Pastor's sign is for those who leave Mass early

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Pastor’s sign is for those who leave Mass early
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MOUNT CLEMENS – Some people still take off right after Communion at St. Peter Church, but not as many now that they have to walk under signs that read “Judas left early too.”
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Fr. Cooney says putting the signs up at each of the three exits was “a bit of Irish diplomacy” aimed at addressing a long-standing source of frustration for many Catholic priests: people who leave Mass early, rather than staying for the dismissal.
Perhaps one of the reasons the signs had a positive effect is that he introduced them with humor, rather than scolding the congregation, he believes.
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“It did have an effect. And I think seeing it makes people stop and think,” Fr. Cooney says.
He says he first learned of the signs from parishioner Brendan Wagner. “He had seen it in a catalogue, and ordered it just to bring it in as a joke. So, he started to leave with it, and I said, ‘Where are you going with that?’ He said, ‘You wouldn’t dare put that up, would you?’ ‘Not only will I, but I want you to order two more,’” Fr. Cooney recalls.
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Probably forty years ago Mom found out I had skipped out of Mass after Communion and told me, “Just remember who left the last supper first.”
Sorry to say I’ve missed Mass plenty of times since then but never left early.
 
Oh, that’s really clever. In 1987 I was in a parish where the pastor announced he was having the exit doors locked and posting sentries until Mass was over. Sure enough, there were ushers, looking a little like tough bouncers, standing at every exit the next week. I don’t remember how long that lasted, but I do remember that the entire congregation was straight-faced and attentive as though they’d never think of doing such a thing. Including the ones who always did…😃
 
This is not a new thing. When I was a child our Parish did the same thing. Boy, I remember that some of the adults were angry because they talked about it after Mass and as a child you generally don’t worry about what the adults said because you found your friends and played while they talked but after this you couldn’t help but hear the angry tones so you listened in. The same thing happened after the first Paul VI masses (OF, NO) only this time you had those who thought the Church was going to hell and those who thought it was wonderful and were defending it.

Leaving early is as old as “modern” Mass (possibly from the time of Constantinople when being a Catholic was no longer illegal). I can’t imagine the earlier Christians doing that though.

Brenda V.
 
I think it is hilarious but I’m not really sure it is appropriate.
I don’t think leaving early is much of a problem at my parish (expect, of course, for the CEOs). We have a tradition at my parish whereby everyone kneels and silently prays an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the next of our parish to die. So we don’t really have a noise or leaving early problem.
 
Mel_Stones said:
I think it is hilarious but I’m not really sure it is appropriate.
I don’t think leaving early is much of a problem at my parish (expect, of course, for the CEOs). We have a tradition at my parish whereby everyone kneels and silently prays an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the next of our parish to die. So we don’t really have a noise or leaving early problem.
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Congratulations.
Unforutunately we have both problems. Not so much with leaving early, as with Noise after mass. Sometimes it’s like a Cafeteria. REally hard to pray.

Peace
James
 
I love this!

At our parish, you would have a hard time praying before of after Mass. It is often loud to the 60% of attendees who are there by the time Mass starts. The remainder come in whenever and make up for it by beating the procession out of the church. Needless to say, there is no reverence after Mass either. We seem to be victims of a TV culture.

An adjoining parish has a genuine Irish priest who often tells people they should come on time and should leave after the final hymn is concluded. There are signs over the door asking that people maintain a prayerful attitude inside the church. It makes a world of difference.
 
Wow, that idea of the whole church praying immediately after Mass for the next person in the parish who will die is a great idea. It’s such a serious reminder it stops you in your tracks, and who in their right mind would refuse to do that?
 
Great. Alienate the people who you need to pull back in.

Maybe addressing the reason that these people are leaving would be more beneficial. Why are they leaving - do they not believe? Are they simply fulfilling their obligation?

Yes, people coming in late and leaving early is a serious problem, but throwing some flip “Irish diplomacy” phrase at people is not a serious response.
 
Why in the world would it alienate anyone? People know how they’re supposed to behave; there’s nothing to be offended about. I’ve heard pastors talk until they’re blue in the face, including the one who locked the doors and posted 'bouncer" ushers, about why people leave and why they shouldn’t and the significance of even the last few words of the Mass. It doesn’t help. Sometimes the only way to get people’s attention and make them realize that, ‘oops. I’m caught and this applies to me.’ is to handle it in an unexpected way.
 
At our parish we say 3 Hail Mary’s at the end of mass. 1 for the person next to you, one for your personal intention and 1 for the person that will die that day.

I think a gentle reminder about arriving late and leaving early should be posted in the church bulletin once a year. 😉
 
FickleFreckled said:
Why in the world would it alienate anyone? People know how they’re supposed to behave; there’s nothing to be offended about. I’ve heard pastors talk until they’re blue in the face, including the one who locked the doors and posted 'bouncer" ushers, about why people leave and why they shouldn’t and the significance of even the last few words of the Mass. It doesn’t help. Sometimes the only way to get people’s attention and make them realize that, ‘oops. I’m caught and this applies to me.’ is to handle it in an unexpected way.
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I think it’s highly offensive to compare someone leaving early to the person who betrayed Christ. It shuts off all dialog.

My point is that there is a reason these people are leaving, and it’s a personal reason that has to do with their belief and with their salvation. You can embarrass them into staying, but you haven’t addressed the cause, the symptom.

If you don’t address a symptom of disease,and just ignore it and tell people to pretend it isn’t there, it usually gets worse, it doesn’t get better.
 
The sign we had in our old parish church (circa early 1970’s) was a little more verbose. It read, “The first person to leave Mass early was Judas!”

I didn’t get it when I was a kid, but I remember that if, for some reason, on rare occasions, we had to leave early, Dad always led us out the side door (the sign was over the main door)… I guess it pricked his conscience. But years later, when the sign was taken down (because others deemed it offensive), and Dad saw how many more people were ducking out right after communion than ever before, he NEVER led us out early.
 
Certainly such a sign could be read as offensive - by those leaving early.
For those wh remain, it would most likely be seen less so.

The OP did mention that the pastor introduced the signs by commenting on them in a lighthearted way.

I also agree that such signs can “close off dialog”, but they can also cause "the scales to fall from ones eyes so that they might realize how rude they are being to their Dear Lord. After all they are being asked to spend an hour or less, comfortably, with Jesus. Jesus spent a decidedly uncomfortable three hours on the Cross for us.

Surely there can be legitimate reasons for leaving mass before dismissal. But such reasons are few and far between. At most, one or two people might have need to do this at any given mass. When the same people are leaving early from every mass, I think that the pastor has every right to try and get them to think a bit.

Peace
James
 
FickleFreckled said:
Wow, that idea of the whole church praying immediately after Mass for the next person in the parish who will die is a great idea. It’s such a serious reminder it stops you in your tracks, and who in their right mind would refuse to do that?
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Yeah, it is really great. We have had a number of parishioners express in their final hours the comfort they feel at having the entire congregation pray for them.
 
I remember seeing a sign in front of a church that said:

C H _ _ C H

What is missing?
 
PaulinVA said:
I think it’s highly offensive to compare someone leaving early to the person who betrayed Christ. It shuts off all dialog.

My point is that there is a reason these people are leaving, and it’s a personal reason that has to do with their belief and with their salvation. You can embarrass them into staying, but you haven’t addressed the cause, the symptom.

If you don’t address a symptom of disease,and just ignore it and tell people to pretend it isn’t there, it usually gets worse, it doesn’t get better.
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What diolog is that? What is the diesease?
 
estesbob said:
What diolog is that? What is the diesease?
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The dialog that needs to be had is with those people who are leaving early. Why are they leaving early? Is there catechisis that needs to occur? Do they not care? Is there a lack of belief that needs to be addressed?

The disease analogy is that the leaving early is a symptom of something going on in these peoples’ lives. Finding and treating the cause of the leaving early is better than shaming people into staying and not addressing the underlying issue.
 
Personally I do not think this is a good idea. I stay until the end of Mass, I do not leave early but this would even alienate me.

I would speak to the pastor and if they stayed up I would leave and find a new parish and let the pastor know why.

It just seems very judgmental and uncharitable. Especially if this parish has added prayers after the end of Mass.
 
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