Are Catholics and non-catholics supposed to leave a Mass When the Music Stops?

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one of our local young priests is insistent that the congregants stay until the celebrants enter the vestibule area;

he said nothing about staying until the end of the final hymn

as had been said before;
every parish is different

in my case

a) getting out of the parking lot is a nightmare

b) the music ministry is not that good…
 
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Personally, I just wait until the recessional hymn is over, no need to be in such a rush
 
brian_custer said:
a) getting out of the parking lot is a nightmare
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I suspect this is the thinking of our early leavers, too. But, by the time the hymn is over, I’ve said a short prayer, waved/said hello to the priest and/or other folks we know, collected kids and stuff, and walked to the car and buckled in, most of the parking lot traffic is gone. I’m not loitering around, just not rushing - and the traffic issue solves itself.
 
brian_custer said:
in my case

a) getting out of the parking lot is a nightmare
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Not if you stick around for a few minutes to pray or engage in conversation with your fellow parishioners. 😉
b) the music ministry is not that good…
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How much did you pay for professional-quality musical entertainment, again? 🤔
 
dochawk said:
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Gorgias:
On the other hand, if it’s the other way, it sounds like a game of 'pop goes the weasel"… 😮
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which is apparently actually about the tools on actually cobblers benches called monkey and weasel . . . which never get to leave 🙂

hawk
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The children’s game, not the song. 😉
 
I was always taught not to leave before the priest does. As a matter of personal opinion, I also find it rude for the congregation to be shuffling around, talking and making noise when the choir is still trying to sing their final song. It just seems disrespectful to their ministry.
 
For a Sunday Mass: I leave Mass right after the priest bows to the altar/genuflects to the tabernacle (because the priest stays by the sanctuary to greet the people after he does so)

For a weekday Mass: I leave after the final hymn. During a weekday Mass, the priest returns to the sacristy and does not greet anyone.
 
I don’t join in the applause, either. Applause is for performers.
 
Conversation, yes–but in the lobby or outside, not in the nave, where some may want to quietly pray.
 
sensing a tiny bit of hostility there, shipmate

the traffic log jam is very bad

one way in & one way out of the parking lot onto a very busy county road

old people; cripples; unsupervised children; beggars (yes); deer, geese
wandering about the parking lot
piles of snow

large snow removal equipment blocking spots;

 
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the music ministry in my parish is “paid”; plus they all have full time jobs

if your music ministery is good

God Bless

ours is bad…
 
brian_custer said:
the music ministry in my parish is “paid”; plus they all have full time jobs

if your music ministery is good

God Bless

ours is bad…
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I guess I complain when I’ve paid for ‘entertainment’, and not otherwise. 😉
 
dochawk said:
which is apparently actually about the tools on actually cobblers benches called monkey and weasel . . . which never get to leave 🙂
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Hawk has just changed my life. I did not know this.

I don’t know if I feel embarrassed or enlightened. 😆😆😆

I have to know…what are the socks the monkey stops to pull up? If you say “just socks” I’m going to be devastated.
 
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Having seen Catholics racing back into church after the Palm Sunday procession to get better seats, it is not out of the realms of possibility…
 
Guest1 said:
Instead of waiting until the Priest walks out the door?
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Yes, ideally it should be like that.

As for the recessional hymn, we do not have to wait until the last verse, though it is good to do so (I do that) but at least wait until the priest exits.

God bless.
 
It’s possible they left their belongings there…We have to believe the best of our brothers and sisters in Christ, no matter what some do…LOL Not sure its “better” seats they want, perhaps just their usual seats. We’re all creatures of habit.
Peace!
 
A Priest once answered this very question with, “Unless it’s an emergency, it is proper to wait until the Priest leaves before anyone else leaves.”
 
Well here’s a snarky, but true response:

We’re probably preaching to the choir here…too many people in almost every parish I have been in, head to the exits after receiving the Eucharist until waiting for the end of Mass…Leaving after the final blessing and dismissal may be rude and crude, ahead of the priest, but not a spiritual hill worth dying on.
 
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Yeah, we frequently leave our coats, carseat, etc. in the pew if Mass starts outside, just because it’s a major hassle to carry it all around plus deal with the kids. We do try to sit in certain pews that have columns at the end because it limits escape routes. 😂

It hasn’t happened often, but a couple of times we’ve come back and found our stuff shoved to the side and gotten glares from the people sitting there. I suppose it’s a lesson for us to not try to save seats, but I have to say, I’m a stubborn student.

(If it was just me and/or my husband, I wouldn’t care. But please don’t make things harder on parents!)
 
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