Leaving Mass early!

  • Thread starter Thread starter 0104
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
When my mother was being treated for cancer, I left daily mass early on several occassions because I was getting an update on her condition after surgery or scans. I wonder how many pious busybodies were judging me?
 
When I was a kid, the woman who was our crossing guard at school during the week, used to get to church way early, while the previous mass was still going on.

Always got a great parking space- fairly close to the side door of the church with easy egress.

She also left early each week, presumably leaving the mass at the time during the mass she arrived- so that every week she did hear a full mass, just not in the traditional order.
 
“Presumably” being the key word.

This isn’t directed specifically to you Augustinian, but it’s very disheartening that many are so eager to think the worst of their fellow parishioners. It’s also ironic that in their zealousness to judge the holiness of their neighbor and tell us what God would want, they completly lose sight of God’s command to not bear false witness. I wonder what God thinks of that?

Again, not directed at you Augustinian.
 
Last edited:
I don’t advocate leaving early but it is possible that some of those who do leave did not recieive Holy Communion at that Mass.
 
DeniseNY said:
I left daily mass early on several occassions
Click to expand...
I don’t think people leaving the daily, as in weekday, Mass are regarded the same way because for many people, that is a workday or they may need to pick up kids at day care, etc. There are usually very limited Mass time windows as well. I have seen people who regularly go to daily Mass but always have to leave early or in one case a guy runs in near Communion time, receives and leaves. I presume these folks are working (or perhaps as in your case, doing caregiver tasks) and are just trying to squeeze in a Mass.

It’s different on a Sunday when you usually have multiple Mass time options and numbers of people leaving, some of whom walk out early every week. I’m sure some of them have legitimate commitments, maybe even have to work, but there are others who will openly tell you that they are doing it to be first out of the parking lot.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
40.png
DeniseNY:
I left daily mass early on several occassions
Click to expand...
I don’t think people leaving the daily, as in weekday, Mass are regarded the same way because for many people, that is a workday or they may need to pick up kids at day care, etc. There are usually very limited Mass time windows as well. I have seen people who regularly go to daily Mass but always have to leave early or in one case a guy runs in near Communion time, receives and leaves. I presume these folks are working (or perhaps as in your case, doing caregiver tasks) and are just trying to squeeze in a Mass.

It’s different on a Sunday when you usually have multiple Mass time options and numbers of people leaving, some of whom walk out early every week. I’m sure some of them have legitimate commitments, maybe even have to work, but there are others who will openly tell you that they are doing it to be first out of the parking lot.
Click to expand...
Given the number of older people terrified of a minor fender bender and losing their licenses, I wouldn’t even judge that.

We used to have 3 wonderful ministries at the church that I went to. The first was after the 10am, where the local grocery store would load up the parish van with “damaged” veggies, stale bread and various other “write offs”. Several people would leave after communion to hand out this food. More than once a mother or father in desperation would leave early to be the first in line to feed their starving family.

The second ministry was after the 5pm Saturday and was a parish dinner once a month for the elderly–it was run at cost by volunteers. We’d work all day–sometimes staring at 9 am. During Mass was our “chill” time so many of us would head to Mass and slip out after Communion to get ready to serve food and do the final prep.

The last ministry was after the 8am and I never knew much about it except it had to do with a “social” thing. Again, a few people would dip out of Mass early to get it set up.

Well, enter your self-righteous know-it-alls. They whined and complained and harassed the priest. “It’s not right for ANYONE to leave early”. The wrote the bishop and were no end of trouble. The social hour was the first to fall. Then a few months later the Parish dinners.

Lastly, in less than a year’s time…the food. The amazing free food that meant so much to so many.

But nosy, sanctimonious busybodies who thought that it was their job to enforce that every last person stayed until the final blessing ruined it.

Oh, and I’ve gone to Masses in the big city where parking meters were enforced 7 days a week.

People are terrible to eachother. Less judgment would go a LONG way.
 
I have rarely, if ever, been at a church that had any activity or ministry after Mass other than Lifeteen or coffee and donuts, and when I think about people “leaving Mass early”, I mean leaving to go do something else not related to church, not leaving to go do another Church ministry function or set up food, which to me isn’t “leaving”.

I’ll be honest, i could not care less if people want to walk out, except for my earlier comment that I think (and still think) parking lot rushers need to learn patience. However, as I noted, it has been priests at some of my churches who have objected to this practice. I mentioned the one who stopped the procession and reprimanded people and I have also heard a few times priests stating from the pulpit that people should not be rushing out after Communion.

A busybody in the pew complaining doesn’t make much dent on me one way or the other. The priest preaching against it in the course of a Mass, does.
 
Last edited:
Right. The first apostle (priest) to do so was Judas.
But does that mean that every person who leaves early is going to be considered as a Judas?

I hope not.

How about the mother of small children who literally walks a couple of blocks to Mass and has to leave right after communion because the kids’ dad has to leave for work then, and somebody has to be home with the kids? Sure the mom could bring the kids, especially fun in the 6 winter months of snow and ice, and then the same sanctimonious people lambasting her for ‘leaving early’ would be sure to lambaste her for the ‘bad behavior’ of the children, criticizing her for exposing her children to illness, or for exposing others to her children and their perceived germ harboring (they’d be the first to be accused of spreading things), criticizing her for bringing things to amuse them, criticizing her for NOT bringing things to amuse them, criticizing her for sitting up front, sitting in the middle, sitting on the aisle, sitting in the back, getting up and taking them out, NOT getting up and taking them out, etc. etc.

And of course, above all, criticizing her for ‘making excuses’ because all the criticizers have NEVER experienced any problems in their lives which have made it difficult for them not to be the perfect Mass attendees.
 
Everyone who leaves early is like Judas? I really hope that’s not what you’re saying.
 
Last edited:
Exactly. People will complain that people leave early to get things done, but in the next breath they’ll complain that protestant churches have more “fellowship” after liturgy.

I’m so sorry your parish had to stop doing these things. They sound like wonderful programs.
 
DeniseNY said:
Exactly. People will complain that people leave early to get things done, but in the next breath they’ll complain that protestant churches have more “fellowship” after liturgy.

I’m so sorry your parish had to stop doing these things. They sound like wonderful programs.
Click to expand...
😥 They were. I loved to volunteer for the dinners. The fellowship was SO much fun. We worked hard but we had an AMAZING time.

The food…the really twisted thing is that now it frequently goes to waste if the food pantry doesn’t have enough fridge space. These people who were so adamant about “preserving the dignity of the Eucharist” seemed to have completely lost the concept of the dignity of humans. It’s sickening.

Of course, you never saw them volunteering for anything that required them to operate outside of their normal life. Would they go to the 8 am then come back before the 10 am let out to serve food. Nope.

It’s hard not to be judgemental or resentful towards them…that’s for sure.
 
I agree and I am fortunate to have never needed to leave mass early either. But you also can’t call people out or judge them if they do as you don’t know their reasons. Pray for them instead, you have no idea the reasons they leave. It does seem ungrateful yes but if there is one thing I have learnt in life, it is that things are seldom what they seem.
 
I never leave mass early Sundays are scared those are the times when im in lords house I love being there. I´ve seen some people leave and thought of it as rude and careless. What if god was there at mass would they leave then?
 
michaelArc said:
I’ve made the observation a few times where people (sitting in my pew) have left the mass during communion. I can only speculate that they can’t receive the Eucharist and take the opportunity to bolt.

What say you
Click to expand...
I don’t speculate on what other people do or why. That’s between them and God. I’m there to focus on my relationship with God.
 
Just getting people to think about things they wouldn’t think are important. It’s not my place to judge anyone. Because I do a good bit of sinning myself. I’m in no way saying anyone that post something is right or wrong just making conversation
 
I work for the church. Most of the time, I have to open the hall, put on the coffee, etc. for the classes/groups who meet in the hall after Mass. Other times my husband simply cannot stay in the hot building for another 10 minutes, it would put his heart in a dangerous situation.

Don’t be so quick to judge why folks are leaving.
 
When you see half the Church get up and leave, not everyone has a good excuse. I will pray for your husband and his heart. We as Catholic’s must make moral judgements. Years ago I didn’t want to here it either why are you going to a baptisted church from family and friends. But they were right the Catholic Church is the One true Church for that we should be proud.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top