Leaving Mass Early

[kittyo]

Thank you all soooo much! (It sure is nice to have a place to ask questions about the Holy Catholic faith where you can expect prompt, good answers!)
God Bless you all!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum!

~Kittyo~

 

[CatholicFireman]

Judas left in order to betray Christ. Is this what you think your fellow Christians are doing – intentionally leaving Mass early in order to go out into the world to betray him?

I don’t know. That sign is at the back door of our church. I’m not going to ask the pastor.

Actually it reads,“Remember, the first person to leave the Last Supper was Judas”.

 

[maryjk]

I don’t know. That sign is at the back door of our church. I’m not going to ask the pastor.

Actually it reads,“Remember, the first person to leave the Last Supper was Judas”.

I always wondered about those signs.

So, if no one leaves “early” then the priest is the first to leave, like Judas???

I am with dochawk. I will stay to sing the final hymn, but I have a problem staying for the final verse of the musical performance. Sorry, I know they practiced all 5 verses, but that doesn’t mean that we are going to continue to sing the final two verses after the priest as left.

 

[I_Thirst]

I don’t know. That sign is at the back door of our church. I’m not going to ask the pastor.

Actually it reads,“Remember, the first person to leave the Last Supper was Judas”.

Yeah, I’ve seen those signs before. I think that parishes with that one also need this one: “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?”

 

[CatholicFireman]

Yeah, I’ve seen those signs before. I think that parishes with that one also need this one: “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?”

Like I said…I’m not sayin’ a word…

Peace†

 

[CatholicFireman]

I always wondered about those signs.

So, if no one leaves “early” then the priest is the first to leave, like Judas???

I am with dochawk. I will stay to sing the final hymn, but I have a problem staying for the final verse of the musical performance. Sorry, I know they practiced all 5 verses, but that doesn’t mean that we are going to continue to sing the final two verses after the priest as left.

I stay till the final hym is over. Hey, I like to say hi to Father anyway. Besides, it’s a mad house in the lot at both the churches I attend. :banghead:

 

[I_Thirst]

Like I said…I’m not sayin’ a word…

Peace†

 

[crenfro]

It’s called the “Judas Shuffle.”

All I want to add is remember that Judas left early and look where it got him!

 

[I_Thirst]

It’s called the “Judas Shuffle.”

 

[agw123]

Mass is not over until the last note of the concluding song is played or sung. Unless it is an emergengy, don’t leave mass.

Mass is over when the priest says “The Mass is ended, let us go in peace…”

In some churches if you wait till the last note of the song, you might be there a while.

 

[agw123]

Actually No! The mass starts with the opening Chant and ends with the closing Chant. You are to be there for both.

please provide a liturgical source for this.

 

[silicasandra]

Mass is over when the priest says “The Mass is ended, let us go in peace…”

In some churches if you wait till the last note of the song, you might be there a while.

But what’s wrong with that? Use the time to pray and then have peace of mind as you leave. Even five extra minutes can do wonders on a person’s parking lot road rage (as I can personally attest!)

 

[agw123]

But what’s wrong with that? Use the time to pray and then have peace of mind as you leave. Even five extra minutes can do wonders on a person’s parking lot road rage (as I can personally attest!)

Nothing is wrong with it if thats what you want to do. However, the Mass is over when the priest says The mass is over… Out of respect I wait for him to pass in the recessional.

Depending on your church’s setup, if you have a longer than usual running Mass (we have 1 priest who’s homilies are much longer than others), you actually have the situation where the parking lot is worse if you wait, as there are people trying to come in for the next Mass while people are still trying to leave.

 

[CatholicFireman]

But what’s wrong with that? Use the time to pray and then have peace of mind as you leave. **Even five extra minutes can do wonders on a person’s parking lot road rage (as I can personally attest!) **

LOL. Amen to that, sister.

 

[Through_Him]

My response may be similar to others. I like to wait for the last blessing if possible. As important as the first., and the last hymn. Some of our group have to go to the Narthex to help with the refreshments if we are having a hospitality weekend. Or other sign up groups. Sometimes I hang around to talk to others and greet or it is a very nice gesture to go over to the pianist and thank him or her, mention they sounded good, go thank the choir or the psalter. I was in choir for awhile and that was always very nice to see someone come over and thank us even though Father said thanks too. He reads announcements then gives the final blessings and after the final hymn we go. A couple times I left after that right away had company at home waiting.

 

[Alex2008]

Speaking of parking lot road rage:

A large parish at which I served as an Associate Pastor, had this problem in spades.
Large groupings of people would rush out the door, starting after receiving communion and on to the end of Mass. Our 3 Priest team began to address this and asked for less rudeness. After several reminders, we began to see a lessening of this except for 2 families. Both Husbands were rude (they both told the Pastor that all 3 of us could go to h-e-double toothpicks as they were going to do what they wanted to do) ultra-agressive personalities and they would drive their families out the door right after communion to be the first ones out of the parking lot and head over to the local family restaurant for breakfast. The noise this made as they all left in great haste and the roaring of the cars as they left the parking lot was very unsettling.

One Sunday, a kind of intervention took place, as both idiots were roaring out of the parking lot they collided at the entrance. When I arrived outside both guys were going at it with fists flying. The Chief of Police who belonged to the Parish, sent for a squad car and both guys ended up being arrested and carted off to jail. After getting lectured before a Judge about their non-sense (and fined), both families quietly disappeared from the parish to which everyone breathed a sigh of relief…I couldn’t help but think of their wives and kids and pray for them and hope that both guys learned their lesson!

By the way, no-one was hurt in the parking lot fender-bender! But the 2 guys beat the beejeebers out of each other until separated.

 

[CatholicFireman]

Hmmm…Divine Intervention maybe?