Leaving Early After communion

[Ubenedictus]

I generally don’t notice because we try to sit up front. I’ve seen a few people leave early at my parish when sitting towards the back, but nothing like the premature mass exodus (no pun intended ) that I have seen at other parishes I’ve been to. For that, I am grateful.

It does bother me to see it. Mostly it makes me sad to think that people are so poorly catechized as to the nature of the Mass that they would rather be the first out of the parking lot than stay and worship. I want them to be on fire with love for the Lord. I know that things come up and people can have legitimate reasons for leaving early, so I don’t pass judgment on any individuals I see leaving (and I generally try not to pay attention to it at all). But when I’m at a parish where it seems that at least 25% of the people leave after Communion, it’s difficult to imagine that they all have a legitimate reason to leave early.

I’ll never forget when a friend told me a story of a priest he knew. In order to curb this sort of thing at his parish, the priest made the announcement one Sunday that he completely understood that sometimes people need to leave early. So in order to both accomodate this need and to respect the great reality of the Real Presence and the fact that Jesus is still physically present within us in those minutes after receiving Him, the following week there would be altar servers with candles at each exit who would process out with you to your car if you needed to leave early. True to his word, at Communion time the next week, there were altar servers with candles standing at the ready at each exit. Not one person left early.

i think the priest read the live of saints. The practice of sending alter servers to escourt those leaving was used by a saint to crush the practice sadly i have forgotten the name of the saint.
Ubenedictus

 

[k8e308]

I occassionally leave early, because of my son. With just reason, I do not think it inappropriate. After all, our responsibilities are given to us by God to manage according to our intellect, which is also given to us by God. When I see someone leave Mass early, I pray that he or she has just reason, and apologize to God for all our failures in case they don’t. That’s the end of it for me.

 

[SwizzleStick]

how prevelant is leaving right after Communion at your church?
Does it irk you or are you one of those who leave early?

At our parish, I don’t think it is prevalent or I just don’t notice it. I’m sure some people do leave early, but not many.

 

[thewanderer]

Well i think it is a really bad idea. All other thing should take second place, i thought every body agrees, ‘‘God first’’ right?

Yes, but sometimes there are legitimite reasons, for example if one has other duties which are not possible to fulfill without leaving early. We are supposed to put God first, but not to the extent that it causes us to fail to live out our other duties, fulfilling all of our duties is a way of putting God first in our lives.

 

[PatriceA]

I don’t really notice it as my parish. Our former parish though, it was very common and the people didn’t have a good reason or any place to be because there they’d all be chatting away in the parklng lot when the rest of the congregation was dismissed.

 

[John_Carlton]

I float between two parishes on Saturdays when in need of a confessional and return to my home Parish for Sundays and other Holidays. People tend to leave early. It bugged me at first, but eventually I ran out of the steam required for me to keep caring. If you believe that Jesus is Present in the Holy Eucharist than you have nothing better to do than spend at least an hour with Him. That’s the principle of it, honestly. I get some folks have kids and whatnot, but in my parishes kids are something of a commodity. Just me and the bluehairs. (No disrespect intended, I can only hope I’m still at Saint Anne’s on Sunday when I’ve shrunk two inches and have the rheumatoid and it hurts when it rains.) Nope, most of the folks that leave early are middle-agers, some teenagers, but the teens, again, are rare. Sometimes, in principle, it bugs me because every Sunday I stand at the end of my pew and wait for people to return to their seats after Communion… you know, so my kneeling won’t impede their return to their seats… and they never return. So there I am, standing in the aisle looking stupid, just in case one of them is real slow. Now, really, because I’m a cranky individual, the only thing that truly bothers me are the ones who make loud, unpleasant noises that they wouldn’t make anywhere else. Like the people who sound like they’re trying to inhale their own heads through their synovial passages. Would they make those sounds in a wedding, funeral, some ridiculous sporting event? Probably not. That sums it for my pharasaical rant.

 

[Jegudiel]

It’s very common in my parish. I don’t leave after communion, but I leave after the dismissal while the priest has his back to the faithful. I simply don’t want to hear the clapping and the loud din that explodes at the end of the recessional music.

 

[Domnall]

I would say that no more than 4-5 people leave during any given weekend Mass…but I’m not always paying attention.

I remember a time last year when a few of us college students were waiting with Father in the vestibule. (There was a guest priest saying Mass) The looks on peoples’ faces’ when they saw Father standing there when they tried to sneak out was priceless.

 

[whipp711]

At the beginning of Mass, our music director goes through the standard admonishions:

1. Take this time to mute your cell phones.
2. Please refrain from texting during the mass.
3. All children must be with an adult.
4. Please do not leave until…

That last part changed last year. In the past, it was “unitl dismissed by the Priests.” Since Caruso wants the band to be the center of attention, it’s “Please do not leave until after the last song.”

We get a very small number leaving after communion. A large chunk leaves after the priest has exited. A good crowd stays until the last song, and clapping breaks out.

I really need to change churches and quit complaining in this forum. By the way, I stay until the end of the last show tune. It’s just me.

 

[Cathryn]

Some of the people leaving early have trouble with their bladders and/or bowels. To get through to Holy Communion is difficult for some. Sometimes they even have to go during the Consecration. This is especially true for those on diarectics, or have cancer problems. Some people go just before Mass and hold out as long as they can, which may not be very long.

 

[ssa_trad_cath]

how prevelant is leaving right after Communion at your church?
Does it irk you or are you one of those who leave early?

One or two people leave early. The Mass I usually attend is the Saturday night Mass, when some people are using public transport to get home. They tend to be the ones who leave early.

Personally I’m not keen on leaving early. I was told by an ex-Pastor that the Jesus remains with us for 10 to 15 minutes afer actually receiving Holy Communion. Staying in Church at least until the priest has left the sanctuary takes up part of that time and can be used for praying at this special time. But obviously I don’t know what’s going through other people’s minds and so I can’t judge them or their reasons for leaving early.

 

[johnnyc176]

That would put an end to it for me all right. If I saw someone parked at the back of the church calling people Judas as they left, I’d take it up with the pastor. If this individual were then allowed to continue with this activity, I’d go on the assumption this was parish approved behavior, and I’d move my family to another parish.

I have a hard enough time teaching kids manners; I don’t need boorish behavior modeled for them in church.

Luna

Ah well…it got a laugh at the conference. Perhaps he heard of the priest who actually put up ‘Judas left early’ signs at the exits. None of you has ever heard of Steve Ray? He has been on CAL quite a few times. He is a convert to the Catholic Church. The guy was a staunch anti Catholic. You should listen to the talk at the link provided.

 

[Lutgardis]

. . . I just listened to a Steve Ray talk where he mentioned he sometimes stands in the back of the church and says have a nice day Judas (Judas left early) to people that leave early…lol. Don’t think I could or would do that but I imagine it probably puts an end to it (if no excuse) for awhile anyway. . .

The Steve Ray comment tops what I formerly believed to be the strangest thing I’ve ever heard of being said in a worship environment. Still, though, my husband came home one Sunday morning with quite a tale: He was sitting near the front at a very large church service (he is a Protestant), and the offering basket was being passed around. A towering man with a deep voice at the end of the aisle, smiled, handed him the basket and said, “I’m not going anywhere until you put something in here!” :blackeye: (I may be embellishing a little insofar as the “towering” and “deep voice” part–but still!)

 

[gh4]

At my church, there is one older couple who leaves every time after communion. I have never seen anyone else do that here. Doesn’t bother me, it’s none of my business.

 

[prodigalson2011]

Ah well…it got a laugh at the conference. Perhaps he heard of the priest who actually put up ‘Judas left early’ signs at the exits. None of you has ever heard of Steve Ray? He has been on CAL quite a few times. He is a convert to the Catholic Church. The guy was a staunch anti Catholic. You should listen to the talk at the link provided.

I’m familiar with Mr. Ray. I’ve watched some of his “Footprints of God” series and looked into some of the pilgrimages he leads. Overall, I like his work, but that kind of snide behavior is just pointless, holier-than-thou snobbishness.

I must admit it strikes a personal chord with me, as a few weeks back I had been having a very bad week, and an even worse Sunday, and so ended up attending an evening mass at a parish across town, and right around time for communion, all the stress and negative feelings I had been dealing with culminated in an anxiety attack and I felt like I had to leave. The look I got from the usher at the door did not exactly make me want to come back again. My point being that doing things like calling people “Judas” does not exactly make them feel like they’re welcome.

So, to echo what everyone else has been saying here, it may irk you when people leave early, but try to give them the benefit of the doubt. You don’t know their reasons, and this is definitely a case of “seeing the stick in your neighbor’s eye.”

 

[MissRose73]

I used to be a leave early person and didn’t have a good reason. I’ve repented my ways and no longer leave until after the priest has left & singing is done. If people leave early to beat the traffic leaving the parking lot, that is not good. If you leave early due to having to go to work, then that’s not an issue with me.

 

[Mrs_Sally]

I sit in the front pew to avoid that kind of distractions. I do not want to waste my whole life getting mad at people, I already do plenty of that and it is very unsettling.

Some people at my parish may leave early. We are a huge parish, so I assume that it is likely. We are usually sitting within the firast few rows also, so I don’t notice. It helps to me to concentrate on my prayers of thanksgiving if I keep my eyes closed and my head down.

 

[ImmaculataFides]

how prevelant is leaving right after Communion at your church?
Does it irk you or are you one of those who leave early?

Doesn’t happen at the Latin Mass.

I can’t remember ever being aware of it happening back when I went to the Novus Ordo, but if it did happen it would indeed ‘irk’ me. It’s hardly reverent.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I posted this below on another current thread with a similar topic.

It just occurred to me that for the past two Sundays, hubby and I and our youngest have walked out of Mass after praying after communion, but before the final blessing and the recessional song. I wasn’t thinking about that when I first posted because it wasn’t my choice. But, we were directed to leave at that time in order to help with the Annual Catholic Appeal pledge cards. Hubby and I manned tables and my youngest held a sign outside of Church reminding folks to stop in to sign their cards and reminding them where to go on the campus to do so.

I’m sure some folks thought badly about us because I do recall that we received a few looks as we were going. I was not really comfortable doing it either because it is our norm to stay for the final blessing and recessional song to the very last note. But, we had to catch folks before they left and be ready for the very first person to arrive to make a pledge. And, we didn’t actually leave early at all because we were still at Church a half-hour after the end of Mass helping with pledges.

 

[etmom]

My youngest (toddler) has usually reached her limit by communion. After receiving, I most often take her directly out of the church into the gathering space, as she tends to be disruptive to those praying after communion. My other children and my husband stay in church, and join me after Mass has completely ended. I can participate with the end of Mass through the monitor that is in the gathering space. We actually end up being one of the very last families out of the building after Mass.

I hope people aren’t judging me for trying to keep my child from being disruptive. There can be legitimate reasons someone might leave the church after communion beside irreverance. If I didn’t take her out, I suppose people would complain about my disruptive child.