Don’t use the kneelers

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I was visiting at an out of town parish this morning and happened to get into a 9 am Mass - despite the 50 cap per Mass public health restrictions we have here in BC. I had been to the same parish just a couple days before for a weekday Mass. At the weekday Mass, I had knelt at the appropriate times, as did a number of other people. This morning, I knelt as usual but noticed that literally no one else did.
After Mass, a lady approached me and said “just a gentle reminder, please do not use the kneelers. I had to ask the lady to sanitize it now.” I apologized and said I didn’t realize we weren’t allowed to use them to which she said “you were the only one kneeling”. I’m all for Covid restrictions, but this one just seems incredibly silly. I would have been happy to sanitize the kneeler myself had I know it would be an issue… I lowered it and raised it with my shoe too so I don’t really see much risk.
Adding to all that, I was the only person in the congregation wearing a mask (other than the priest when he distributed communion). I didn’t say this to her, but I would think my mask did more good than not touching the kneeler… not a big deal, but it bugged me, especially being “confronted” after Mass.
 
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Yeah, sounds like some people’s liturgical fancies will get implemented under the shield of Covid. Her gentle reminder to you was probably ok, but the follow up would have prompted a retort from me.
I kneel for Jesus, sorry someone has to sanitize it now!
 
Well, one thing is that if kneeling was a problem for sanitizing purposes, it should have been announced.

Second, was she a person of authority? An usher or something? If not, it was not her job to talk to you about that.
 
I hate to see kneelers being discouraged, but I can see the point of wanting to have as few surfaces to sanitize as possible.

I wonder if they could use cable ties (the plastic ones that have a kind of zipper on them) to keep people from being able to lower the kneelers, and have a sign in the vestibule (and a notice in the bulletin) telling parishioners that the kneelers have been disabled for the duration.
 
At my parish, we leave the kneelers down when we leave so they know where to sanitize.
 
At my parish everyone still kneels and of you want to receive on the tongue they just ask you to go last, because only the priest gives on the tongue so as to make everyone including more traditional people more comfortable! You might’ve just gotten a bad apple today!
 
Startingcatholic said:
At my parish everyone still kneels and of you want to receive on the tongue they just ask you to go last, because only the priest gives on the tongue so as to make everyone including more traditional people more comfortable!
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Good for your parish! I wish mine did likewise.
 
If that was the case, 1) they should have said something before Mass and 2) maybe you could have put a clean towel on top of the kneeler so it would be protected.

Personally, I don’t see the problem with kneelers but that’s just my .02.
 
ehh.

kneeling on Sunday was prohibited at the Nicean Council, anywas . . .
:crazy_face: 🤔 🤣

as a practical matter, relying on people who have a lifetime of conditioning to raise the kneelers when leaving the pew to actually remember and do so, and override every reflex that has a lifetime of reinforcement, is a low odds bet . . .
 
We all wear masks. Father is the only one who distributes Communion, and that from behind a plexiglass shield so only in the hand. We’ve been instructed not to sing, and not to touch the pews on our way to Communion, but we can still kneel.
 
When there were no kneelers at all to use, the Ushers with the KOC, knelt on their knees on the floor.

So touching to see guys in suits all kneeling before the King.
 
Annie said:
Well, one thing is that if kneeling was a problem for sanitizing purposes, it should have been announced.

Second, was she a person of authority? An usher or something? If not, it was not her job to talk to you about that.
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We don’t know if it was announced or not or if there was a notice outside the Church.
We also don’t know if the priest had instructed the ushers or not.
We cannot assume this was just an off the cuff decision by an usher!
 
You all do understand that virus particles can’t ooze out of your knees, right? Why on earth would you need to sanitize the kneelers?
 
I don’t use the kneelers, because it is much more comfortable for me to kneel on the floor, especially height-wise. The only reason I use a kneeler is if I’m sitting right next to someone who wants to, and I can’t scoot over far enough.

I would say that if nobody else is kneeling, then it is not a hill I will die on to be all alone in kneeling; I would just stand with the rest, grin and bear it.
 
tuffsmurf said:
You all do understand that virus particles can’t ooze out of your knees, right? Why on earth would you need to sanitize the kneelers?
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Why do we need to regularly sanitize our hands? Because the virus can survive on the skin for at least hours. A person’s knees could just as easily have been in contact with the virus. It doesn’t have to “ooze” through the skin. It can be on the skin.
 
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dochawk said:
ehh.

kneeling on Sunday was prohibited at the Nicean Council, anywas . . .
:crazy_face: 🤔 🤣

as a practical matter, relying on people who have a lifetime of conditioning to raise the kneelers when leaving the pew to actually remember and do so, and override every reflex that has a lifetime of reinforcement, is a low odds bet . . .
Click to expand...
I am very long-waisted, I have difficulty kneeling in the first place, and my present parish is a historical church where the pews were built when people were more diminutive. I either do the quasi-kneeling thing where I rest my posterior on the edge of the pew, or if I do kneel, I kneel on the bare floor to accommodate my height and long torso.
 
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