Are animals allowed in Mass?

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stjuderocks said:
I went to Mass the other day at a parish that I don’t normally go to. to my surprise there was a dog sitting on the chair next to the priest. and the Dog stayed up on the alter throughout the whole mass. Although the dog didn’t move around a lot an didn’t make any noise, it was extremely distracting. I was wondering if the Catechism or any church authority has said anything about having animals in Mass. You would hope the priest would know not to bring his dog with him!
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I can imagine this was a week day Mass. If a Priest has a well behaved dog and he would know what to expect as far as the dog’s behavior, I see no problem with its being there. Never on Sunday though. Our priests have a tough life, they have so many jobs to do, not just administering to our faith needs, he has to be a business man also, and a tough business it is relying on donations to pay the bills.
We can’t be stiff necked about a dog that gives him pleasure. A priest friend of mine has three dogs, bird dogs, they won’t be going to church.
 
fall_fox said:
I can imagine this was a week day Mass. If a Priest has a well behaved dog and he would know what to expect as far as the dog’s behavior, I see no problem with its being there. Never on Sunday though. Our priests have a tough life, they have so many jobs to do, not just administering to our faith needs, he has to be a business man also, and a tough business it is relying on donations to pay the bills.
We can’t be stiff necked about a dog that gives him pleasure. A priest friend of mine has three dogs, bird dogs, they won’t be going to church.
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What if the dog is indeed a service dog? Should the priest stop presiding at Mass because he needs the help a service dog can give? Some service dogs can detect an epileptic seizure before it happens. What if the priest is epileptic and it is not controlled by medication? Should he deny his calling, give up, leave the priesthood, remain a priest but give us presiding at Mass?

Service dogs are not pets. Sometimes they are the arm that is missing from a disabled person’s shoulder. Sometimes they are the eyes a blind person needs. Perhaps sometimes they allow a priest to continue with his calling. Who are we to say? My service dog may be the one thing that allows me to attend Mass. I know you are referring to the priest’s dog but do you think that I should not attend Sunday Mass because I need my service dog with me?

Is a Mass somehow more important on Sunday? Why restrict the dog’s presence to non-Sundays? What is different about the Mass on Sunday? Does transubstantiation not take place during the week? A Mass is a Mass.

:(:(😦
 
jwinch2 said:
Yes he did. He also said that the dog was on a chair next to the priest. These are two contradictory statements. Both cannot be true.
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They are not contradictory, even if the dog was in the same place during the entire Mass. The OP said that the dog moved. The dog could have moved from the chair to the altar or the chair could have been placed on the altar, as has already been discussed, and I have already stated that I am letting it go.
 
LittleSoldier said:
They are not contradictory, even if the dog was in the same place during the entire Mass. The OP said that the dog moved. The dog could have moved from the chair to the altar or the chair could have been placed on the altar, as has already been discussed, and I have already stated that I am letting it go.
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Addendum to above post: Please excuse my rudeness. You wished me peace and I did not return the wish.

Pax vobiscum.
 
stjuderocks said:
I went to Mass the other day at a parish that I don’t normally go to. to my surprise there was a dog sitting on the chair next to the priest. and the Dog stayed up on the alter throughout the whole mass. Although the dog didn’t move around a lot an didn’t make any noise, it was extremely distracting. I was wondering if the Catechism or any church authority has said anything about having animals in Mass. You would hope the priest would know not to bring his dog with him!
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One of the pastors at a Church in my old town had a dog. He used to come into the Church but I don’t remember him being in the Church or up the steps and around the altar during Mass. I know he was around the altar and around the Church when Mass wasn’t being celebrated. It doesn’t bother me one bit seeing an animal in Church.
 
We have to be careful with how people use the word “altar”. In many cultures and in many people’s minds the altar is the sanctuary or at the very least, the platfrom on which the altar sits. The likelihood of anyone allowing a pet to actually sit on the altar’s surface is unlikely, unless the person has lost it.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
JReducation said:
We have to be careful with how people use the word “altar”. In many cultures and in many people’s minds the altar is the sanctuary or at the very least, the platfrom on which the altar sits. The likelihood of anyone allowing a pet to actually sit on the altar’s surface is unlikely, unless the person has lost it.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
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There are a great many people in our culture who have “lost it,” including everyone who thinks that dogs have feelings like human beings. 🤷
 
jmcrae said:
There are a great many people in our culture who have “lost it,” including everyone who thinks that dogs have feelings like human beings. 🤷
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There are emotions and cognitive processes that are common to more than one species. This includes canine and human; but that’s not the point here. Even if you put a baby on the surface of an altar, it’s inappropriate.

However, I doubt that’s what happened here. As I said, the term “altar” is often used to describe more than the altar of sacrifice, but also parts of the sanctuary.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
jmcrae said:
There are a great many people in our culture who have “lost it,” including everyone who thinks that dogs have feelings like human beings. 🤷
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The current body of neurophysiology and neuropsychology research suggest otherwise.
 
JReducation said:
There are emotions and cognitive processes that are common to more than one species. This includes canine and human; but that’s not the point here. Even if you put a baby on the surface of an altar, it’s inappropriate.

However, I doubt that’s what happened here. As I said, the term “altar” is often used to describe more than the altar of sacrifice, but also parts of the sanctuary.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
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And that is exactly why I dropped it. Thank you. And I agree with you about emotions and cognitive processes that are found in species other than human.
 
jmcrae said:
There are a great many people in our culture who have “lost it,” including everyone who thinks that dogs have feelings like human beings. 🤷
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And with that one sentence millions of people have been insulted, many of them scientists who have studied and researched animal behavior. 😦

I’m sorry to take the thread further off-topic but I had to respond to this.
 
LittleSoldier said:
Where better for a dog to be than in the House of God? I doubt the dog looked around at the congregation and noted the outfits that certain people wore and then passed judgment on them for not showing “proper respect” for God. I doubt the dog decided that so-and-so shouldn’t receive Communion because he happened to see her in public with a man who is not her husband. I doubt the dog became offended because he didn’t think that guitars and violins and folk music should be allowed in church but that only Gregorian Chant is appropriate…

The dog cannot sin. The dog is truly innocent. The dog was created by God and reflects a part of God.

What better place than God’s house?
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👍
 
LittleSoldier said:
The news about the pope really makes me sad. I had read about his cat and how much he loved it. But it clears up some confusion I had because the article I read said where the cat was at the time and it wasn’t in Vatican City with the pope. Now I know why.

As for service dogs, at least where I live, they are allowed to be in any place that is open to the public. I believe that would include churches. I think it would be illegal (a violation of the ADA) to disallow service dogs from being in a church at any time it is open to the public.

But if I ever get my dog trained to the point that I feel she can safely accompany me to Mass (and I have a very, very good reason for wanting her there; in fact, I don’t think I can attend Mass without her and therefore I haven’t been to Mass for many months), I will ask permission of our priest and she will wear her vest (even though there is no law that states a service dog must wear a vest or have any sort of papers and to demand either of those from me or ask me about my disability is a violation of law) and might be muzzled if she doesn’t stop singing and talking about goats.
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This makes me very sad as well. I wish they could make an exception for the Pope’s cat. At least she is being well cared for. I love my cats so much I couldn’t ever imagine having to give them up.
JReducation said:
We have to be careful with how people use the word “altar”. In many cultures and in many people’s minds the altar is the sanctuary or at the very least, the platfrom on which the altar sits. The likelihood of anyone allowing a pet to actually sit on the altar’s surface is unlikely, unless the person has lost it.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
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Yes. That’s what I think the OP meant. Growing up, “altar” sort of just meant the “stage” or the area where the sermon was given, the choir sang, etc. For example, an “altar call” means people just going up to the steps. “Altar” has a very different meaning to other denominations.
 
anp1215 said:
This makes me very sad as well. I wish they could make an exception for the Pope’s cat. At least she is being well cared for. I love my cats so much I couldn’t ever imagine having to give them up.

Yes. That’s what I think the OP meant. Growing up, “altar” sort of just meant the “stage” or the area where the sermon was given, the choir sang, etc. For example, an “altar call” means people just going up to the steps. “Altar” has a very different meaning to other denominations.
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I think so, too. Now. I was just horrified at the possibility that a dog might eat the Eucharist.
 
LittleSoldier said:
What if the dog is indeed a service dog? Should the priest stop presiding at Mass because he needs the help a service dog can give? Some service dogs can detect an epileptic seizure before it happens. What if the priest is epileptic and it is not controlled by medication? Should he deny his calling, give up, leave the priesthood, remain a priest but give us presiding at Mass?

Service dogs are not pets. Sometimes they are the arm that is missing from a disabled person’s shoulder. Sometimes they are the eyes a blind person needs. Perhaps sometimes they allow a priest to continue with his calling. Who are we to say? My service dog may be the one thing that allows me to attend Mass. I know you are referring to the priest’s dog but do you think that I should not attend Sunday Mass because I need my service dog with me?
Is a Mass somehow more important on Sunday? Why restrict the dog’s presence to non-Sundays? What is different about the Mass on Sunday? Does transubstantiation not take place during the week? A Mass is a Mass.

fall fox

Look Little Soldier, there was nothing said about it being a service dog. I suppose a person could conger up a whole plethora of scenarios as to the reason the dog was there, but why? As for the Sunday Mass, if it was his pet, and I suspect it was, the Priest would run into the possibility of being criticized for his dog being there. On a week day Mass, you usually have the same small number of people there that are usually pretty close to the Priest.

All the other stuff you were saying just makes my head hurt !!!
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fall_fox said:
fall fox

REALLY ? ? ? ARE YOU REALLY SERIOUS ? ? ?
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Please don’t yell at me. I wouldn’t do that to you. 😦

Evidently I am not going to be allowed to let this go. Have you read all my posts in this thread? Did you read the OP?

The OP said the dog was on the altar. If what he said was true and if “altar” means what I think it does the dog was on the altar with close proximity to the Eucharist. Dogs have an amazing sense of smell (I believe it is six million times better than ours). If a dog were on the altar and smelled the Eucharist it could have gotten to it and gobbled it up.

And that would be horrible.

Now please let it go. Thank you.
 
fall_fox said:
fall fox

Look Little Soldier, there was nothing said about it being a service dog. I suppose a person could conger up a whole plethora of scenarios as to the reason the dog was there, but why? As for the Sunday Mass, if it was his pet, and I suspect it was, the Priest would run into the possibility of being criticized for his dog being there. On a week day Mass, you usually have the same small number of people there that are usually pretty close to the Priest.

All the other stuff you were saying just makes my head hurt !!!
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Thank you for not yelling at me this time. When people yell at me it makes my head hurt. I’m sorry your head hurt because of “all the other stuff” I was saying. I wasn’t the one who brought up the possibility that the chair the dog was on had been placed on the altar. Another poster mentioned that possibility (and rightfully so). But that made my head hurt.

You are correct in that there was nothing said about it being a service dog. At least, there is nothing about it in the OP. There was also nothing said about it being a pet. Ergo, we don’t know.

You think that during the week the congregation would not criticize the priest for having his dog there because they are “usually pretty close to the Priest.” I would ask why you think this is so except that I’m pretty sure your answer would make my head hurt. They may very well be pretty close to the priest. The dog was closer.

You might want to start using the function correctly. I cleaned this one up for you. If you want me to explain how to use the function please PM me and I will be very happy to explain it to you. However, my explanation might make your head hurt so maybe it would be better to ask someone else. You can also place me on your “Ignore” list (if you wish) so that you won’t need to read any more headache-causing words from me.

One more thing: it’s really unnecessary to use all those exclamation points. It’s uncharitable. I do have feelings and they were hurt.

Now can we please let it go (as I have been trying to do already)?
 
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