End-of-pew blockers

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pnewton said:
The Original Poster had a rant. She has a point, as do the ones who sit on the end. They both have a point. Likewise there is failing in both positions if carried to the point of conflict or anger.
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I’m a dude, dude. 😉 I assume you are a dude?
 
ProVobis said:
I like those churches which have seating next to the wall or windows. No usher will ask you to move if don’t anywhere to move. And you can focus on the readings without the distractions.
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Okay, we can also auction off the window seats.
 
Armor_of_Light said:
Same reason you assume I’m late I suppose. I’ve covered my position on this extensively by now. I can assume you did not read the whole thing…and who can blame you? Lots of stuff on here today.

No- I don’t expect special treatment because of children.
I just wanted to hear the reasons for pew blocking, and I got those.

I think the #1 reason is: “cuz I don’t feel like sitting in the middle”
With “cuz I have anxiety” a close second. Fair enough…Now I know what I have to do to not have to bother anyone to move, and what kind of attitude I can expect if I do have to bother someone, and also…what attitude to have if I’m sitting there and someone asks me to move.

BTW…who is this ‘us’ you speak of?

So good advice everyone!

See you Sunday 👍 I’ll save a spot for ya…although it will probably have baby spit-up on it. 😃
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I did read the whole thread…your OP indicated that you did not even want to ask and assumed that us “pew blockers” were relaxed and well adjusted…BTW…it is a kind of an insult to be called that. I am not blocking anyone…I will move aside and let you in without a fuss. I learned that is the courteous thing to do. I have only one exception to wanting to sit on the end and that is for a 90+ year old gentlemen who sometimes wants to sit with us…I move over for him.

I already provided my other reasons in a previous post which included ministry needs.

As long as your baby doesn’t cry the entire way through Mass, I’m fine…as long as you don’t mind being up front.
 
Armor_of_Light said:
Why? Oh, why do people block the ends?..Plenty of room (sadly) to slide towards the center. Singles and couples mostly do this at our parish.

Yes, yes I know…‘Get there earlier’ ‘They are older’ ‘Ask them nicely to slide over’ and all that. Why is the onus on us (4 kids ranging from 4 months to 15 years). It is a small miracle that we even make it on time. We are usually stressed out enough after all the prep work that goes into Sunady mornings! Then I have to be the bad guy and beg some relaxed, well rested and care-free person to slide over?

A rant. Bad mood today and I’m gonna face this situation again Sunday. Maybe I should do a prayer request instead.
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Are they blocking the ends or just sitting there? If I’m sitting there I can stand, make room for your family to enter and then take my seat at the end.

Why do you think I’m relaxed, or well-rested because I’m single? I don’t have children but I did accompany my mom to church for a while and I was more relaxed then even though I had more logistics to be concerned with due to her disability and worked out how to negotiate 3 different areas of the church as the disability progressed). All the while trying to make it feel that we weren’t expecting others to make accomidations for us. It was disappointing to see how regulars moved away from “their” pews leaving a huge space around us. People didn’t know how to act and kept their distance even though the only interaction would have been at the sign of peace. And my mom was well-known and respected. I imagine it was hard to see her in that condition.

I’ve been single forever and typically attend church alone and sit alone. Alone at the end of a pew (always in the back) feels less alone that in the middle of a pew anywhere. There are other reasons but I feel they are too personal to go into but a few have been mentioned.
 
mymamamary said:
The fact that this thread has gone on for 9 pages is ridiculous. Some of these posts are tinted with a lack charity and this thread has become nothing but a bickering board. May I suggest two things:
  1. The Original Poster has a point. This is Church, not a stadium. Be considerate on your seating choice.
  2. The fact that some people are filled with sensitivity at such things is stunning at best, saddening at worse. Come on, Its PEW SEATING that we are arguing over. So my second suggestion is like my first: 1. be considerate and cool it.
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Aw come on. Have you never been in a heated discussion and reached a point where ya look back and start to laugh? I think that point was reached several pages ago and now were just having too much fun to let go…ay. Can’t be that cold up north :snowing:

Your suggestions, however, are spot on. A little consideration goes a long way.
 
Annabelle_Marie said:
I did read the whole thread…your OP indicated that you did not even want to ask and assumed that us “pew blockers” were relaxed and well adjusted…BTW…it is a kind of an insult to be called that. I am not blocking anyone…I will move aside and let you in without a fuss. I learned that is the courteous thing to do. I have only one exception to wanting to sit on the end and that is for a 90+ year old gentlemen who sometimes wants to sit with us…I move over for him.

I already provided my other reasons in a previous post which included ministry needs.

As long as your baby doesn’t cry the entire way through Mass, I’m fine…as long as you don’t mind being up front.
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It’s an insult to be called relaxed and well-adjusted? :confused: Oh, you mean being called “pew-blockers”. 👍

😉
 
Annabelle_Marie said:
I did read the whole thread…your OP indicated that you did not even want to ask and assumed that us “pew blockers” were relaxed and well adjusted…BTW…it is a kind of an insult to be called that. I am not blocking anyone…I will move aside and let you in without a fuss. I learned that is the courteous thing to do. I have only one exception to wanting to sit on the end and that is for a 90+ year old gentlemen who sometimes wants to sit with us…I move over for him.

I already provided my other reasons in a previous post which included ministry needs.

As long as your baby doesn’t cry the entire way through Mass, I’m fine…as long as you don’t mind being up front.
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It does seem as though you missed a few of his comments.
 
shipwrkd said:
Aw come on. Have you never been in a heated discussion and reached a point where ya look back and start to laugh? I think that point was reached several pages ago and now were just having too much fun to let go…ay. Can’t be that cold up north :snowing:
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Yes, yes it can. Our first snow fall of the season is a winter storm. Power is our all over the area so it’s going to be cold inside too. This heated discussion may be the only heat my house sees in the next couple of days.😃
 
zab said:
It does seem as though you missed a few of his comments.
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I meant ‘relaxed and well rested’ in the sense that the people were already settled in. Not like ‘I know these people get tons of sleep and are not mental cases’.

And…yes I admit that I don’t relish the thought of asking someone to move. But…thanks to this thread I think I can now do it without too much fuss. I would have about a 20% chance of being rebuffed with a wave of the hand and a 50% chance of getting smiled at. 30% chance of who knows? Like getting a scratch off lottery ticket! Fun!
 
Bruised_Reed said:
Yes, yes it can. Our first snow fall of the season is a winter storm. Power is our all over the area so it’s going to be cold inside too. This heated discussion may be the only heat my house sees in the next couple of days.😃
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Yup, point taken. I’m heading to Thief River Falls, Minnesota to spend this weekend goose hunting. We stay in a shack, no electric, bring your own water, heat with wood and most inconvenient…no porcelain!!! Thanks for sending it down 😊
 
Armor_of_Light said:
And…yes I admit that I don’t relish the thought of asking someone to move. But…thanks to this thread I think I can now do it without too much fuss. I would have about a 20% chance of being rebuffed with a wave of the hand and a 50% chance of getting smiled at. 30% chance of who knows? Like getting a scratch off lottery ticket! Fun!
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I am reminded of Sunday, when my daughter and her family including ages 1,3 and 5 moved in the pew in front of us with the Extraordinary Minister staying on the end. They were having a rather difficult time with the little ones, having to leave the pew about three times. That meant three times returning. But fortunately both the family and the Extraordinary Minister seemed to be understanding and patient with each other.
 
shipwrkd said:
Yup, point taken. I’m heading to Thief River Falls, Minnesota to spend this weekend goose hunting. We stay in a shack, no electric, bring your own water, heat with wood and most inconvenient…no porcelain!!! Thanks for sending it down 😊
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Weirdest name for a city ever. Are you sure you’re not stepping into a southern gothic novel?

I found this. From Wikipedia:
Thief River Falls takes its name from a geographic feature, the falls of the Red Lake River at its confluence with the Thief River. The name of the river is a loose translation of the Ojibwe phrase, Gimood-akiwi ziibi, literally, the “Stolen-land river” or “Thieving Land river,” which originated when a band of Dakota Indians occupied a secret encampment along the river, hence “stealing” the land, before being discovered and routed by the neighboring Ojibwe. In the Treaty of Old Crossing of 1863, the Moose Dung’s Indian Reservation was established on the west bank of the Thief River, at its confluence with Red Lake River. This Indian Reservation was dissolved in 1904 and their population incorporated as part of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa.
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Bruised_Reed said:
Weirdest name for a city ever. Are you sure you’re not stepping into a southern gothic novel?

I found this. From Wikipedia:
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No, that’s the place… Moose Dung’s Indian Reservation. When the Indians left (probably because of the lack of porcelain fixtures) Minnesota turned it into a major waterfowl reservation. From where we hunt we can see Canada.

Like the old saying…It’s not the end of the earth, but you can see it from there.

In the interest of staying on topic, I should say that I’m gonna sit in an end pew this Sunday:rolleyes:
 
zab said:
It does seem as though you missed a few of his comments.
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No I didn’t but it did seem like he missed my original one where I gave 4 reasons…

Then it just bothered me that people were wondering why people didn’t just let people in when asked…,and my point was…in his OP he didn’t want to have to ask…just wanted us to sit in the middle to begin with…as if it was some common courteousy rule that we all missed…that’s all.

I think it’s resolved now.🤷
 
Armor_of_Light said:
I meant ‘relaxed and well rested’ in the sense that the people were already settled in. Not like ‘I know these people get tons of sleep and are not mental cases’.

And…yes I admit that I don’t relish the thought of asking someone to move. But…thanks to this thread I think I can now do it without too much fuss
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Isn’t it just as satisfying and acceptable if they let you by?
 
shipwrkd said:
No, that’s the place… Moose Dung’s Indian Reservation. When the Indians left (probably because of the lack of porcelain fixtures) Minnesota turned it into a major waterfowl reservation. From where we hunt we can see Canada.

Like the old saying…It’s not the end of the earth, but you can see it from there.
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I thought that was North Dakota?😃
 
Armor_of_Light said:
. I would have about a 20% chance of being rebuffed with a wave of the hand …
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I can’t imagine you’d have any chance at all of being rebuffed. If I was in a church and asked someone to let me by and they just waved me on, I’d raise my voice to be sure to be heard in the choir loft and say, with a kind smile, “I’M SO SORRY ARE YOU HARD OF HEARING? WE NEED TO GET BY YOU TO SIT DOWN. THANKS SO MUCH.”

Hey, it’s okay to ask for what you need. Wait a sec. Maybe not 0%, I just remembered being refused once by two people who were saving an entire pew for their family. Of course, they told me this.

They had all just come from a funeral, which I found out later. They needed to be together.
 
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