I understand your need for cushions etc. But for your average teen to person in their 30s and 40s you dont need a cushion. For those people who need something bring a seat cushion, or ask the priest if you can keep some in a closet in the Church.
At my church people who need them bring cushions. I have gone to churches where if you need one they have cushions in the closet specifically for people who cannot sit on a hard pew for an hour and a half.
I am not trying to be uncharitable, I’m sorry if I am coming off that way. I just am tired of things like what happened at my old parish. Where people like my dad were thrilled with the cushioned pews and promptly fell asleep thanks to the added comfert. For your average parishioner padding on the pews does nothing to help your worship exprience, it in fact is a hindrence. Now if you have a medical condition then no padding is then a hindrence, and I understand that. My mom on her bad days needs a cushion at church, right now she is not to the point where she would most sundays but there are quite a few sundays where church is a real pain in the rump, litterally.
Again I am sorry if I sounded harsh or uncharitable. I was just speaking out of frustration.
But, I think you could agree with me that installing cushions on the pews just because some people want to be more comfertable is dumb, if they can stand an hour on a pew. But it is a different story when someone needs it lest they be in horrible pain.
I don’t agree that teens and people in their 30s and 40s are often not in pain. My kids were both figure skaters, and they grew up in pain! I’m serious. My older daughter cracked her hipbone when she was about 14, and spent a year in pain. My younger daughter has always had pain in her knees and back.
And lots of teenagers, especially athletes, have knee or back problems. It’s not just limited to the old. There are even teenagers that have arthritis. And there are teens that have other unseen disabilities that cause pain; .e.g, diabetes, menstrual cramping (my girls cried, it was so bad), deep vein thrombosis, etc.
And of course, there are many obese teenagers and people of all ages that I think would be in pain if they had to stand–please don’t say, “Well, they should just lose weight!” Easier said than done.
I know, I know–a lot of people will say, “Teens are falling apart! My generation was healthy.” Well, bully for you. It’s not your generation any more.
One other thought–it’s not just old people and people in pain who need pews. I would not come to church if I were a young mother with a baby (especially a nursing baby) and probably a few toddlers, and I had to stand up. Uh, UH! That’s cruel.
And starting in my 30s, my knees were chronically painful. And I knew many, MANY young women who had back problems–in fact, one of our 20-something students at the hospital was in a terrible crash a few years ago, has undergone multiple surgeries, and has rods in her back. (She also has to go the bathroom often due to lack of bladder control, so there ARE legitimate reasons why young people have to rush out of the sanctuary!)
We SHOULD NOT JUDGE others! We can’t always see the physical disabilities that others suffer. Just because someone looks capable of standing for an hour, or kneeling on a hard floor doesn’t mean that they really can do this.
If you are healthy and strong, thank the Lord and enjoy it while you can. The time may come, often unexpectedly, when you will no longer be able to do simple things like stand or kneel. Then you will appreciate it if others treat you with mercy and empathy, rather than accusing you of being a spiritual slacker.
Here is my suggestion for those who wish to experience a “self-denying” Mass. There is probably a place in the sanctuary where you can stand instead of sit, and kneel on an unpadded surface. Find it.
Perhaps churches could be built with a few “monk’s sections,” for those who prefer pain over comfort for their own spiritual edification. I’m serious about this, not joking.
