Praying in church during the week

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I was wondering what other people have experienced when trying to pray in your church during the week before/after daily Mass or at non-specific times of the day. My experiences have been varied: my parish tends to be chatty, even surrounding daily Mass, so it is hard to really be able to sit quiety and pray before or after any Mass - even the priests are chatty and on the loud side in the main sancuary at times. Also, churches tend to be all locked up, mostly in the evenings when you can get there, so after the daily late afternoon Mass is over, the priest will lock up, turn out the lights and leave. I often find after daily Mass is a good time for quiet reflection and prayer because everyone else has left and the chattyness with them, so it allows a more focused prayer time for me. I guess I am wondering what others have experieced and if they are similar to mine, what things have you done to overcome some of these distractions and feelings of being shut out or even literally locked inside the church (but at least being able to get out, just not in)!
 
Our church is locked unless something is going on. I understand why, concerns about vandalism or desecration. I would like to be able to go and pray, however. It is one of the only places where I can concentrate in prayer. When desparate I have parked in the parking lot and prayed there.

During office hours we can go to the parish office and have someone let us in, but when I really need to pray, I don’t want to do that, really. I want to slip in unnoticed and sit without interacting with people.

It would be nice if it could be a freely accessible place of prayer during the day, but its not the end of the world, I’m used to it being locked.
 
My church is locked except during Masses or services, too. Even when my son and I have scheduled adoration we have to get a key from the convent.

It is a pity that churches cannot be open 24 hours a day, a haven and a sancturary for all. But last month a church nearby was severely vandalized (nearly $250,000). What the teenaged boys did was despicable.

The chapel at my son’s school is open from 7 am until evening (that is, it is never locked as long as the school is open), so I tend to pray there. It is pretty neat seeing teenagers popping in and out during the school day to say a quick prayer!

'thann
 
Try to find an adoration chapel if you have churches that are locked. They tend to be open and prayful all the time.
 
Dear friends

At all costs the Eucharist must be protected, it is Jesus who we think of first and not our desire to sit with Him in His Real Presence. It is a sad sign of our times that the Eucharist, Jesus, is a target for destruction, but this is exactly what satan desires, if the Eucharist is attacked, furthermore if there are no priests, if they are attacked then satan has destroyed on earth what he set out to do.

It makes me sad that the Blessed sacrament cannot have perpetual vigil in our churches.

Make an appointment to spend time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament or as others have advised you well previously.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa
 
I was wondering what other people have experienced when trying to pray in your church during the week before/after daily Mass or at non-specific times of the day.
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I escape as often as I can to St. Mary’s Cathedral during the weekday, which has never been locked whenever I’ve arrived. There’s no chit-chat there. You could here a pin drop. Before mass, there’s usually a group of people silently praying. After Mass, a suprisingly large group begin to recite the Rosary together. It’s something I look forward to when my schedule allows it.

However, at my home parish, lots of chit-chat. Nevertheless, I have teenage kids running throughout the house while I’m trying to study, so I’ve developed an ability to just tune things out. I’m a little bothered by the chit chat before and after Mass, but I’m able to deal with it.

One time, however, there was a baptism right after the last Mass and prior to our Mass. Some kids from the baptism were running around playing tag around and underneath the altar. theologyreview.com/ubb/eek.gif I happen to have looked up from praying my Rosary and saw them. I walk over to them and told them they were on holy ground, and asked them to leave and go find their parents. I was so tense I thought I was going to bust my Rosary. The people in the first 3 pews were very thankful that I intervened. I couldn’t believe some parents allowed their children to run rampant around the altar.
 
My parish has a key pad lock on the chapel. All church members have the code to get in, Father strongly admonished us NOT to give out. Unless a special activity is taking place, chapel is quiet and alone during the day. Sad that no one visits our Lord more.

I love to go there during the day for what I call, “One on One” time with my Lord. One time though, Father had forgotten something in the chapel, and when he entered, very suddenly, I thought I was going to have a heart attack. :eek:

I love it when it’s just the two of us there, (the Lord and me). I feel so close to him. Like I don’t have to share Him with anyone, and I have His undivided attention. 👍
 
Our parish church is close to downtown, and due to several instances of vandalism and more serious sacrilege it must be kept locked. The adoration chapel is between the rectory and office, and is open 8-5 weekdays, and there is enough foot traffic for security. We will be open Tues and Wed evenings during CCD, since I will be there to lock up. another church in town is open all day, but they have 3 order priests and someone is around all the time, they also pay a security guard. the basilica of la Virgen de San Juan del Valle is also open all day and evening, it is a pilgrimage site and tourist attraction, but they have lots of security. A parish in the next town has perpetual adoration, with off duty cop in parking lot all night. thre are solutions, but it takes the will and resources to make it work.
 
It’s very sad that our churches are locked. It breaks my heart. But, we must remember that although Christ is especially present in the blessed Sacrament, we also can spiritually access God with our own devotions at home, in the woods, on a mountain top, in the car or on a train.

A wonderful thing is to create a sacred space in our homes: a special small hut, an altar, a prayer closet. Remember that Jesus told us to pray in secret, whilst alone. It is important to the contemplative life. So lets not be discouraged!🙂
 
It is so sad to hear all of you who have churches that are locked nearly all of the time. Indeed, my church is locked some of the time but is open all of the daylight hours, and if it is locked you can buzz through to the rectory and they will ask you to identify yourself and then will let you in.

The church is usually very quiet, very peaceful and very spiritual.
 
we have a chapel at one of the catholic churches here in town with perpetual adoration - so you can go anytime, day or night, and pray.

st mary’s, where i go, is open from 7am to 11pm, and is almost always extremely quiet inside. the priests have spoken a few times on the necessity for quiet before and after mass, as we’re ‘overrun’ (that God for that) by college students, and they can get pretty loud when they’re ‘fellowshiping’. 🙂

yet another thing i love about being catholic is visiting churches whenever i travel, and spending a few moments in prayer in the quiet, usually cool, interior of a local church. very peaceful.
 
We have an adoration chapel, the church is unlocked until 4:00 but the adoration door is seperate so you can go anytime, after morning Mass I would run there a lot in the summer because after Mass even when you are trying to pray well meaning friends who I do not see often enough will slide in my pew and talk or the other ladies will stand and talk. So I run reverently to the chapel.
 
The Church that has noon daily Mass that I go to, locks the doors about 5 minutes after Mass. I usually go early to Mass, so I can pray without distraction.

The parish that I am a member of, doesn’t have a noon Mass only an 8:00 A.M. Mass daily, but they keep the church doors open until 10:00 P.M. Makes it so nice for people who want to visit at other than Mass time.

:blessyou:
Annie
 
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HumbleObedience:
A wonderful thing is to create a sacred space in our homes: a special small hut, an altar, a prayer closet. Remember that Jesus told us to pray in secret, whilst alone. It is important to the contemplative life. So lets not be discouraged!🙂
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This makes me reflect how very blessed I am! I can’t get to daily Mass, nor to any unlocked church during my working day, BUT I do live alone (which I LOVE) and I have a spare bedroom upstairs with a beautiful view of the bare hills behind my city. Now that we are into spring here and have just started daylight saving (clocks forward 1 hour till March) the evenings are reasonably light after dinner and I go up there to pray. It is supremely quiet. I can be alone with God. (I may be joined by a loudly purring cat on my knee, but that is a nice symbol of what I’m doing, I hope:love: !!)
What bliss.
 
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thann:
My church is locked except during Masses or services, too. Even when my son and I have scheduled adoration we have to get a key from the convent.

It is a pity that churches cannot be open 24 hours a day, a haven and a sancturary for all. But last month a church nearby was severely vandalized (nearly $250,000). What the teenaged boys did was despicable.

The chapel at my son’s school is open from 7 am until evening (that is, it is never locked as long as the school is open), so I tend to pray there. It is pretty neat seeing teenagers popping in and out during the school day to say a quick prayer!

'thann
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That was such a tragedy. Our parish had been broken into several times, too. Busted 2 90 year old stained glass windows, & busted off the offertory box for candles. They even got into the Adoration chapel, but were scared off by the adorers. Funny thing, the break-ins stopped when the house acrose the street was sold…
 
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