My parish priest accepts these atrocious practices...What do I do?!?

[At_Trent]

Serious question - how to you propose the priest stop it; put guards at the door, refuse communion, lock the doors so people can’t arrive late or leave early. We have tried many ways to address the issue, in homilies, notices and in the bulletin. We have been doing so for years to no avail.

Hi Joannm, it depends on how bad the problem is. If a priest has allowed such behavior for a long time, then it will be a challenge for sure. Imagine a family that has been at a parish since marriage, and with children in high school. They may simply not know any better.

First, a priest must understand the church is a very holy place. It is consecrated, as is the altar. There are relics in/on the altar. The church is a place of veneration, adoration, prayer, worship, and penitence. The Sacraments are administered there.

I’m sure most priests know this, and if they take it seriously, then they have to be willing to make their flock understand it. Even at the expense of his own popularity. If his homilies tend to include the encouragement of laughter, this must stop. Those in the pews must understand that when they walk in the door, they are placing themselves before the Real Presence as well as relics of saints. How ever many Sunday homilies it takes to hammer it into their heads. If some persist in irreverent behavior, then the priest can follow with sermons on Hell. Continue until they get it. It has to come from the pulpit.

The priest must be willing to do this, again even at the expense of his own popularity. If he is not willing to do so, then one has every right to seek out a parish where everyone does get it. Or at least the vast majority. Whether it be an OF parish or EF parish.

The only issue with dress should be modesty. Women should not bare their thighs, shoulders and cleavage. Men should not wear shorts or sleeveless shirts.

Before and after Mass, the church is no place for chit chat and small talk. Those kneeling in prayer before and after Mass should be respected. Laughter should not be encouraged from the pulpit. Prayer, reflection, meditation on the day’s readings, and reverence should be stressed.

Any resistance to a priest’s efforts must be called out for what it truly is. Selfishness. If it is 98 degrees and humid, a man will be uncomfortable in a dress shirt and pants. Too bad, it should not be a concern. If the man understands where he is, and why he came, he will offer it up. If not, then he is just going through the motions.

If we are going to be instructed to go in peace to love and serve the Lord, then show us how to love and serve the Lord Fr. If we can’t/won’t do it at Holy Mass, then we will fail as soon as we walk out the door back into the world.

It can be done Joannm.

 

[Jen_Lerner]

Hi Chris, Remember Jesus said: Judge, and you will not be judged. Let Jesus decide what is reverent behaviour in his house of prayer. You cannot tell people how to show reverence if it is not a grace-given privilege from God. Many are called, but few are chosen. Just love these parishioners, and pray that they too will one day love as you have loved.

 

[At_Trent]

I agree. The priest must take a stand. Forty years ago there were nuns who didn’t hold back. They were very good at getting across the dress code. They’re gone so it is up to the priest. He can do it. It wouldn’t be anything to suggest he thinks it would be nice if women wore headcoverings. Years ago, women would never think of entering a church without something on their heads. And if you did, there would be a nun handing you a tissue.

Well said. Yes the priest can do it. He is the only one that can.

 

[lelhajj]

i think we are going back in time. When i was a child, in the sixties, i used to wear always a headcovering, a veil. Well, that was long time ago and it took many years to change that reglament. why we didn’t reject the new reglament that we could go to mass without a veil anymore? maybe, at that time, it was not important for us, we didn’t care much about that transition. But now, we are seeing it with different eyes, eyes of mature people, eyes were we want to follow every comma and period written on the Bible. So, that is the difficult part, the young girls we are now critizicing or demanding to wear a more appropiated attire have been born in a different time, when there is so much freedom, where the culture has changed, where we are also guilty for allowing all those freedoms or liberties to happen, when in our youth we were also rebelious and we didn’t care. The older we get, the more critical we get about the young generation. The gap is still there. Young and old. Even as we get older we become more stuborn than before, rejecting new ideas and ways of life. It is certainly difficult to hold our children to all the good values that our faith has provided us, specially when they are at the university, they get influenced by so many teachings in religion, influenced by their friends and trends, and they certainly become disattached from their religion. That period lasts some years and sometimes, they never go back to their faith, but, leave their faith. Even if you say, oh, i have never left my religion, i have always be very religious and well behave, i can say, most of the people will not answer the same way. Therefore, the more we reject those young kids and frown at them when they were innapropiated attire, the fastest they will leave the church.

 

[John_Pascendi]

Good for you to notice these outrageous insults to Jesus. Get a few people together after ‘mass’ and approach him directly. Challenge him on the issues you feel are not being addressed …dont let them (or him)get away with this nonsense. Millions of fellow Catholic Christians around the world as in China and Cuba would love to be able to attend mass and cant…they must meet secretly in the woods at nite and in deepest peril…remember that.!!! We must never take our freedoms for granted. I have several real life heros in my life and whenever a flick or book is produced or published and its full of errors I write letters ,call talk shows etc…the holy sacrifice of the mass is more (name removed by moderator)ortant then that so I would say…use the sword of verbal Truth and go for it…take a stand for Jesus!!! good luck…Pas

 

[Phemie]

I pick up the hymnal and find we’re singing “Lord of the Dance.” Check the bottom and sure enough, it’s a Shaker hymn. Shakers were a cult, split from the Quakers, and did not even believe in the Trinity. Why are we singing this hymn? And the last Shaker died about 30 years ago. It is a defunct “religion”.

“Lord of the Dance” is not a Shaker Hymn. The tune is an adaptation of a Shaker tune “Simple Gifts” but the lyrics were written in 1967 by English poet Sydney Carter.

 

[aicirt]

“Lord of the Dance” is not a Shaker Hymn. The tune is an adaptation of a Shaker tune “Simple Gifts” but the lyrics were written in 1967 by English poet Sydney Carter.

The following is from Wikipedia. I’m sure Sydney Carter was a nice person, apparently his philosophy was close to the Quakers from which sprang the Shakers. Shiva is the Hindu’s god of destruction and Nataraja is the Hindu’s Lord of the Dance as portrayed by Shiva. And IMO this doesn’t belong in a Catholic Church.

[edit] Lord of the Dance
Partly inspired by Jesus, and partly by a statue of Shiva as Nataraja, Sydney wrote the lyrics “Lord Of The Dance” in 1963, as an adaptation of Joseph Brackett’s “Simple Gifts”, and a tribute to Shaker music. He later stated, “I did not think the churches would like it at all. I thought many people would find it pretty far flown, probably heretical and anyway dubiously Christian. But in fact people did sing it and, unknown to me, it touched a chord … Anyway, it’s the sort of Christianity I believe in.”

"I see Christ as the incarnation of the piper who is calling us. He dances that shape and pattern which is at the heart of our reality. By Christ I mean not only Jesus; in other times and places, other planets, there may be other Lords of the Dance. But Jesus is the one I know of first and best. I sing of the dancing pattern in the life and words of Jesus.
Whether Jesus ever leaped in Galilee to the rhythm of a pipe or drum I do not know. We are told that David danced (and as an act of worship too), so it is not impossible. The fact that many Christians have regarded dancing as a bit ungodly (in a church, at any rate) does not mean that Jesus did. The Shakers didn’t…
Green Print for Song (1974)

 

[Rogerteder]

My Parish is a small parish located in Keyport NJ. We only have ONE priest presiding at the parish. Despite me being a traditionalists (NOTE: I AM NOT A SEDEVACANTIST OR OF THE SSPX. I AM JUST A NORMAL EVERYDAY CATHOLIC) I attend the Novus Ordo. I believe the Mass is getting way too secular to the point where I feel like walking up to the priest and say: “ENOUGH OF THIS! Do you not see that Jesus and Mary of crying?!?”

Now what is he doing that is unacceptable? We have girls that come in with mini shirts and tank tops, we have people that talk, before and AFTER the Mass, people leave the Church before the priest has the change to give the final blessing. and leave the altar. I mean I feel like my parish derides the sacred writings of Saint Paul!

What do I do and say? Give me your opinion on what you think.

dont judge!!! IT WONT GET YOU ANYWHERE!!

CLOSE YOUR EYES DURING MASS AND PRAY. LOOK DOWN WHEN YOU ARE GOING UP FOR COMMUNION.

tHAT BEING SAID. Outside of Mass you may want to approach your priest respectfully and logically (do your homework) with your concerns.

 

[Joannm]

One of my favorite church words in perichoresis. It refers to the relationship between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, especially in Eastern and Orthodox Church. It literally means to “dance around.”