Mass at the Mall: Emerging Phenomenon Draws Praise, Flak

[CathCentrist]

I’m speculating here . . . maybe the Catholic center mentioned earlier is a way to get folks to Mass and/ or Confession, then direct them to a local parish. If that’s what they do, as long as they have proper permission from the local bishop, I’m OK with it.

I would think a mall would be considered mission territory
—KCT

Then you would be all for evangelicals setting up their loud speakers and telling sinners to repent at the mall as well right?

Or Muslims, mormons, Jehovahs, etc. They should also have that public right correct?

I dont want ANY religion at the mall. I’m at the mall to shop, relax, have a bite to eat, etc…

 

[Caesar]

Well, so long as it takes place in a properly consecrated chapel, I suppose this idea brings more people to Mass

 

[KCT]

Then you would be all for evangelicals setting up their loud speakers and telling sinners to repent at the mall as well right?

Or Muslims, mormons, Jehovahs, etc. They should also have that public right correct?

The chapel picture I saw didn’t have loud speakers at the front entrance.

As to “public right”, I suppose it’s up to the mall owner to decide who can have a chapel there. A mall isn’t public property.
—KCT

 

[chicago]

Then you would be all for evangelicals setting up their loud speakers and telling sinners to repent at the mall as well right?

Or Muslims, mormons, Jehovahs, etc. They should also have that public right correct?

I dont want ANY religion at the mall. I’m at the mall to shop, relax, have a bite to eat, etc…

While I do believe that such activities ought to be allowed at malls as the “new public assemblyplace” and modern street/sidewalks (unfortunately courts have ruled against this), I don’t see such a chapel as being on quite the same level. Rather, it is essentially functioning as any other store, restaurant, or kiosk in the facility. You have the choice to stop in and take advantage of what is being offered or pass it right by, just as you might with every place of business which is renting their storefront space there. So if you don’t want to eat at the mall McDonalds, don’t walk in. But it’s there if you like. Same with a chapel or whatever else some religious organization might choose to offer (bookstore, reading room, for example). There’s no reason to exclude such just because it isn’t secular in function.

 

[Al_Masetti]

There is a Catholic Chapel in the Bergen Mall, in Paramus New Jersey. Been there for decades.

It used to be in the basement … a storefront.

I am told it was recently relocated to a better location. I should go and check out the new location.

Anyway, on weekdays there are large numbers of Mass attendees from nearby office complexes as well as shoppers. There are confessions and a variety of devotions. Priests have office hours for spiritual direction. And a book store / gift shop. Weekends there are a lot of Masses.

 

[Melissa]

iam not in favor of a Mass at a mall, but what happens if a person who is searching for Jesus but doesn’t know how to go about doing it happens to be at one of those malls and hears the Mass? and he walks in and then because of that visit, he becomes Catholic? should one then not give thanks to God because this soul was searching for God and found Him in the most unlikely of places? indeed.

Another thing that these chapels-in-the-mall are great for (I’m a former employee of a mall store) is to allow a mall employee additional opportunities to get to Mass, particularly on Holy Days of Obligation when scheduled to work that day also. (Yes, in an ideal world, you request the day off because it’s a HDO, and get the day off … but that doesn’t always happen.) Or be able to slip down to confession before taking off into traffic.

The Holy Day of Obligation Masses that I went to, btw, were standing room only in the chapel (Franciscan run) at the mall where I worked. A lot of people present wearing various employer’s name-tags.

 

[CathCentrist]

While I do believe that such activities ought to be allowed at malls as the “new public assemblyplace” and modern street/sidewalks (unfortunately courts have ruled against this), I don’t see such a chapel as being on quite the same level. Rather, it is essentially functioning as any other store, restaurant, or kiosk in the facility. You have the choice to stop in and take advantage of what is being offered or pass it right by, just as you might with every place of business which is renting their storefront space there. So if you don’t want to eat at the mall McDonalds, don’t walk in. But it’s there if you like. Same with a chapel or whatever else some religious organization might choose to offer (bookstore, reading room, for example). There’s no reason to exclude such just because it isn’t secular in function.

As long as evangelicals and muslims can hav them in the mall I am all for it. But Ireally dont want ANY. People know where the local churches are and the malls dont need chapels imo. We dont need a church on every corner nor a chapel in any malls

 

[chicago]

As long as evangelicals and muslims can hav them in the mall I am all for it.

I don’t see why the malls would have any right to discriminate. Anyone who can afford rent can have space.

But Ireally dont want ANY. People know where the local churches are and the malls dont need chapels imo. We dont need a church on every corner nor a chapel in any malls

Why not? Why should they be kept out? Must a mall and it’s services be entirely secular in nature?

 

[Joe_Kelley]

We recently had an issue of a store front church in a local mall. City zoning prohibited it. The city gets a cut of the sales tax and wanted to keep the space for sales. When the City Council realized the problem they reversed the rule before it went to court.

 

[Digitonomy]

I don’t see why the malls would have any right to discriminate. Anyone who can afford rent can have space.

Mall owners are free to rent to whatever tenants they choose, so long as they don’t violate any laws in the process. If they want to limit mall tenants to retail establishments, they are free to. If they want to further limit the mall to only shoe stores, they are free to do that. If they feel your particular shoe store would bring undesirables into the mall, they are free to refuse you.

In the case of chapels, I can imagine mall owners refusing chapels because 1) they want only retail establishments, 2) they are ok with non-retail (e.g. a library branch) but the habits or demeanor of chapel visitors could negatively affect sales at the retail stores, 3) they’ve already got one chapel, and more than one could tip the balance too far away from retail, 4) some shoppers may assume the mall is owned by, or shows favoritism toward, a religious group which they oppose. I could probably come up with two or three more plausible reasons, but I think these are all defensible under the law.

The one case where they could run into legal problems would be if they allowed a religious group, but then refused a different religious group when the first moved out, or if they refused a second religious group an even more remote or unobtrusive storefront than a first group that was still renting, in a struggling somewhat empty mall. These actions might suggest that they were refusing not on broader principles, but on the basis of the particular religion itself. I believe that would be illegal, but even then most situations are murky enough that a clever owner could come up with a plausible excuse which was legit.

I also don’t understand the opposite extreme taken by CathCentrist. Does he propose forbidding mall owners from renting storefronts as chapels, or is it simply his personal preference (“If I owned a mall…”)? He is not at all clear, except to allow Christians should be able to if Muslims have done so, etc.

 

[PatienceAndLove]

The Catholic Center at Citadel Mall Colo Spgs, CO has a Catholic bookstore with it. People also give donations to help pay the mall rent. I guess this keeps the owners happy
But there is also a Family Christian store on the other side of the mall. I guess that makes it evened out?