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maryjk
Guest
Because I will see him again in the morning. Oh, and every other time I go into work.
And at our parish, there IS a line. Sometimes our priest doesn’t make it to the sacristy until 30 minutes after he finishes Mass.
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And at our parish, there IS a line. Sometimes our priest doesn’t make it to the sacristy until 30 minutes after he finishes Mass.
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Cavaille-Coll
Guest
Our priest stands outside the doors and shakes hands. At the English Masses, many people ignore him and keep walking. At the Spanish Masses, parents not only go to shake his hand (or kiss it) but tell their children to do so.
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ccmcmg
Guest
Rabbit: I understand and sometimes there IS a line of people. I do think he may give off that vibe, at least at first; he is also the most reverent priest at consecration than any I’ve met.
Sw85: I like to thank him as well. If I do need something ‘deep’ or more than a ‘walk by’, I will generally wait until other parishioners have left.
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englishredrose
Guest
Im not very good at that bit and in previous years most priests barely got hello even on the way out. I find it very hard to say ‘hello’ as a ‘goodbye’.
With our current priest I make more of an effort because he is helping me. Some weeks I can go up to him and some weeks i keep a distance and he accepts as such. once it took 3 attempts to go and say hello to him on the way out. Over the last few month I was nicely getting into the swing of it until we had 3 deacons turn up. two visiting ones and that just got better of me and back to square one kind of.
I was kind of hiding waiting for my parents one of the weeks a few weeks ago when our deacon actually came to me and chatted. I was feeling very I don’t know and for split tiny second I almost wondered if was going to lash out at him. Being shy saved me and him from the moment. He stood just waiting for me to ‘come around’. Another time recently he found me out and chatted to me and his words carried me thru that day and wrote a poem about it and gave it him thinking nothing of it as such, but my way of saying a bit about me in the safety of the poem. On a different note he came and told me he read the poem at Chapter Meeting (omitting my name)… that made me feel proud actually tho am certain as one can be it wasn’t that good. just my way of saying this is a little of me.
But back to saying hello on the way out. Two weeks ago I was trying to hide and be seen at the same time whilst waiting for others and he again came to me in the porch and reproached me for not going and saying hello to them and having a chat. I didn’t know how to say, ‘i couldn’t that week’. The priest is aware for whatever reason I find it hard to say hello at that time. It okay if I been serving because already spokent to them as such but if in choir those weeks i find it hard…but no one has ever sought me out as thus. This Deacon is somehow. Am reasonably shy but in that warm way i don’t mind the deacon finding where am kind of hiding. someone is ‘looking after me’. Thats nice knowing what I put in the poem too.
But yeh some of us find it hard to on the way out. I never ever know what to say though once I had the choir keys so that gave me an excuse as I could have easily put them back in the vestry since I know where they go, though hard to reach. But gave me a reason to meet the priest but on that day social words weren’t there but he knew that.
There is always a line saying hello to our priest on the way out even if they are going in for coffee. He doesn’t as got another parish after ours:blush:
With our current priest I make more of an effort because he is helping me. Some weeks I can go up to him and some weeks i keep a distance and he accepts as such. once it took 3 attempts to go and say hello to him on the way out. Over the last few month I was nicely getting into the swing of it until we had 3 deacons turn up. two visiting ones and that just got better of me and back to square one kind of.
I was kind of hiding waiting for my parents one of the weeks a few weeks ago when our deacon actually came to me and chatted. I was feeling very I don’t know and for split tiny second I almost wondered if was going to lash out at him. Being shy saved me and him from the moment. He stood just waiting for me to ‘come around’. Another time recently he found me out and chatted to me and his words carried me thru that day and wrote a poem about it and gave it him thinking nothing of it as such, but my way of saying a bit about me in the safety of the poem. On a different note he came and told me he read the poem at Chapter Meeting (omitting my name)… that made me feel proud actually tho am certain as one can be it wasn’t that good. just my way of saying this is a little of me.
But back to saying hello on the way out. Two weeks ago I was trying to hide and be seen at the same time whilst waiting for others and he again came to me in the porch and reproached me for not going and saying hello to them and having a chat. I didn’t know how to say, ‘i couldn’t that week’. The priest is aware for whatever reason I find it hard to say hello at that time. It okay if I been serving because already spokent to them as such but if in choir those weeks i find it hard…but no one has ever sought me out as thus. This Deacon is somehow. Am reasonably shy but in that warm way i don’t mind the deacon finding where am kind of hiding. someone is ‘looking after me’. Thats nice knowing what I put in the poem too.
But yeh some of us find it hard to on the way out. I never ever know what to say though once I had the choir keys so that gave me an excuse as I could have easily put them back in the vestry since I know where they go, though hard to reach. But gave me a reason to meet the priest but on that day social words weren’t there but he knew that.
There is always a line saying hello to our priest on the way out even if they are going in for coffee. He doesn’t as got another parish after ours:blush:
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DevoutRabbit
Guest
No offense to our parish priest but, he doesn’t give off a reverent vibe. He gives off one of those, “I’m a sinner just like you” vibes. I mean this in a nice way?
I can see why people would be intimidated to approach a holy person but we probably SHOULD approach holy people more than irreverent people. How interesting!
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Horacio
Guest
There is a very unhealthy tradition at my parish. The priest shows up 5 minutes before Mass and leaves as soon as he can afterwards. They do not wait around to talk to people after Mass. There is no opportunity. New priests that join the parish might start out different but they soon fall into the same practice.
My parish has about 5,200 members. It’s quite large. At our last parish BBQ, 133 people were served the free (for all) BBQ. Failing to communicate with a parish takes a grave toll over time.
My parish has about 5,200 members. It’s quite large. At our last parish BBQ, 133 people were served the free (for all) BBQ. Failing to communicate with a parish takes a grave toll over time.
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CrossBro
Guest
I had a priest once who would invite to dinner in the rectory, invite me to go with him into other people’s homes, would sit with me in the Church late at night after the Christmas Mass or Easter Vigil.
That was a couple decades ago and I miss the good old days.
Priests nowadays are on guard and suspicious, their jobs are on the line and it is really difficult in my opinion to earn trust. An FBI agent in Los Angeles testified last year that given the chance he could prove well over half the accusations of sex abuse were false.
We paid out millions if not billions in phony lawsuits because attorneys were able to lump all claims, regardless of merit, into class action lawsuits.
The sad reality is that if I met this priest today, he probably would have given me a slight wave and locked the door behind him.
That was a couple decades ago and I miss the good old days.
Priests nowadays are on guard and suspicious, their jobs are on the line and it is really difficult in my opinion to earn trust. An FBI agent in Los Angeles testified last year that given the chance he could prove well over half the accusations of sex abuse were false.
We paid out millions if not billions in phony lawsuits because attorneys were able to lump all claims, regardless of merit, into class action lawsuits.The sad reality is that if I met this priest today, he probably would have given me a slight wave and locked the door behind him.
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LilyM
Guest
Some of the priests here are a little like that too - however ours is a very spread out area with one priest covering lots of miles for Sunday Masses, so in their case it is just that they are ridiculously busy and on the move rather than being rude or standoffish (they are usually anything but).
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corsair
Guest
I attend an FSSP parish or its satellite. Our priests usually are back in the confessional right after Mass. They hear confessions before and after Mass. About the only time I get to see him is when we have our monthly “potluck” dinner. Even then he is usually late from hearing confessions.
We are fortunate in that our priests are quite gregarious. None of us have a problem speaking with each other.
We are fortunate in that our priests are quite gregarious. None of us have a problem speaking with each other.
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Horacio
Guest
We are very blessed to have 3 priests. Some do start out differently but they typically fall into the “arrive 5 minutes before Mass and leave immediately thereafter.” They clearly struggle to vest, mic-up and check the Missal before Mass begins. The rectory is 30’ away. Why can’t they arrive 15 minutes early (there are no Masses prior to the one I attend) to prepare and communicate with their flock? There is no Mass for 90 minutes after the one I attend so I have no idea why they are in such a hurry? I asked a former pastor once and he changed the subject.
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adawgj
Guest
Our priest and deacon will stand out the door and say hi. Unfortunately I barely get to talk to them because I have to help reset everything for the next mass.
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Beachcomber
Guest
I try to. It’s been a habit at my parish to speak to the priest as you leave. People wait for the priest to leave the church itself and he hangs out front, chatting and greeting people. It’s nice to be able to thank him for a good homily or whatever.
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AnneTeresa
Guest
Our pastor is very friendly and outgoing. I would love to greet him but there is always someone else talking to him and I don’t want to bother him. Our associate priest is foreign and very shy. Whenever I see him alone I make a point to greet him.
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Tarpeian_Rock
Guest
My late mother, who grew up in a different era, hated when the priest started doing this – standing at the door at the end of Mass – she called it a “Protestant thing to do,” instead of the priest returning to the sacristy. Wonder if anyone else experienced this reaction from a “senior” family member.
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CrossBro
Guest
I just remember a priest from about 10 years ago, he would stand outside the Church after mass puffing away on a cigarette.
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maryjk
Guest
I have known many priests that smoked.
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dividus
Guest
Deep down, I feel the same way. I can’t forget the Masses of my childhood when it was unheard of for a priest to stand at the church exit after Mass.Also, there is always the guilty feeling that you might not have said enough or might have said something inappropriate. If I catch the priest’s eye now I just thank him for the Mass.
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Horacio
Guest
Why is that?
This sounds like the very sort of practice that needs to remain in the past.
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dividus
Guest
Well, in the fifties and early sixties,which is the time to which I am referring there were many more priests than nowadays and they would visit homes in the parish, staying for a cup of tea and a chat.You felt that you really knew your priests and that they knew you. It was so different then, with five Masses on a Sunday morning at 7, 8, 9,10 and 11 o’clock all very well attended. Obviously, with the shortage of priests now anything like this is impossible. Our priest is covering a very large area which takes in three parishes, he really must feel run off his feet sometimes.
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Elizium23
Guest
Greeting parishioners after Mass is an effective way to communicate, but it is not the only way. If your priest does not do this, does he make himself available otherwise? Are there ample opportunities for confession? Does he have office hours both by appointment and on a walk-in basis? When he is engaged in conversation, does he listen attentively and address the issue or does he give a brush-off and trivialize it?
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