How would your spritual life react to such a new parish in your neighborhood?

[Duesenberg]

I don’t mean to be disagreeable, but is there someone who will cut off the coffee so that the “fast” period is observed?

Did you read what I actually wrote:

“The host announces that the “coffee bar” will be closing so that everyone in attendance will be sure to maintain their fasts.”

I didn’t think it would be necessary in this day and age to mention, but the entire campus would be tobacco-free of course.

 

[Duesenberg]

…sorry for the misunderstanding.

…so if they are in the minority, how is it that they have taken over the parishes drive?

The bitter/angry RC’s are not in the minority. It’s the actual EC’s and those just seeking a beautiful liturgy that are in the minority. Many, many attend one time and while they might love the liturgy, they are turned off by some of the people they encounter.

 

[pianistclare]

WHat is the purpose of this query?

 

[jcrichton]

Hi, Duesenberg!

I did see that–my argument is that those who are addicted or have a sweet tooth or have a lukewarm understanding of their reason to attend Mass may take liberties that would void the fast period… how would these be policed? Would there be ushers removing the coffee cups, as well as keeping the stragglers from grabbing a last fill…?

I see no problem with after Mass social; non-Catholics do not have to worry… to them its a walk in the park either way (eat, don’t eat).

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[Duesenberg]

I did see that–my argument is that those who are addicted or have a sweet tooth or have a lukewarm understanding of their reason to attend Mass may take liberties that would void the fast period… how would these be policed?

In the end we’re all adults (and if we’re not then we should have parents watching over us) and we shouldn’t need to be “policed.”

Catechesis on maintaining the one hour fast and perhaps even a gentle sign would be great but again, as long as we’re not eating or drinking inside church during the Mass (such an idealized Mass would not of course be a 45 minute limited parking Mass), the 1 hour fast should be automatically upheld.

I suspect in all actuality you’re having problems with the concept of something like a pre-Mass “coffee and conversation” period simply because it’s foreign to you and thus, you’re trying to find fault with it. That’s quite natural. In reality, it would give people someplace to visit before Mass, rather than doing so inside of church where it can be both distracting and rude.

 

[JimG]

It sounds nice. It wouldn’t work in a parish like mine where there are five Masses on Sunday (and two on Saturday evening.) We have plenty of parking space, and some Sunday Masses do have coffee and rolls in the social hall afterward. But if everyone stayed for coffee (before or after), the parking lot would soon get irretrievably clogged up.

 

[Pug]

One Sunday mass would be nice in a way, since I know people from a variety of masses and I could see them all this way. Our poor priest keeps trying to get his parishioners to socialize and form small groups, but we mostly resist his efforts.

I still think most parishioners won’t come to mass early and chat.

 

[Duesenberg]

One Sunday mass would be nice in a way, since I know people from a variety of masses and I could see them all this way. Our poor priest keeps trying to get his parishioners to socialize and form small groups, but we mostly resist his efforts.

I still think most parishioners won’t come to mass early and chat.

How does your priest facilitate getting people from your parish to socialize and form small groups?

Plenty of people already come early (up to 45 minutes around here) to chat before Mass. Sadly, they do it right in church when others are trying to pray/meditate.

 

[Duesenberg]

It sounds nice. It wouldn’t work in a parish like mine where there are five Masses on Sunday (and two on Saturday evening.) We have plenty of parking space, and some Sunday Masses do have coffee and rolls in the social hall afterward. But if everyone stayed for coffee (before or after), the parking lot would soon get irretrievably clogged up.

Mine has 7 on Sundays and that’s a very big part of the problem with the parish. The “parking issue” that so many raise is so terribly sad. Catholics won’t engage in fellowship because there’s insufficient parking. How sad.

In any event my hypothetical posting was for a new parish with ONE Mass every Sunday. I should have made that clearer but I ran out of allowed space.

 

[Casilda]

The reason is clearly stated in the OP’s original post

“What sort of impact would a discovery like this have on your own spiritual journey? Would it help it, hinder it, or would it have no real impact? Would you register with such a parish? What ministries if any would you hope to become involved with?”

 

[Pug]

How does your priest facilitate getting people from your parish to socialize and form small groups?

Two ways immediately come to mind. First, he keeps setting up Light of the World weekend retreats. How those work is you are supposed to continue the experience through a small group that gets set up and meets regularly after the retreat. He has had a hard time getting those retreats full. Some of the small groups have help up, I am told, though.

He has also run bible study groups on different topics once a week for about 5 to 10 weeks several times a year. Mostly the same folks show up to these, so they function as a sort of social group, in that it is a gathering of the same people.

I’ve gone to the bible study groups now and then, but not the weekend retreat. One can sometimes get me into an after mass doughnut Sunday thing, but I don’t chat. It is my spouse who drags me in.

 

[Duesenberg]

Two ways immediately come to mind. First, he keeps setting up Light of the World weekend retreats. How those work is you are supposed to continue the experience through a small group that gets set up and meets regularly after the retreat. He has had a hard time getting those retreats full. Some of the small groups have help up, I am told, though.

Well, at least he is trying. Fellowship before/after Mass shouldn’t be difficult, but it’s so foreign to many Catholics that it takes time for it to catch-on. When I was a child, the quarterly chicken BBQs were very widely attended by parishioners. Now if a BBQ is held, no one shows up. The Hispanic contingent of our parish does MUCH, MUCH better in this regard.

The excuse (that you did not offer) that having fellowship before and/or after Mass takes the focus off the Eucharist is silly and unhelpful. It’s more of an excuse than anything.

 

[Xanthippe_Voorhees]

I would leave. I am allergic to incense, as are many others. I have stopped attending another parish because they were persistently nieve in their claim that it “wasn’t really possible” because they had the finest hypoallergenic incense money could buy. And I wasn’t even attending a Mass with it. But it lingered over EVERYTHING, especially the vestments. And the church doesn’t even have carpet or those tacky 70’s banners. But it’s not possible the secretary, priest, pastor and parishioners echoed. Yeah, my doctor says otherwise, as does the huge ER bill I once had.

I know a few older, retired vets with COPD who were in the same boat. Unfortunately, one cannot drive anymore so he literally has to miss Mass when he has a church less than a city block away.

True shame.

 

[JimG]

If your parish went from 7 Sunday Masses to only one, would everyone be able to fit in the church?

Our Sunday Masses are at 7am, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am, and 1pm. If your parish has two aditional similarly scheduled, that would stretch the Sunday schedule to 5pm, a busy day. If anyone at my parish shows up 45 minutes ahead of time, the prior Mass is still going on.

But a hypothetical new parish such as you describe could probably get by with only one Mass, provided the parish does not grow.

 

[billsannie]

If a Catholic church started in this town I would likely die of shock. We have fundamentalist protestant and LDS churches here, there and everywhere, but the nearest Catholic church is 17 miles away. Incidentally, it would have to be a Methodist church, not an Episcopalian one, that was turned into a Catholic church. The nearest Episcopalian church is many miles away too.

 

[Duesenberg]

If your parish went from 7 Sunday Masses to only one, would everyone be able to fit in the church?

Our Sunday Masses are at 7am, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am, and 1pm. If your parish has two aditional similarly scheduled, that would stretch the Sunday schedule to 5pm, a busy day. If anyone at my parish shows up 45 minutes ahead of time, the prior Mass is still going on.

But a hypothetical new parish such as you describe could probably get by with only one Mass, provided the parish does not grow.

Our Masses are at: 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 1:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 8:00. Plenty of time for fellowship before and after – although there is little or none. It would take 3 – 2 Anglo and 1 Spanish Mass to cover the 8 (including Saturday night.)

If you look at the size of the small city I live in and it’s strong Catholic heritage, it should have at least 5-6 Catholic parishes. Instead it had 2 because the local diocese (which is located over 100 miles away) never made the investment in more church buildings, particularly back when ranching and farming families were offering gifts of land. Instead it just kept adding Masses to the two existing parishes. That might be expedient, but it’s certainly not healthy.

 

[pianistclare]

My POINT in…there are so many negative answers…it seems like it’s set up to get people arguing and taking sides.
Not very edifying.
But have fun.
I’m out.

 

[Duesenberg]

I would leave. I am allergic to incense, as are many others. I have stopped attending another parish because they were persistently nieve in their claim that it “wasn’t really possible” because they had the finest hypoallergenic incense money could buy. And I wasn’t even attending a Mass with it. But it lingered over EVERYTHING, especially the vestments. And the church doesn’t even have carpet or those tacky 70’s banners. But it’s not possible the secretary, priest, pastor and parishioners echoed. Yeah, my doctor says otherwise, as does the huge ER bill I once had.

I know a few older, retired vets with COPD who were in the same boat. Unfortunately, one cannot drive anymore so he literally has to miss Mass when he has a church less than a city block away.

True shame

In the end though it’s wonderful that you found a new parish that better suited your needs, while your old parish was able to continue with incensing which is so historical and so beloved by so many, while also adding so much solemnity to the celebration of the Mass.

 

[Xanthippe_Voorhees]

In the end though it’s wonderful that you found a new parish that better suited your needs, while your old parish was able to continue with incensing which is so historical and so beloved by so many, while also adding so much solemnity to the celebration of the Mass.

No, no it isn’t. An elderly man can’t get to Mass because of it. That’s disgusting.

 

[Duesenberg]

No, no it isn’t. An elderly man can’t get to Mass because of it. That’s disgusting.

I seriously doubt that’s actually the case. He may choose not to go to Mass, but I suspect he could it he wanted to. Where one chooses to sit inside of a church makes a huge difference. Unlike our Orthodox brethren who use a huge amount of incense in often tiny churches, one can avoid the “horrors” of the smoke by choosing their seats carefully.

I remember reading about a priest who “incensed” the sanctuary of his parish before the beginning of Mass one time. As soon as he began, the (simulated) coughing began by a number of parishioners with scowls on their faces. He opened the thurible and dumped its contents into a Styrofoam cup and left it “smoking” on the ambo,

It was dry ice and some water…