Incense free Mass?

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Is it unusual for Parishes to have some of their Masses incense free? I am planning on asking our church to post at least one service per week as incense free on the Mass schedule, but I wonder if anyone out there has tried this before?
 
In my experience, that’s been the norm. Incense is unusual, in most parishes I’ve seen.

I think a lot of people suffer from allergies and find it difficult and I think asking the pastor about it would make sense.
 
Our parish is incense-free 99% of the time, unfortunately. The only time we can count on incense is at a funeral.

It was used on the 3rd Sunday in Advent this year when we celebrated our parish’s 50th anniversary. The Bishop went at it with a heavy hand and people apparently complained so much that the Pastor decided not to use any at Christmas. 😦
 
I think a lot of people suffer from allergies and find it difficult and I think asking the pastor about it would make sense

**Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches use gallons of incense, and nobody has complained about allergies in either place. (I met one one who complained about incense in church while drawing tobacco smoke into his lungs. Does this make sense?)

There is a blend of incense called Gloria that’s supposed to be hypoallergenic.

In any case, there are only two odors in the hereafter: burning incense in heaven and burning sulphur in hell. Which one do you want to get accustomed to?**
 
I wish all Catholic Churches would use incense at every mass. I am now attending a Byzantine Catholic Church because, in my opinion, it is more reverent. Plus, I was Eastern Orthodox most of my life.

INCENSE GALORE! Clouds of it! With the entrance bells, incensation, and chanting I get goose bumps! 😃
 
I also love the incense, although my husband is in vehement disagreement. I love walking into the upper church at M. Angelica’s Shrine because you can smell the residual incense as soon as you pull the door open.
 
We only use incense during funerals and on Holy Thursday.

Although I like it, it does not like me and others like me with allergies, to the point when they fire up the insence, I almost have to leave mass.

I can also tell if we’ve had a funeral at our parish within the last week just by entering the building.
 
alsligh said:
I also love the incense, although my husband is in vehement disagreement. I love walking into the upper church at M. Angelica’s Shrine because you can smell the residual incense as soon as you pull the door open.
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Same thing at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC! I went there yesterday on pilgrimage and you could smell incense throughout.

They have six Masses everyday with 5 hours of confession everyday! 😃
 
I know some people have a hard time with incense. My sweet mother (age 86) does. It makes her cough and gag.

I really love the smell of it, though and wouldn’t mind seeing it used at every Mass. Guess we’re all different. 😛
 
At my parish, incense is used at every Mass on Sunday except for one. It is posted in the bulletin as being incense free. It has worked well.

The pastor would probably appreciate you have a solution to go along with a problem.
 
Our parish sent out the Christmas Mass and Penance Service Schedule and it noted one of the Masses was NO incense. All other Masses it was noted -Incense at Mass. The schedule and notations about incense were also posted on the website.
This topic was brought up to the pastor asking if he would post which Mass/Masses would have no incense and he complied. He understands that there are some people with breathing problems.
 
Ah! The official Quarterly* Incense versus No Incense* thread!

Many, if not most, people love the smell of incense.

Some people have problematic physical responses to it. (Just as celiacs and alcoholics do with normal hosts and communion wines.)

Unless they live in isolated areas most people are able to find a Mass to their liking, whether that means one with or without incense. If family members have different takes on which is preferable… Well just add that to the list of things that families have to handle.
 
I have a couple of allergic friends . . . they leave the building when necessary.
 
patlock said:
Is it unusual for Parishes to have some of their Masses incense free? I am planning on asking our church to post at least one service per week as incense free on the Mass schedule, but I wonder if anyone out there has tried this before?
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I did not see incense used until I was in my mid-20s. That’s probably thousands of incense-free Masses in dozens of parishes.

When I asked one priest about the possibility of seeing it used he replied with “Since Vatican II we now know that we don’t need such useless things anymore”. From other priests I have learned that in the Seminary they were taught that the use of incense is “archaic” and “pre-Vatican II”.

So, I do not think you have any trouble at all getting your average Catholic priest to not use incense.

James
 
Here’s an idea that just might work to condition people into using incense. Go into the church on Saturday morning after any Masses when nobody is around, light the thurible, and walk all through the church smoking the place up. By the time the vigil Mass comes around, there will a nice residual aroma without smoke. Do this regularly for a month or two, and the sudden appearance of incense at Mass should be less traumatic.
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
Here’s an idea that just might work to condition people into using incense. Go into the church on Saturday morning after any Masses when nobody is around, light the thurible, and walk all through the church smoking the place up. By the time the vigil Mass comes around, there will a nice residual aroma without smoke. Do this regularly for a month or two, and the sudden appearance of incense at Mass should be less traumatic.
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I did something like that once.

We had the thurible smoking in a room off of one side of the Church. People were walking through the Church to go to adoration in the chapel off of the other side of the Church. I heard countless people say things like “Wow! I remember back when Catholic Churches used to use incense. Why don’t we do that anymore?” A replied to more than a dozen people with “You’ll have to ask father.”

James
 
My home parish used incense for Christmas Vigil Mass. I think the only other times I’ve seen it used there is for funerals. There is another parish about 30 miles away that it’s used for every single Mass, even during the week, but when the EF is used, I can barely see Father. 😃 😉 Since incense is used for prayers (talking to God, and hopefully listening), he told me that when Moses went up to the mountain to talk to God and the huge cloud decended, and the “heavy-handed” use of incense was to try to recreate the mountain experience… And it sounded so much better when he explained it to me than me trying to explain it to others… 😦 😊 :rolleyes:

Outside of church, he ALWAYS smells very strongly of incense. Actually the first time I met him was when I was hospitalized and my priest was out of town. That was the second thing I noticed about him… the first was he is the first priest I’ve met that still wears a cassock. God bless traditional priests!

By the way, I’m VERY allergic to incense, to the point that I am constantly on allergy medicine so I can go, because I absolutely LOVE it. I try to sit at least in the middle of the sanctuary so I don’t breathe in as much.

God Bless!
Ericka
 
patlock said:
Is it unusual for Parishes to have some of their Masses incense free? I am planning on asking our church to post at least one service per week as incense free on the Mass schedule, but I wonder if anyone out there has tried this before?
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if you find one let me know, I had to leave Midnight Mass for a massive coughing fit-asthma attack. 3 people came outside coughing during the Christmas day Mass, I had to drive one friend home for her inhaler. problem is servers don’t put the censer outside in the designated spot but just leave it burning in the sacristy (which looked like the democratic caucus room with all the smoke).
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
Here’s an idea that just might work to condition people into using incense. Go into the church on Saturday morning after any Masses when nobody is around, light the thurible, and walk all through the church smoking the place up. By the time the vigil Mass comes around, there will a nice residual aroma without smoke. Do this regularly for a month or two, and the sudden appearance of incense at Mass should be less traumatic.
Click to expand...
I assume that you’re not suggesting that those who are allergic can be conditioned to having incense around.
 
The Latin Mass parish we attend uses incense at every Mass we’ve been to, and most of the time, the incense doesn’t bother my allergies too much. But there was one time they used a mix that set my eyes watering like there was no tomorrow. Thankfully, they haven’t used it since, so I wonder if it was a batch they were experimenting and the pastor got several complaints from more out-spoken people.
 
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