Aargh! People coming late to Mass!

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victrolatim

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I just need to vent. Now I can understand if someone walks into Mass a few minutes late due to traffic, kids, etc. but I see people all the time who are coming in as late as the consecration and running out right after receiving the Eucharist. Often times not quietly either. Today there was a woman who ran in in noisy heels during the canon, received, and ran back out causing everyone to turn their heads directly afterwards. 🤷🤷
 
I know we’re not supposed to judge, but it’s difficult to ignore such distractions, for that’s what they really are, intended or otherwise. And/or, they might just be making a statement, for all we know.

Either way, there’s not much we can do, other than locking the doors.
 
ProVobis said:
I know we’re not supposed to judge, but it’s difficult to ignore such distractions, for that’s what they really are, intended or otherwise. And/or, they might just be making a statement, for all we know.

Either way, there’s not much we can do, other than locking the doors.
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I used to become distracted by people raising their hands or holding hands during the Our Father. Then a deacon friend of mine made the comment to try to visualize yourself back in Christ’s day when he was walking and bearing the cross, and all of the distractions then.

Made me realize how important it was to focus and not pay attention to the distractions.

Really never know what others have going on and why they are late or do what they do.
 
victrolatim said:
I just need to vent. Now I can understand if someone walks into Mass a few minutes late due to traffic, kids, etc. but I see people all the time who are coming in as late as the consecration and running out right after receiving the Eucharist. Often times not quietly either. Today there was a woman who ran in in noisy heels during the canon, received, and ran back out causing everyone to turn their heads directly afterwards. 🤷🤷
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Maybe that’s all she had time for, and she wanted to receive Our Lord before going on to work? I suppose, though, she could have tip-toed so her heels didn’t clippity-clop all over the floor. Must’ve been an old church. A lot of the newer ones have carpet.

Try to ignore these distractions the best you can and don’t let them get to you.
 
Maybe you can try to sit as close to the front as possible. I don’t know how big your church is but my church is pretty large so sitting up front tends to drown out some of the noise in the back. 🙂 Plus many late-comers sit in the back so you might not even notice them.
 
Caitlin, that’s good advice. I had forgotten that’s the very reason why I began sitting in the first pew - to avoid noise, distractions and in order to concentrate more fully on the Mass.
 
It might help if we sing all the verses of the processional hymn, and make it a long one. 😉
 
It’s their loss.
I can’t see how it’s any of my concern. 🤷
 
victrolatim said:
I just need to vent. Now I can understand if someone walks into Mass a few minutes late due to traffic, kids, etc. but I see people all the time who are coming in as late as the consecration and running out right after receiving the Eucharist. Often times not quietly either. Today there was a woman who ran in in noisy heels during the canon, received, and ran back out causing everyone to turn their heads directly afterwards. 🤷🤷
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Speck, meet log.

Leave other people alone. Focus on your own prayers and on the Mass. They are accountable to God, not to you.
 
victrolatim said:
I just need to vent. Now I can understand if someone walks into Mass a few minutes late due to traffic, kids, etc. but I see people all the time who are coming in as late as the consecration and running out right after receiving the Eucharist. Often times not quietly either. Today there was a woman who ran in in noisy heels during the canon, received, and ran back out causing everyone to turn their heads directly afterwards. 🤷🤷
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How about just leaving them alone?

They are accountable to God, as are you. Does complaining about other people help you in your spiritual growth?

Take care of your own soul first.
 
Complaint threads are banned per the moderators in L&S. There are stickies posted about what and what is not proper material for the forum.
 
ProVobis said:
I know we’re not supposed to judge, but it’s difficult to ignore such distractions, for that’s what they really are, intended or otherwise. And/or, they might just be making a statement, for all we know.

Either way, there’s not much we can do, other than locking the doors.
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I wonder if saying the Prayers after Low Mass would help?
 
I think maybe you need to pray for patience and charity to overcome your frustration. You don’t know the reasons why these people have for their tardiness, in spite of their tardiness that you are witnessing, their arrival to mass may be a sign of their true commitment to attend and participate at mass no matter what hardships they had to face to get there.
I’m a registered nurse who occasionally has to work 12 hours on both Saturday on Sunday. The last mass in my community on the weekend starts at 7:00 at night (The same time my shift ends at work). The church that has this mass is only 5 minutes away from my work. Occasionally I can arrive on time. But other times, I arrive at the beginning of the first reading, during the priest’s homily, or during the collection.
Even when I’m horribly late, I’ve always considered mass to be a top priority, which is why I attend even after I’ve worked a long and exhausting 12 hour shift and I know I’m going to be late…I will be at mass, it’s a priority.
 
At our parish it isn’t the late arrivals as much as those who leave early. I have noted whole rows emptying out at Communion, and then as the priest, deacon, servers and reader processed out during the closing hymn, so many people crowd the center aisle ahead of and alongside the priest that he almost disappears (the shorter of our two priests actually does get lost in the jostling).

At my last parish that type of behavior would not occur, but we did have one elderly lady who sat in a front pew and would step in immediately behind the celebrant as he processed up the aisle. I couldn’t imagine that she was in a hurry; perhaps she felt she would receive an extra blessing from her proximity to the priest.
 
Lormar said:
Maybe that’s all she had time for, and she wanted to receive Our Lord before going on to work? I suppose, though, she could have tip-toed so her heels didn’t clippity-clop all over the floor. Must’ve been an old church. A lot of the newer ones have carpet.

Try to ignore these distractions the best you can and don’t let them get to you.
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I was taught that if you missed the Offertory, you missed Mass. So, she committed a sacrilege by receiving Communion!

I hate to see people receive Communion and then walk out of Mass still chewing on the Host, without even stopping to say a prayer & swallow it.
 
truetofaith said:
I was taught that if you missed the Offertory, you missed Mass. So, she committed a sacrilege by receiving Communion!

I hate to see people receive Communion and then walk out of Mass still chewing on the Host, without even stopping to say a prayer & swallow it.
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Somebody catechized you poorly.
 
victrolatim said:
I just need to vent. Now I can understand if someone walks into Mass a few minutes late due to traffic, kids, etc. but I see people all the time who are coming in as late as the consecration and running out right after receiving the Eucharist. Often times not quietly either. Today there was a woman who ran in in noisy heels during the canon, received, and ran back out causing everyone to turn their heads directly afterwards. 🤷🤷
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We have a visiting priest over the summer. I was only at one Mass he said but was struck by how many people showed up late. We got there early and I was busy dealing with a cranky toddler when Mass started so I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to everything else going on at first, but after the entrance hymn I saw a steady stream of people come in. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but after a dozen or so people came in I couldn’t help but wonder why so many people were being so rude that morning. After several more families came in I leaned over to my wife, pointed out the big group that came in and asked her what on earth she thought was going on. She just pointed to her watch. It was still about five til. Father had started Mass ten minutes early.
 
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