Perfume and cologne-free mass?

[SMHW]

So true. It’s human nature for people not to follow laws, especially ones that may not be just or right either in everyone’s eyes or in that individual’s eyes alone.

Indeed. And I deliberately said that the world would be different. I never said it would be better or worse.

 

[Sarabande]

Indeed. And I deliberately said that the world would be different. I never said it would be better or worse.

Yup! I got that! I had hoped my stuck out tongue smilie made the point that I picked up on that. hahaha! If only we could translate our inflections on paper. Or should I say, on the computer screen?

 

[BSHoop96]

(No, I’m not concerned about incense. While I’m sure there are people made ill by incense, this is not nearly as heavily concentrated a set of chemicals as the average cologne or perfume.)

I just called the local Diocese to ask who’s offering fragrance-free mass in town, and they acted like they’d never heard of such a thing. Since so many people are made severely ill (asthma attacks, migraine, seizures, vomiting, dizziness and falling, etc. etc. etc.) by cologne and perfume, it’s continually amazing to me how few people know that this is a major problem. It kept my mother from participating in Catholicism at all, and since I’ve been trying to return to the Church, I’ve been playing Goldilocks trying to find a seat where I can breathe (even at the early service, which is the least crowded).

This seems like an important enough issue for the U.S. Bishops to take it on. I’ve not seen a single Church in town that doesn’t have wheelchair access, so how come there aren’t any that offer even one fragrance-free mass? (The only reference I found on line was for one service at one church about 900 miles away.) I desperately miss the Church, and want to particpate, but how can I if doing so makes me Ill, or if I have to constantly change seats, or get up and leave in the middle of the service? Who needs that much constant stress, and none of it’s exactly conducive to contemplation.

I’ve not mentioned anything (yet) at my local parish because I’m already fighting this war in at work as a result of a heavy user who’s moved into my work area recently (and, yes, there’s a Union lawyer involved). I’m assuming best practice would be to not “go over anyone’s head”, but I don’t want to get a reputation as a trouble maker when I’m still one of the new kids and nervous about everything anyway.

Help?

Well since you’re having such a hard time finding a fragrance-free Mass maybe it isn’t such a big problem.

Do you really expect a priest to ask everyone to not wear perfume, cologne, aftershave, lotion, deodorant, anything at all that can have fragrance for those very few whom it bothers? Have you tried a mask?

 

[SMHW]

Yup! I got that! I had hoped my stuck out tongue smilie made the point that I picked up on that. hahaha! If only we could translate our inflections on paper. Or should I say, on the computer screen?

Actually your smilie did make that clear.

I’m just never sure if people are just agreeing with what I said and just happen to be amused by it

…or if they are agreeing with what I said ***and ***are affirming my attempts at humor.:tiphat:

 

[Junebug999]

yes maybe a mask is a good idea…

we have something like this going on at our workplace too. and the gal who is so sensitive dyes her hair (have you ever smelled that?) and she takes her breaks with a smoker outside. But inside she is trying to control that no one uses hand lotion, hairspray, scents…

but i digress – maybe the OP should try a mask that would be a good idea – or maybe the use of oxygen while at church? I have seen some people with lung problems in those little scooters with their oxygen with them and the tube in their nose – maybe that would help! Good luck!

 

[Lainey63]

I also get migraines from colgnes & perfumes…but I just deal with it. It’s not bad at church, but it can be real bad at work. Musk & flowery scents seems to be the worst for me. Fruity scents don’t bother me. Fortunately, we have a virtual office so I am one of the few at the actual office, so its not a daily thing. I would rather sit next to someone with colgone on than someone with stenching BO…

 

[Cluny]

It kept my mother from participating in Catholicism at all,

Of course, no Protestant has ever worn perfume or cologne, right?

Now, be reasonable. Can you imagine how this would sound: “We don’t want you to come to Mass if you wear perfume, cologne, oir aftershave.”

 

[suroor]

I also suffer from smelling synthetic fragrances ever since I was in the Persian Gulf War and am not sure why. I WOULD rather smell BO than perfume because those sythetic fragrances makes me so ill. No joke. I do not suffer from headaches, but sometimes get so ill I feel I will vomit or get diarrhea. I think of smelling these fragrances as badly as inhaling second-hand smoke. Obviously there are more and more people with these issues. I don’t expect anyone to stop using deodorant, but let’s face it…we pile on fragrance after fragrance on our bodies. Everything is scented (shampoo, soap, lotions, deodorant, hair products, after shave, etc.). To put on cologne after all that seems ridiculous if you think about it. But, on top of that, many will spray air fresheners into a room. I didn’t care about it until it happened to me and do wish others would tone it down. I think it’s a great idea to suggest a statement be placed in the church bulletin or an annoucement at the end of mass as a reminder/suggestion. Even have a small fragrance-free section of the church designated. I would love to have something like this in church, on a plane, in the workplace, etc.

[edited]

 

[jeanne71350]

I’d also reccomend a mask. Perhaps if you really want a fragrance-free mass, start a petition.

 

[stinkcat_14]

Not to belittle the troubles of the OP, but can you imagine the likely odor of the first mass? I bet those guys really stunk given the lack of bathing facilities, washing machines, etc. They probably stunk so bad that they were all used to it.

 

[Marauder]

Not to belittle the troubles of the OP, but can you imagine the likely odor of the first mass? I bet those guys really stunk given the lack of bathing facilities, washing machines, etc. They probably stunk so bad that they were all used to it.

The problem isn’t smells in general the problem is artificial smells. Most of the people I know that deal with this, me included, don’t have a problem with naturally occuring smells like B.O. and most other natural smells. It’s the perfumes, colognes and other manufactured scents that are the problem. For me the only naturally occuring scents that can trigger a migrane are certain tropical flowers.

Luckily if I know I may have a problem with this, like at a Easter or Christmas Mass when people tend to pile on the perfume, I can take Tylenol and it will usually head off the problem.

 

[DevotedCatholic]

There will be many opinions on this issue, since a large number of people have not complained throughout the world who go church especially the Catholic Church about Perfume and Cologne, although I dont think it would hurt to mention to the Pastor at your parish about people cutting down on how much they use or there is a chance you could have a sensitivity to different kind of smells. A lot of people are this not just you. Other then that there is not a whole lot you can do but go to an earlier mass where you are not smelling all that.

 

[Sarabande]

The problem isn’t smells in general the problem is artificial smells. Most of the people I know that deal with this, me included, don’t have a problem with naturally occuring smells like B.O. and most other natural smells. It’s the perfumes, colognes and other manufactured scents that are the problem. For me the only naturally occuring scents that can trigger a migrane are certain tropical flowers.

Luckily if I know I may have a problem with this, like at a Easter or Christmas Mass when people tend to pile on the perfume, I can take Tylenol and it will usually head off the problem.

Yes, this is really what people who have sensitivity to certain smells deal with. Most, like you have said, can handle the natural smells of body odor and other things. They don’t get asthma attacks, migraines, etc. from natural smells of the body. My mother carries her inhaler with her, as well as water and other things to help ward off an attack, but that doesn’t always work. Certain perfumes are so strong, that the only thing she can do is leave for a while.

 

[yellowbicycle]

At our church, actually there IS a woman who is HIGHLY sensitive to perfumes and cologne.
She sits in the cry room - I always wondered why she was there. No kids, so why sit in there, eh?
But, she says since the cry room is so sparsely populated, and usually parents aren’t wearing perfume so it suits her just fine!
So, maybe attend a parish with an enclosed cry room and attend at the mass with the fewest little ones? Just a suggestion!

 

[Sheeniac]

Most of the world is insensitive to those of us with scent issues. Most perfumes will trigger a terrible migraine - and it doesn’t have to be a lot. I’ve gotten them in situations where I couldn’t even consciously smell the offending trigger.

But certain people get very offended if you ask them to stop wearing it around you. Why that is, I have NO idea. It’s almost like perfume or cologne is part of their very identity.

I sit way up in front and rarely have issues, thank heavens.

 

[benedictgal]

I’m not talking about adding a service; I’m talking about have one Sunday mass declared fragrance-free.

I already attend the earliest, least crowded mass. I am already moving around constantly to get away from the users. That’s my point. Why even bother going to Church at all if it’s just stressful and migraine-inducing, and it I can’t relax at all worrying about who’s going to sit down where next? Why not just take society’s orders, i.e. that disabled people deserve to be socially isolated?

To Passus:

Some estimates conclude there are at least 50 million of us in the U.S. alone are made ill by fragrances. At least 26 million Americans alone have asthma.

So, you’re saying you approve of Churches that aren’t accessible to the disabled? Or, are you saying that God hates migraineurs, et al., so it’s perfectly understandable that we don’t get to play Catholic with the normies?

Most, perhaps all, people shouldn’t be exposed to many of the poisons in perfume and cologne. In fact, because many fragrances are now benzene and gasoline-based, it’s quite likely that heavy users are addicted to the high they get from spraying up in the AM, and this is one reason they refuse (or are physcially unable) to not wear the stuff even for a couple of hours.

A site with more info on the subject. whereisgod.net/pfchurch.htm

[edited]

As most people who read these threads know, I suffer from migraines, many of which are exceedingly painful. My triggers are more olafactory than ocular, meaning that I am very sensitive to scents. Cigarette smoke and strong perfumes are my kryptonite.

That being said, I can only use fragrances like Amazing Grace, Pure Grace, Baby Grace and Falling in Love. Scents like Juicy Couture, Chanel, Lancome and others trigger a migraine rather quickly.

Our parish has daily Mass in the cry room. Because of Lent, the Masses have been crowded. A woman arrived late and sat in the seat next to mine (I was proclaiming the readings). When I returned to my seat, let’s just say that the perfume arrived before I got there and she was sitting next to me. It was not good. There will be those who, perhaps, could say, offer it up for Lent, but, unless you have had a migraine, these are not to be taken lightly.

That is why I try to sit away from people during Mass, discreetly, of course, but, it’s not that I am antisocial. It’s just that it’s for self-preservation.

 

[Anne1964]

People who don’t have a problem with artificial scents and perfumes often don’t seem to understand how serious it can be for those of us who are sensitive to these things.

Certain perfumes will give me an almost instant migraine. I sit on the back row at church where there is a constant air flow, which helps to dissipate most of the scents. My biggest problem is at Easter with the Easter lilies. Beautiful flowers, but if I get too close to them, I become nauseated.

My husband is much more sensitive to scents than I am and they make him physically ill. He cannot go into many stores that carry fragrances and incense. I no longer burn scented candles in our house because they bother my husband so much.

I think it’s a great idea to designate a section of pews as non-fragrance.

 

[mantilla410]

Friend of mine in Nebraska, her mom is verrrrry sensitive to scents; gives her terrible migraines. And as benedictgal (and I) can attest, migraines are…well, they are Purgatory on Earth, let me tell you. So my friend’s mom had been wearing surgical masks to church for about 15 years. Problem resolved. Sure, she gets some funny looks from people who have never been to the parish before, everyone else just kinda expects to see her with her mask.

 

[allhers]

It seems I am allergic to the world, so I am taking medication BEFORE Mass so that I can make it through Mass, its really the only time I take it.
For some strange reason, at least in the Parish I am in, SOME women wait until they are in the pew and then spray their perfume on and start putting on lipstick and other things like scented lip gloss. Seems to me that if you don’t take the time to do this before Mass that you ought to just forgo it altogether.
We also get those who use hand creams and that stuff that you use for your hands, can’t think of the name of it right now, like doctors and nurses use, well apparently some of that stuff is also scented.
Anyway, I am either sneezing, coughing or having an outright asthma attack right there in the pew before I can get out of it when they start doing that stuff DURING Mass, I seem to be alright when it is done BEFORE they get there though, but every once in a great while, someone just may use too much or I just may be particularily sensitive to a certain odor and WHAM it hits me hard and fast and I can hardly breath. When my eyes start watering, I know I’m in trouble.
PLEASE, have mercy.

 

[daeve]

Like people who have never had a migraine can understand exactly what a migraine is, people who aren’t sensitive to scents can’t understand why a little perfume makes me sick. Before I got migraines, my mother would have horrible ones and my sister and I would kind of whisper to each, take an asprin for crying out loud. THEN we both started getting them and understood. There is no way to describe a migraine to someone who’s never had one.

I can remember getting on the elevator at work, and having to get off at the next floor because my eyes were watering, my throat was closing up and I was sneezing. You get in there with 5 or 6 people wearing way too much of 5 or 6 different scents…bleck. Some people wear so much that I can “taste” it, if you know what I mean. I have this theory that if you’re not kissing me and you can smell my perfume, I’m wearing too much. There’s only one I can wear at all, Bonne Belle Skin Musk, which for some reason doesn’t bother me and works very well with my personal chemistry, and is fortunately very inexpensive.

This is like cigarette smoke. The smoke may bother other people, or even make them sick, but some smokers believe they have the inalienable right to smoke. I guess the smellers believe they have the right to smell. I don’t think they realize (and some may just not care too, but I like to think there are not very many of those folks) that the sensitive people really have a problem and aren’t just being a pain.