Pew Pet Peeve

[SMHW]

Some people have natural preferences for where they sit. Other people don’t seem to care where they sit.

I suspect it is very difficult for those who don’t have a preference to think that it is OK for those that do have such a preference to even attempt to indulge it.

So I wonder… is it OK to even attempt to sit where one likes at Mass?

 

[Nigel7]

wow! I hope you, at the very least, said something to the priest before you left!

Oh yes, of course, at the very least.
I also reported the 150+ people whom I suspected were taking communion in an unworthy manner last night, giving their physical descriptions to the priest, while also questioning every one of them as they entered the communion line, pointing at them while yelling “SACRILEGE!! SACRILEGE!!”, and also having no idea where the girl whom I’d overheard was sitting I proceeded to crawl around underneath every pew of the large cathedral in hopes of finding the blessed sacrament in question, even checking the bottoms of everyone’s shoes as they exited. We had the place on lock-down, but to no avail. I also drew a sketch of the girl in question and gave it to the priest so that he may better recognize this girl and refuse her reception next time, if there is a next time, which isn’t likely since like so many others attending and receiving the blessed sacrament this Lenten season, she probably wasn’t even Catholic.
Offenses abound.

 

[figs]

Oh yes, of course, at the very least.
I also reported the 150+ people whom I suspected were taking communion in an unworthy manner last night, giving their physical descriptions to the priest, while also questioning every one of them as they entered the communion line, pointing at them while yelling “SACRILEGE!! SACRILEGE!!”, and also having no idea where the girl whom I’d overheard was sitting I proceeded to crawl around underneath every pew of the large cathedral in hopes of finding the blessed sacrament in question, even checking the bottoms of everyone’s shoes as they exited. We had the place on lock-down, but to no avail. I also drew a sketch of the girl in question and gave it to the priest so that he may better recognize this girl and refuse her reception next time, if there is a next time, which isn’t likely since like so many others attending and receiving the blessed sacrament this Lenten season, she probably wasn’t even Catholic.
Offenses abound.

You could have told the priest so they could look for it , retieve it and take care of it properly.
Do yout hink Christ should have just been left on the floor for the cleaning crew?

 

[Nigel7]

you know who has been to confession and who hasn’t ? really?you have some kind of special insight into other’s soul?
**
you should offer your services to your parish’s pastor so as to put a stop to these desecrations .**

Yes, I should really do that. Thank you for the advice.

 

[CB_Catholic]

A vent.

It’s long been one of my pet peeves that people sit on the very end of the pews so no one else can get in. It happened again this morning at Mass. My wife and I usually sit in the same place every week, some weeks one pew further back, sometimes even further if there’s something special that has the first rows blocked. We don’t freak if someone is in “our” spot. (That can be another thread some day) But today we arrived, our usual pew had one guy at one end, and a couple at the other end, and over twenty feet in between was empty. The people on the end were kneeling, so we couldn’t just edge past them. So we slid in the pew behind, and moved as far in as we could.

The church filled up. Our pew had five groups in it. The pew ahead was still blocked by the end sitters. Time for the collection. The baskets come. Since our pew was full, it whisked right down the row. The pew ahead got the basket, but it was too far to hand the basket to the neighbor at the distant end, so they handed it back a row, disrupting the orderly movement. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

WHY do people insist on sitting on the ends? We always sit in the center, even if the pew was empty when we arrived. That way the later arrivals can just slide right in, from either end, with no commotion.

And on a related note, why won’t people slide over a little? We had a comfortable gap between us and the neighbor to our right one week, and a family arrived a bit late and came in from our left. They were packed like sardines, so I nudged my wife and we slid over a couple feet. Now my wife was going to be sharing a kneeler with her neighbors, not with me. But who cares? The late arrivals were dumbstruck that we slid over for them! The woman’s face went like this, literally: :bigyikes: she shouldn’t have been amazed, it’s just common courtesy, if not just common sense.

Vent over.

I sit at the end because I have to take a diuretic and have a “weak bladder”. I can then get up and go to the bathroom if I have to without climbing over a whole row of people. Not all of us are just being uncharitable and selfish, many have good reasons. But you wouldn’t know that and are assuming the worst. And most people would have no objections to you edging in if they are kneeling, they most likely expect it.

 

[jmcrae]

Oh yes, of course, at the very least.

Seriously - you do, in fact, have a duty to report actual desecrations. You can be excommunicated for not doing so.

As for the rest, you can’t read hearts, and you have no way of knowing who is “worthy” or not. Even some Protestants may have privately received special permission for some pastoral reason.

 

[Anna_Claire]

“If you want to rant then maybe rant about those who knowingly take communion in an unworthy manner, without having gone to confession first, thereby desecrating the body of Christ through their reception of the blessed sacrament. I’ve noticed that these offenses appear to be many during Lent. I’ve been saddened this season to see how many people are taking communion who obviously should not (since they obviously have no idea what they are doing during mass and during communion).
I even heard a girl after mass last night laughing with her friends about how she’d taken the blessed sacrament out of her mouth after receiving and thrown it on the floor near where she was seated. So many offenses happening during this Lenten season.”

Obviously you are not participating in the liturgy if you are being so observant of others. The church is so lucky to have you as her defender…not!!

 

[opus101]

Not the entire congregation, surely.

The majority of it is pure thoughtlessness, at best.

Some people have already admitted that they won’t move or get out of the way because they feel the need to punish people for wanting to sit down in “their” pew.

Yes, I’m aware of this situation, and as I said, it can be frustrating. It has happened to me, too. Once I was sitting in the middle of a back pew, and a man came in (after me!) and asked me to move because it was “his” seat! Nevertheless, some people DO have good reasons, and they shouldn’t have to wear a disclaimer on their foreheads about why they need to sit on the end.

 

[Nigel7]

Obviously you are not participating in the liturgy if you are being so observant of others. The church is so lucky to have you as her defender…not!!

I participate completely, accept for receiving communion for the time being, of course.

But thank you, Anna.

 

[jmcrae]

Yes, I’m aware of this situation, and as I said, it can be frustrating. It has happened to me, too. Once I was sitting in the middle of a back pew, and a man came in (after me!) and asked me to move because it was “his” seat!

What was his excuse?

Nevertheless, some people DO have good reasons, and they shouldn’t have to wear a disclaimer on their foreheads about why they need to sit on the end.

My experience is that people with real reasons will, in fact, get up for you and let you in. It’s those who want to justify themselves who won’t let you in at all, and, as the lady so eloquently phrased it, make you stand in the rain, for all they care.

 

[Castello]

It seems as if 95% of Catholics have this heart-rending disability. I always wonder how you all cope with going to the bathroom, and riding in a car, and and being at work all day.

I have dwarfism and stand a little over 3 feet tall. In a car, I can see out the windows. At work I do not have to stand in a hole surrounded by close standing people where all I see in front of me is someone’s rear end. I’ve rarely gone to the bathroom while 20 people crowd around me.

A bit of charity for those of us who ACTUALLY have a condition might not kill you

 

[Bob_Aliano]

Way back when I was working our VP decided to take away all the management reserved parking spaces, these were, of course, closest to the door. He told us that if we wanted to have the best parking spots we could get there before our employees. Now it seems to me this would apply to pew seats as well, so rather than gripe, get there earlier.

 

[Joan_M]

I sit at the end of a pew because I like to sit there. I have no problem moving out of the way to let someone else come in to the pew. I cannot see why anyone would need to vent about people who sit at the end of any pew.

When the venting people come in to the church are there no pews without people sitting at each end? Can that be possible? I doubt it. If the pew you usually sit in has people in it, find another one!! If all the pews have someone sitting at each end, then, clearly you just need to say “excuse me, please” and pass them - either they will stand up and/or move into the aisle to let you pass, or you just move past them anyway. I do not know of any pew that is so narrow that it is absolutely impossible to move past the occupant - either they are sitting or they are kneeling. If they are sitting, you pass in front of them, sideways, if necessary. If they are kneeling, you pass behind them, sideways, if necessary.

What the fuss is all about, i have no idea. It is just not worth all the fussing about. People are entitled to come into the church and sit where it suits them without others griping about where they sit.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

I always sit on the end of the pew…alone. I do it because it’s very uncomfortable for me to squished in a group of people. I also do it because I’m exceptionally good a forgetting which pew I was in when coming back from communion. This way all my stuff is on the end, so I can easily spot my pew.

I don’t see what the big deal is. If you want to sit in the pew, just say “Excuse me” and I’m sure the person will move to let you in.

If it’s really such a big deal, just get to Mass earlier. I get to Mass nice and early to get my seat away from as many little children as possible. Now, that’s something to vent about. Get stuck in a pew filled with ill-behaved children and parents who do nothing about it.

 

[Allegra]

I like to try and sit on the end because I’m fat. It makes it easier at communion when I don’t have the do the hilarious fat-lady-sideways-shuffle through the pew. Sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll be happy to let you through.

 

[Jeanne_S]

Way back when I was working our VP decided to take away all the management reserved parking spaces, these were, of course, closest to the door. He told us that if we wanted to have the best parking spots we could get there before our employees. Now it seems to me this would apply to pew seats as well, so rather than gripe, get there earlier.

 

[Jeanne_S]

I always sit on the end of the pew…alone. I do it because it’s very uncomfortable for me to squished in a group of people. I also do it because I’m exceptionally good a forgetting which pew I was in when coming back from communion. This way all my stuff is on the end, so I can easily spot my pew.

I don’t see what the big deal is. If you want to sit in the pew, just say “Excuse me” and I’m sure the person will move to let you in.

If it’s really such a big deal, just get to Mass earlier. I get to Mass nice and early to get my seat away from as many little children as possible. Now, that’s something to vent about. Get stuck in a pew filled with ill-behaved children and parents who do nothing about it.

:thumbsup:Amen!

 

[Hmgbrd]

I confess to being one of those whose sit on the outer aisle. But my reasons are that I still cannot yet receive communion until Easter Vigil. (RCIA official Candidate as of today!) It makes it a whole lot easier just to stand and let the people in at the beginning of mass and then clear the way quickly by standing aside next to the pew when they return after receiving. There is only sometimes a conflict when while waiting for my pew to return in the outer aisle when I end up blocking those people who were in the front rows during the beginning of the Mass and who are leaving early after receiving.

 

[marleelynn]

I have to sit in the end of a pew because I have SEVERE claustrophobia. I will have a panic attack if I am closed in.

When someone wants in, I step out, let them inside and sit back down at the end of the pew. If there are no ends available, I will stand at the back of Church or even in the vestibule.

I’m the same way … I need to sit on the end too since I am claustrophobic.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

You know what…I sit on the end of the pew…and don’t feel the need to justify it…I get there early. iI will gladly let you through to the inside…but why should I get there early only to find myself looking at the back of someone’s head because someone else got there late:shrug: