Online Mass: "Don't Get Used to This"

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blackforest

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This is a little old, (as in a month or so), but so beautifully stated. Most of us have slipped into a bizarre routine of hot coffee and online Mass, something we couldn’t have fathomed a year ago. This video helps make sense of it all. Feel free to spend a quick 10 minutes on it, then share your thoughts!

 
Luckily we’ve been back at “real” Mass–I go daily–since June. I did find the online Mass odd, but did it daily and thus never missed a beat. Just hope it was a once in a lifetime thing.
 
Corpus Christi? That dated it. I wonder how relaxed people are now.

I am concerned. Even though there is no Sunday Mass obligation now, I am shocked by how few will actually attend Mass. Sure, there may be some who are isolated, or in fear that the safety measures are not enough. Still, our Mass is so sparse, I wonder how many would never go to Mass if there was no Sunday obligation. Oh well, time for Mass…. in person.
 
I would love to attend Mass in person on Sunday, even though I’m in the danger age and with preexisting health problems —but while I luckily was able to attend the first two Sundays in June, people in my department on furlough were terminated then and guess who was lucky enough to draw the Sunday rotation (for which I am right now on a 5 minute break)? Yep, lucky lucky me. No Saturday Mass available as it’s in a completely different parish miles away and I have no transport as I do, or did, for Sundays. So I am beyond thankful to have the online Mass available. Before when I would have the occasional Sunday rotation and no chance for Saturday Mass even though I knew I was ‘technically’ excused from the obligation then, I still felt guilty (as you know, there are plenty of posters on here who will go all out telling people that nothing is ever ‘impossible’ and that if there were situations like Sunday work the REAL solution was to quit one’s job yeah right.). But I am hopeful that I’ll either be able to retire and attend Mass (in the hopefully not-too-distant future when it is available and I will be available!) or that we’ll get more staff and I won’t have to do this all the time!

Oh well back to work, good thing I had the online Mass very early this a.m.!
 
Does your area limit church gatherings to 30% capacity like they do where I live?
 
pnewton said:
I wonder how many would never go to Mass if there was no Sunday obligation.
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Most of them. I’ll freely admit that when I was a young person, the Sunday obligation was the only thing that made me keep going to what seemed to be a boring and uncomfortable weekly event. Ultimately the obligation was not even enough, as I eventually made a command decision to ignore the obligation and only go to Mass if I felt like it. I’m not proud of this, but I suspect there are many Catholics in a similar state of “baby Catholicism” who act now like I did then.
 
I did appreciate the EWTN online mass, IMO the homilies are better than the ones at my parish. But nothing beats the Eucharist so I’ve been back to the real Mass since they started having it with restrictions.
 
At this point, it is not an issue, but the way we lay it out, I say it is about 25%, Every other pew is skipped; only the ends are used to begin with; the longest might have three people, if all are alone; and families sit together, maybe taking the whole pew if large enough. There is as least 6 feet, more like 8 between the closes people. Everyone wears masks, and we exit by row.

We could hold 5 times the people who show up. Yet people aren’t there too much, at least on Sunday. It is interesting that daily Mass has probably increased attendance.
 
pnewton said:
At this point, it is not an issue, but the way we lay it out, I say it is about 25%, Every other pew is skipped; only the ends are used to begin with; the longest might have three people, if all are alone; and families sit together, maybe taking the whole pew if large enough. There is as least 6 feet, more like 8 between the closes people. Everyone wears masks, and we exit by row.

We could hold 5 times the people who show up. Yet people aren’t there too much, at least on Sunday. It is interesting that daily Mass has probably increased attendance.
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Pretty much the same as my parish. And that is interesting. Do you think people are taking advantage of the fact that the Sunday obligation has been relaxed and just choosing to go during the week instead?
 
Socrates92 said:
Do you think people are taking advantage of the fact that the Sunday obligation has been relaxed and just choosing to go during the week instead?
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Perhaps. And I do not know that anything is wrong with that. Is it because daily Mass is shorter? Is it because there is an assumption that Sunday Mass will be better attended, making daily Mass “safer.” My only thing is, if you do not go to Mass because you think you are in danger, fear or high risk, that is why the accommodation is being made. However, if you do this and also shop brick and mortar, go to restaurants, or any other place with more people and less safety measures, then at least be honest with your self and God that your reason for missing Mass is that you do not want to go.
 
I am grateful for the online Masses and hope they somehow continue even when we’re “back to normal”. For those who are shut in or unable to be at Mass due to health (or other legitimate reasons), the online Masses are a true blessing - an option I never felt I had before.
 
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I think most folks are still afraid, and as they expect fewer worshippers during the week, that that would be safer.

ICXC NIKA
 
I seem to recall that there were some Masses online even ante-19. I’ve no doubt that at least some will be maintained.

Then again, my folks loved hearing it from the Vatican, and that was discontinued; then from Toronto (ditto.)

I wonder, though, when (if) obligation is reinstated, how seriously will it be taken?

ICXC NIKA
 
pnewton said:
At this point, it is not an issue, but the way we lay it out, I say it is about 25%, Every other pew is skipped; only the ends are used to begin with; the longest might have three people, if all are alone; and families sit together, maybe taking the whole pew if large enough. There is as least 6 feet, more like 8 between the closes people. Everyone wears masks, and we exit by row.
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That pretty much describes the situation at our parish, and we’re pretty well packing out (under those conditions) four masses every weekend, not counting the two Hispanic masses. More importantly (well, maybe more importantly), Father says that donations have not dropped off, but are still meeting the needs.

D
 
pnewton said:
We could hold 5 times the people who show up. Yet people aren’t there too much, at least on Sunday. It is interesting that daily Mass has probably increased attendance.
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The first weekend we reopened I scheduled and extra mass to accommodate the possible numbers given that, like your church, we were effectively limited to 50% capacity. I needn’t have bothered - even allowing for the restrictions, we could easily have accommodated everyone in the one mass. Strill, the numbers increased from then on and are probably only slightly down on what I’d expect for this time of year - at that. A lot of people though are concerned - and no doubt more os in places where there’s still active cases and community transmission. They may still go shopping but that’s hardly comparable as a “social” activity. It that same social element though which I think helps to bring people back - after all we don’t worship as individuals but as members of a community - as well as their connection to the place (i.e. the church building). This probably also helps to explain the increase in daily mass attendance - people still want to come butt are concerned about the numbers (and no doubt also about being able to get in) on Sundays.
 
stpurl said:
guess who was lucky enough to draw the Sunday rotation (for which I am right now on a 5 minute break)? Yep, lucky lucky me. No Saturday Mass available as it’s in a completely different parish miles away and I have no transport as I do, or did, for Sundays. So I am beyond thankful to have the online Mass available. Before when I would have the occasional Sunday rotation and no chance for Saturday Mass even though I knew I was ‘technically’ excused from the obligation then, I still felt guilty
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Soooo… why not attend daily Mass on a day that you’re off?
 
I would if I had transportation available for the day I’m off and there is a daily Mass. The other day I’m off there is no Mass available anyway. However, I can hope that either we hire somebody for weekends and I can be relieved, or some other good solution presents itself.
 
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