while, people walk in during the Our Father, see there is another mass, receive at the one that I am at, and leave. Most of the time, they are there for the following one...

Ad Abolendam said...

So much for that old rule about not receiving if you arrive after the Gospel.

Brother Charles said...

Tardiness is a general spiritual illness at our parish. Since the spirituality of the place is Irish at its base, it's hard for me to blame the people. It's probably the fault of us friars, who have taught a culture of irreverence through a misinterpretation of our Franciscan earthiness and down-to-earthness.

Tina aka Snupnjake said...

Cuaguy...I can beat that. I saw someone come in at the Lamb of God and leave directly after Communion.

Br. Charles, tardiness is a general spiritual illness everywhere. At every single one of the parishes I have visited, people are always straggling in late. One church I was at kids were late to their own First Communion, which was hard to believe given the Mass itself started 20 minutes late! Two of the parishes I've been at the problem has been mentioned in the homily or the bulletin. I wouldn't place the blame on the Franciscans, they are a little sparse in St. Louis and lateness is everywhere, but you could blame the Jesuits...they are everywhere ;)

Qualis Rex said...

Father Charles, I don't think it is fault of "you friars", the Franciscan order or any one entity to point a finger at. It's simply a general creaping irreverence that followed the "Spirit of Vatican II". When churches are built like lunchboxes, the altar resembles a marble picnic table, the tabernacle is nowhere in sight and "Father Feelgood" incorporates liturgical dancers to act out his homily entitled "why Jesus would welcome women in the priesthood", it's really not a far stretch to see where the irrevence in the pews is coming from.

Qualis Rex, Talis Grex.

Hidden One said...

Homily fodder, no?

for narnia said...

hi Fr. C!
i have a cousin with a daughter who just received her first Holy Communion last year (they are parishioners at SH.) they take her to Mass and always sit in the back row. but, at Communion, she is sent up to receive alone (they don't receive with her) and then they leave immediately after Communion. i can't imagine what kind of a lesson they are teaching this young child! PEACE! ~tara t~

Anonymous said...

I would also not ascribe the tendency to tardiness (and premature departures) to the Capuchins. I think that it is cultural and shows our priorities as a society (would these same folks show up late for a movie or a play, or leave before the end?) Why do they feel it is Ok to do so at Mass?
I am not trying to be judgmental because all of us have been late on occasion, but it is clear that people do not feel the need to be timely and fully participatory to the end.

Norah said...

If the priest says something about people consistently arriving late and leaving early at Mass there will arise the cry from the people he wasn't talking to - I've beeen up all night nursing my sick ... and I have to leave early to do my turn at the soup kitchen. The people who arrive late and leave early every Sunday just smirk and say nothing knowing that the priest will be accused of being judgemental and that shuts them up for another year.

It's the same if the priest mentions that one dollar is not much to put on the plate. The senior citizens will cry and ask does the priest expect them to go without food and the single people with huge disposable incomes will just smirk and say nothing knowing that the priest will be accused of being judgemental and that shuts them up for another year.

Norah said...

Jimmy Akin, from Catholic Answers, says that for daily Mass there isn't a time when one has to be present and if one is just walking through the church one can receive Holy Communion.

I am of the pre Vatican II generation and I can't remember anyone needing to go to the toilet (you went before you left home) or, excluding an emergency, needing to leave church early. I don't remember anyone arriving late, I used to sit up the back so I would have noticed.

A Secular Franciscan said...

Maybe we could have some of the ushers stand at the entrances and as people rush out sweetly say to them, "Sorry you have to leave Mass early. I hope everything it all right."

for narnia said...

hi again, Fr. C! i think "Anonymous" says it best-it's definitely NOT the fault of the Capuchins or any other group or person as to why people have a pattern of being late and/or leaving early. sadly so, they definitely do not have their priorities srtaight. Anonymous is correct in saying that all of us (even the most devout and faithful, might occasionally be late or leave early and perhaps for a good reason. the difference is that those who have a regular pattern of this are the ones who need to learn to put God first. the example of my cousin is a good one-i know the reason she "rushes out" right after Communion and it's definitely something that can wait a few minutes longer. like Anonymous said, none of us is here to judge those who have this kind of pattern, but it's true that they wouldn't arrive late or leave early from a movie or a play or a sporting event or some other occasion. if only they can be still long enough to know that HE IS GOD. PEACE! ~tara t~

Barb Szyszkiewicz said...

This summer a baby to be baptized DURING MASS (which is arranged by the parents--they can choose during Mass or the later one not during Mass) was late to her own christening. Father was waiting in the back, to pray the opening prayer there and do all the beginning baptism rituals. Finally he gave up and got started. Godparents were 20 minutes early. Parents and baby showed up during the homily.