It Will Be Like Pulling Teeth

  • Thread starter Thread starter WillyAL
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WillyAL said:
OP here.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I agree that this should have been sorted out well in advance. Happily, things worked out just fine. I got there early in order to find some agreeable looking people with easily removable footwear. One of the first to arrive was a friend of mine who works as a salesman. This guy can sell anything to anyone. He readily agreed to participate. “Great,” I said. “One down and only eleven more to go.” He responded, “Oh, you need more? Don’t worry, I’ll get them for you.” Within ten minutes he “sold” eleven more people on the idea that, in addition to being an honor, it would be great fun to have Father wash their feet. When word got around we actually had to turn a few folks away!

All’s well that ends well.
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What a blessing! 🙂
 
paperwight66 said:
Because saying that Mass couldn’t start until 12 people had agreed to have their feet washed isn’t true?
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So it’s a semantics issue? Would it be better if he were to say, “I’m not going to start Mass until we have 12 volunteers for the foot washing ceremony?”
 
buc_fan33 said:
So it’s a semantics issue? Would it be better if he were to say, “I’m not going to start Mass until we have 12 volunteers for the foot washing ceremony?”
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By the way, I don’t deny that it would A) be better to have figured this out beforehand, and B) that this might not be the most professional way to go about dealing with it, but still, to up and leave Holy Mass, particularly on the night when we celebrate the institution of the Source and Summit of our faith, the holy Eucharist, seems to me to be going a bit overboard.
 
I am glad it worked out with the OP.

I would have refused to participate if I was asked, so I understand how it can be hard to find volunteers. Because I sympathize with those who would refuse to volunteer. :o
 
it is finished. The mass is complete. What happened.? I had a thought, too late to try. When a banquet feast was served, and no one came, the king sent his servants out to the streets and brought in everyone that would come. Curious. Lord bring home your children
in your precious name.
Amen.Tweedlealice
 
buc_fan33 said:
So it’s a semantics issue? Would it be better if he were to say, “I’m not going to start Mass until we have 12 volunteers for the foot washing ceremony?”
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No, I would be better to say since there are no volunteers we will not be doing the washing of the feet.
 
In my day, I admit I always organised in advance…but that was my personality. Some of my confreres, however, used the spontaneous method. It always worked for them.

One confrere announced it as an invitation for anyone whom the Spirit moved in that instant to come forward. Of course, he had no idea what number he might get or what demographic since it was so spontaneous. He was never dissatisfied with the result, which I can’t recall ever being less than 12.
 
willyal said:
op here.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I agree that this should have been sorted out well in advance. Happily, things worked out just fine. I got there early in order to find some agreeable looking people with easily removable footwear. One of the first to arrive was a friend of mine who works as a salesman. This guy can sell anything to anyone. He readily agreed to participate. “great,” i said. “one down and only eleven more to go.” he responded, “oh, you need more? Don’t worry, i’ll get them for you.” within ten minutes he “sold” eleven more people on the idea that, in addition to being an honor, it would be great fun to have father wash their feet. When word got around we actually had to turn a few folks away!

All’s well that ends well.
Click to expand...
hallelujah. God is good.
 
WillyAL said:
OP here.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I agree that this should have been sorted out well in advance. Happily, things worked out just fine. I got there early in order to find some agreeable looking people with easily removable footwear. One of the first to arrive was a friend of mine who works as a salesman. This guy can sell anything to anyone. He readily agreed to participate. “Great,” I said. “One down and only eleven more to go.” He responded, “Oh, you need more? Don’t worry, I’ll get them for you.” Within ten minutes he “sold” eleven more people on the idea that, in addition to being an honor, it would be great fun to have Father wash their feet. When word got around we actually had to turn a few folks away!

All’s well that ends well.
Click to expand...
That turned out great!
 
WillyAL said:
My wife and I are scheduled to be greeters at the Holy Thursday Mass this evening. I have been informed that we will be expected to line up twelve people to have their feet washed. The crowd at this Mass is typically very sparse so my wife and I will likely be two of the “washees.” Finding even ten more willing participants will be pretty difficult. This seems to be the one thing that no one wants to volunteer for. Even when asked directly, it’s been my experience that the majority of folks will just flat out refuse, and they don’t want to hear any attempts at persuasion.

Any suggestions on how to convince people to participate?
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Well, there’s two of you and one of them. You take the shoulders and your wife takes the legs. Elderly parishioners can offer less resistance.
 
WillyAL said:
OP here.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts. I agree that this should have been sorted out well in advance. Happily, things worked out just fine. I got there early in order to find some agreeable looking people with easily removable footwear. One of the first to arrive was a friend of mine who works as a salesman. This guy can sell anything to anyone. He readily agreed to participate. “Great,” I said. “One down and only eleven more to go.” He responded, “Oh, you need more? Don’t worry, I’ll get them for you.” Within ten minutes he “sold” eleven more people on the idea that, in addition to being an honor, it would be great fun to have Father wash their feet. When word got around we actually had to turn a few folks away!

All’s well that ends well.
Click to expand...
I think your salesman friend should be put in charge of soliciting volunteers for next year’s Holy Week (well in advance, of course)! : )
 
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