Making Mass less intimidating

[ProVobis]

I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you, Cat, but shouldn’t those issues be directed toward parish committees who now set the rules and policies within their own parish? When we feel like strangers in our own “home,” something isn’t working right IMO. OTOH, too much familiarity breeds contempt, as they say, so a certain amount of mystery is needed to sustain interest in coming to church. And I believe this is true for any denomination, whether they have any obligation to come out or not.

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[revert_jen]

Catholic Answers publishes several pamphlets about the Mass that are just what the OP ordered, and OUR PARISH puts these in the tract rack in the lobby, and every week, they are ALL GONE!

Which ones would you suggest?

Thanks!

–Jen

 

[Magdalena59]

As an example; when you guys talk about grabbing a “missal”… most non-liturgical protestants wouldn’t know what that is or where to find it or what it looks like.

These are seasonal books that contain the prayers, Bible readings and order of the Mass for that particular season. Like right now it covers Advent to just before Easter.

 

[Magdalena59]

As an example; when you guys talk about grabbing a “missal”… most non-liturgical protestants wouldn’t know what that is or where to find it or what it looks like.

These are seasonal books that contain the prayers, Bible readings and order of the Mass for that particular season and also some hymns. Like right now the missalette covers Advent to just before Easter. They are actually called missalettes because they are just for a particular season and smaller than a missal.

There are Missals that Catholics can purchase that contain the whole years prayers and Bible readings. Some use those but not too often. I see people use them more during the week for weekday Mass.

catholiccompany.com/missals-c478/

 

[Magdalena59]

One thing I noticed at Mass on Ash Wednesday (in a college town) was that there were a ton of people who were obviously uncomfortable with being there. Anyone who goes to Mass regularly knows that Ash Wednesday always gets a lot of people who go only once or twice a year. I have also talked to several people who have said that they are embarrassed to go back to Mass because they aren’t sure when to stand, sit, kneel, go to Communion, etc. We can do better.

I think we should have leaflets in the pews that explain each part of the Mass; whether to stand, sit or kneel; and give the reasons why we do them. A friend of mine who got married recently did this in his wedding programs and it was tremendously beneficial. A Jewish girl next to me in the pew was fascinated by it. It definitely made things less awkward for people who were either not Catholic or hadn’t been to Mass in a very long time. I know people can mostly follow along with the missals, but most who are new don’t know that, nor do the missals explain why Catholics do what we do. A leaflet right there in the pew with short descriptions of each part of the Mass is easy to identify, easy to find, easy to read, doesn’t need to be long, and can point people to the missal.

Has your parish ever done something like this? If not, I think we should start. Maybe we can get the ball rolling here on CAF and get a few short paragraphs down. If we put one together, I’m willing to send it to my diocese for consideration/improvement. (name removed by moderator)ut from the priests and religious who frequent this forum would be great.

I think you have a lot of good ideas. We do have a lot of papers in our pew but I think that many times people see them and pick them up and so would read them. It might help if say at a wedding or funeral or something else the priest might mention they are there. Even just a handy laminated cheat sheet might help. I know we have those at our parish. They came out when the missal was renewed and some people still use them.

 

[Magdalena59]

:yup: I hated going to a mega church and these people “greet” you like they know you. “Oh hey, girl! Welcome!! So glad you can make it!” And either hold my hand way too long for a proper handshake or even embrace me. Yuck. Nope. Don’t touch me. Just let me find a seat.

I have to admit I know exactly :yup: what you are talking about here, once in the mega church atmosphere also. I did not like the overly give everyone a giant hug as they walk in the door either.

I like our parish greeters at the door handing out the bulletins. They are friendly and kind and greet us in a nice way.

 

[GAHere]

No - for us the bulletin is the weekly schedule of Masses & other events. The Missalette is confusing for non-Catholics. We’re always flipping from front to back & in-between! If I’m sitting with a non-Catholic who wants to follow along, I either share or show her the page we’re on.

I think that’s the easier answer right there. The missalettes are already there. Regular attendance Catholics are very familiar with therm. We just have to get out of the mindset that mass is between me and God with the priest as the mediator, so to speak, and start noticing other people around us. Make eye contact. Smile. If someone appears nervous extend some sort of gesture to put them more at ease. Chances are, it could be a regular mass attendee who is just really having a very hard day and a comforting gesture could be the Holy Spirit reaching out to help them heal. I have to work hard at this myself every time I go to mass. As much as I need to be there, to connect, I have learned that God is trying to connect with the people around me, through me. Best thing I can do is get out of his way and let him in.

 

[GAHere]

I really like your idea of having a holder for “New to the Mass, or long time away” booklets. Then they aren’t cluttering up the pews for the majority who don’t need them, and you wouldn’t need so many so they could be less flimsy and more detailed. You’d want to make sure the holder is well marked (in, e.g. the narthex)…

Yes, it does sound good in theory, but I’ve noticed when I attend other parishes I generally glance through the entry way and move through the regular parishioners to find a seat. I’m a regular mass goer, too, but in another church community, it’s just a different feeling. I imagine it’s slightly similar to a non-Catholic’s.
But I think you’re right, Jen, that if it’s prominently placed, well marked FREE Visitor’s Guide to the Mass, Welcome! that would help. A person who’s trying to attend under the radar for whatever reason would not take one, but a curious person who’s looking for a community type experience would. Key would be for some of the ‘regular’ attendees (or the ushers perhaps) to make a point to notice if someone takes one of those, then make that personal “welcome” connection, offer to have the sit by them, answer any questions type thing.

 

[GAHere]

On this particular Ash Wednesday I’d say a good 60% of them were non-Catholics. About 30% were Catholics who had not been to Mass in a while, or at the very least were not familiar with the new post-2011 translation. All were very tentative and looking around at everyone else. Two in my pew left after about 20 minutes. Apparently this parish had 10 Masses that day and the priest said every one was packed. This isn’t a small church either.

Obviously the Ash Wednesday Mass isn’t a regular occurrence, but it’s an example of the problem that happens on a small scale. I’ve heard this from multiple people I have talked to.

That’s quite interesting. Wonder why the draw to attend a Catholic Ash Wednesday mass by so many non-Catholics. Were their own churches not offering a similar service at the same time perhaps? Maybe the hour of the Catholic one was more convenient, and to them, it would be the same as at their own church? Not knocking that they were there because the Holy Spirit could be working on them as I type this, but it just never occurred to me that over half of the attendees of a Catholic mass would be non-Catholic.

Also always intrigues me that so many attend the Mass when it’s not a holy day of obligation, too.

 

[GAHere]

…Visitors are more likely to be impressed with a sense of solemnity, reverence and awe, than by being jumped upon by ‘official’ welcomers pushing leaflets on them the moment they set foot into the church porch. We should do what the Church does best, reverence, piety, solemnity and prayer rather than focus on handshakes, leaflets and chatter.

There’s need for both. Meet and greet at the door. Be actively engaged in the solemnity of the liturgy during. After the mass, make a point to connect with the visitor to ask how they’re experience was and invite them back.

 

[GAHere]

Who exactly are “we”? I always feel like a stranger in my own home parish.

I used to, too, until it dawned on me that I probably wasn’t the exception. I started to make a point to connect with unfamiliar faces in very small ways, a smile, a nod, a helping hand, opening the door as they came in or left, the basic common courtesies. It was remarkable how the very small gesture resulted in them giving me eye contact. Always this kind of look of surprise on their face that someone actually noticed they were there! Since then I no longer feel like a stranger, I feel like the hostess.

 

[Bill_Martin]

That’s quite interesting. Wonder why the draw to attend a Catholic Ash Wednesday mass by so many non-Catholics. Were their own churches not offering a similar service at the same time perhaps? Maybe the hour of the Catholic one was more convenient, and to them, it would be the same as at their own church? Not knocking that they were there because the Holy Spirit could be working on them as I type this, but it just never occurred to me that over half of the attendees of a Catholic mass would be non-Catholic.

Also always intrigues me that so many attend the Mass when it’s not a holy day of obligation, too.

I was interested by it as well and don’t have an answer. This is in a decent sized city with a large state university in it. Everyone at Mass was 18-25 years old and a college student. Statistically, this demographic should be one of the least likely to attend any kind of religious service. Even more interesting to me was that there were little to no locals there (everyone I saw had a backpack).

edit: My estimate of non-Catholics was just based on those who didn’t respond at all or say any of the prayers. They could be Catholics who just never go to Mass regularly and don’t remember or feel too awkward being the only one talking. My estimate of 60% was probably low too. I’d say it was more like 80%.

 

[ProVobis]

I used to, too, until it dawned on me that I probably wasn’t the exception. I started to make a point to connect with unfamiliar faces in very small ways, a smile, a nod, a helping hand, opening the door as they came in or left, the basic common courtesies. It was remarkable how the very small gesture resulted in them giving me eye contact. Always this kind of look of surprise on their face that someone actually noticed they were there! Since then I no longer feel like a stranger, I feel like the hostess.

What works best for me is to attend a Spanish Mass at my parish and say “Gracias” and “La Paz” whenever possible. That’s hard to hate, I figure, and better than the cold shoulder they expect from various parish committee members there.

 

[Cat]

Which ones would you suggest?

Thanks!

–Jen

catholic.com/tracts/browse/Eucharist

ALL of these are good and are used in our parish in our tract rack. (In fact, I think most of the tracts are from CA!)

 

[Cat]

That’s quite interesting. Wonder why the draw to attend a Catholic Ash Wednesday mass by so many non-Catholics. Were their own churches not offering a similar service at the same time perhaps? Maybe the hour of the Catholic one was more convenient, and to them, it would be the same as at their own church? Not knocking that they were there because the Holy Spirit could be working on them as I type this, but it just never occurred to me that over half of the attendees of a Catholic mass would be non-Catholic.

Also always intrigues me that so many attend the Mass when it’s not a holy day of obligation, too.

At Calvin College (yes, it’s a CALVINIST college!), chapel attendance is not manadatory (it is at many Protestant/Bible colleges).

But according to their stats, the Ash Wednesday service has the highest attendance of ANY worship service offered through the year in their college chapel.

The large majority of Evangelical Protestant churches do not offer ashes. But many Evangelical Protestants have read the teachings of their own leaders, many of whom say that the custom of receiving ashes is "OK’. So many Evangelical Protestants will drop in on Catholic churches on Ash Wednesday. There was a time this wouldn’t have happened, but much has happened in the last 20 years or so to make Catholics acceptable as Christians to most Evangelical Protestants. (e.g., the staunch anti-abortion work done by Catholics and the Catholic Church is extremely appealing to Evangelical Protestants).

As a general rule, you won’t see Fundamentalist Protestants in any Catholic setting, unless they have had something happen that the Holy Spirit is using in their lives to bring them to a place where they will confront the claims of the Catholic Church to be the Church that Jesus Christ Himself established. Protestant Fundamentalism is a very tough mission field for Catholics; it’s a tough field for Evangelical Protestants! Separatism is the rule among most Fundamentalist Protestants. This is one reason why it’s so dreadfully important to have PRINTED INFORMATION available and visible in the Catholic parish lobbies/narthexes! Protestant Fundamentalists who actually step foot into a Catholic Church are feeling incredibly mixed-up and confused and guilty about entering a “den of idol worship.” They NEED that information so that the Holy Spirit can work in their lives. And of course, the time they attend a Catholic Church for the first time, someone will do or say something that will shock and upset the Fundamentalist Catholic (e.g., they will hear someone say, “You going to the Beer Fest next week?” ) , and the Fundamentalist Protestant will make tracks to get out of that sin-hole as quick as they can! The printed information will give them solid facts and historical information about the Catholic Church, and they will be reminded that even Christ’s group of disciples wasn’t “perfect.”

 

[Kevin_Keith]

So newbies will be reading these leaflets about when and why instead of like, paying attention. Uh, OK.

I am a convert. When I decided to check out the local Catholic parish, I googled questions I had. Seriously, people respect and learn better if they seek things out, instead of it being spoon fed to them. It isn’t even required that they do anything. They can just sit there. No biggie.

If there was a “like” button, I’d have hit it. Good common sense post.

 

[Cat]

So newbies will be reading these leaflets about when and why instead of like, paying attention. Uh, OK.

I am a convert. When I decided to check out the local Catholic parish, I googled questions I had. Seriously, people respect and learn better if they seek things out, instead of it being spoon fed to them. It isn’t even required that they do anything. They can just sit there. No biggie.

Babies and some toddlers must be spoon-fed by others, or they will starve.

Googling for information about the Catholic Church can lead a baby/toddler Christian into some very dark, evil places.

If printed information is made available in the church narthex or lobby by the local parish, a newbie can feel reasonably confident that the Church endorses this information and considers it reliable and orthodox (although I’ve seen information in our Adoration Chapel that is obviously left by some of the more extremist anti-Vatican Catholic groups).

 

[Cat]

If there was a “like” button, I’d have hit it. Good common sense post.

Kevin Keith, see my post above. There is less common sense to that comment than you might think.

 

[Bonnie]

Googling for information about the Catholic Church can lead a baby/toddler Christian into some very dark, evil places.

There are a few very anti-Catholic sites that can look Catholic to the uninformed. In the past, I’ve bought books by “Catholics,” only to find out they were ex-Catholics who encourage people to leave the Church to find Jesus.

Those books ended up in the trash.

I’m so glad that my conversion happened years before the Internet. The only thing I heard on the radio (didn’t have a TV) was the rosary. It sounded so peaceful!

And my first Catholic friend was a nun (now deceased) who led me by the hand into the truth.

 

[babochka]

As a general rule, you won’t see Fundamentalist Protestants in any Catholic setting, unless they have had something happen that the Holy Spirit is using in their lives to bring them to a place where they will confront the claims of the Catholic Church to be the Church that Jesus Christ Himself established. Protestant Fundamentalism is a very tough mission field for Catholics; it’s a tough field for Evangelical Protestants! Separatism is the rule among most Fundamentalist Protestants. This is one reason why it’s so dreadfully important to have PRINTED INFORMATION available and visible in the Catholic parish lobbies/narthexes! Protestant Fundamentalists who actually step foot into a Catholic Church are feeling incredibly mixed-up and confused and guilty about entering a “den of idol worship.” They NEED that information so that the Holy Spirit can work in their lives. And of course, the time they attend a Catholic Church for the first time, someone will do or say something that will shock and upset the Fundamentalist Catholic (e.g., they will hear someone say, “You going to the Beer Fest next week?” ) , and the Fundamentalist Protestant will make tracks to get out of that sin-hole as quick as they can! The printed information will give them solid facts and historical information about the Catholic Church, and they will be reminded that even Christ’s group of disciples wasn’t “perfect.”

You always have such good insight into these matters. Thank you for sharing this perspective.