Priest Ignores Children Receiving First Communion

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I wouldn’t say the Priest did anything wrong, but I certainly won’t say he did anything right. First Communion, whether at a special Mass or a regular Sunday Mass, should be a highlight. Not commenting on the First Communion for these children is like failing to recognize the Bride and Groom at a nuptial Mass. This is their first time participating in this greatest of Sacraments. To skip mention of the event is to fail to recognize the importance of this gift.

I have the utmost respect for our Priests, but that doesn’t change the fact there are many of them out there who don’t have a clue. I don’t know the man, but my first impression from the description given is that he wasn’t trying very hard.
 
I know that it is very, very hard for our priests to give even a little to a laity that seems to be marking each step or word they take/say with the kids.
Some would have said they were TOO focused on the kids should he have addressed them and, as you can see, some were upset if they don’t focus at all.

When we have a birthday in our home, though it isn’t about anyone else, it is human nature to celebrate the moment. No one would imply that this was the time to hold a familiy discussion about doing the yard work!

A first Holy Communion should be acknowledged. If the pastor needs to do this when the faithful show up for a Sacrament than I am wondering how he feels he is doing in general?
Why is he needing to wait till he has a bigger audience? Is he interested in possibly holding Adult Ed that HE is willing to lead?
It’s too easy to stand up and speak and not HAVE to be open to possible dialogue.
Does he have a Bishop who will provide assistance? Really help him with ongoing dialogue for this pastor?

Being a parish priest is being the FATHER of a very LARGE FAMILY. Families celebrate…Father’s should be on-board as their children begin a new relationship.
He didn’t need to gush, just acknowledge!
There is a difference.
-d-
 
Mattapoisett64 said:
I’m speechless at how wrong this priest was. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to combine the themes of Ascension and First Communion - for one example, how Jesus left the gift of Eucharist behind for us – something at the level the children could understand. Those defending the priest’s inexcusable actions claim they’re saying the “Mass isn’t about us.” To my way of thinking, their message really is: The Mass is about what* I ***want it to be - and I don’t want those kids in my way.

First Communion is a special teachable moment - and the message ISN’T “tough nuggies kids, you don’t matter.” And the whole topic of sexual abuse has no, none, nada place at a First Communion Mass. “Mommy, what’s a pedophile?” isn’t the conversation a family should have to deal with at the typical family First Communion party. Hard to think of a remedy suitable for that priest, but a year in a monastery cell alone would be a good start.
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Wow. Think of all the priests who need to do time in monasteries for daring to talk in their homilies in the presence of children about abortion, same-sex marriage, premarital sex, the death penalty, contraception, just war and unjust war, terrorism, and so on.

Homilies are supposed to talk about morality. That includes things like the Catholic Church’s sex scandal. I admit I don’t know why he picked this particular Sunday to talk about it, but that’s his prerogative.

I for one am not saying I don’t want the kids “in my way”; I don’t know where you’re getting that impression. As for what the Mass is supposed to be about, it’s supposed to be about the Mass. Not what I want; not what you want; the Mass. That includes a homily, which is a series of readings from Scripture, accompanied by a discourse upon them. If he felt that the readings called for some sort of discussion of the sex abuse, then so be it (what was it, by the way? Was he defending facilitation of pedophiles, or was he explaining how this tragedy came to be, or was he talking about what his diocese is doing, or what?).

But, really? Speechless at the wrongness of not acknowleding someone’s first Communion? The way some posts are written, you’d think he had trampled on the Eucharist. So he didn’t acknowledge the new communicants; it happens. I’ve been disappointed by plenty of homilies, but it happens. It’d be nice if he mentioned them making their first Communion.

But it isn’t required. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
 
Mattapoisett64 said:
First Communion is a special teachable moment - and the message ISN’T “tough nuggies kids, you don’t matter.” And the whole topic of sexual abuse has no, none, nada place at a First Communion Mass. “Mommy, what’s a pedophile?” isn’t the conversation a family should have to deal with at the typical family First Communion party. Hard to think of a remedy suitable for that priest, but a year in a monastery cell alone would be a good start.
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Well, the OP has been asked twice and hasn’t answered yet – was this a First Communion Mass or, as is the custom in some parishes, a regular Sunday Mass where some children were also receiving Communion for the First time?

If the latter, there is no reason to expect that the homily would be about the kids. That’s the point of incorporating First Communions into regular Sunday Masses - it’s a **regular **Mass. In this case, it seems it was also the relocated Mass for Ascension. A mention, perhaps during the intentions, of the occasion of the kids’ First Communion would be nice and sufficient. If the parish has First Communions at a series of regular Masses, it would be unreasonable to expect that each of those Masses have a First Communion homily.

Yes, homilies are supposed to be teaching moments. It sounds to me like the priest was teaching just not on the topic you would have chosen for him to speak about.
 
Look, I realize that parents are all proud for their children receiving the Eucharist for the first time. Celebrate after the Mass. But like it has been stated, it’s not all about the children, as so many parents like to believe.
 
Timothysis said:
Really? Perhaps Pope Benedict can appoint you as a special emissary to go about outing “wrong” priests. Then this type of thing wouldn’t happen again…:rolleyes:
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Last I checked, Parish Priests weren’t considered infallible. To pretend they are not open for criticism is just the sort of attitude that fueled the pedophilia scandal. No, priests aren’t accountable to the laity, but we are capable of seeing mistakes and there is nothing wrong with commenting on them on a board like this one.

In the spirit of charity, none of us can judge this man or do anything but wonder why he said what he did in his homily. Regardless, failing to make mention of First Communion is just sad and certainly detracts from the occasion. Was it wrong? Probably not in the liturgical sense, but in many other respects it certainly was.
 
ByzCath said:
And people wonder why there is a vocation “crisis” going on.

Just look at the criticism this priest is receiving for doing nothing wrong.

The Mass is not about us, it is about the Lord.
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Could you picture the Lord giving a sermon about pedophile priests to children in His time? I didn’t think so. Therefore, it is not a subject a priest should pick for today’s children.

This is a very important day. The priest should have acknowledged that by giving a sermon especially directed to them.

Pedophilia is not a topic for a First Holy Communion especially involving priests. Like the original OP, I too would have been upset.
 
We don’t know how much of the homily was addressed to the Ascension and how much to pedophilia or homosexuality. In our parish it is always a difficult subject to preach about. Some feel it is ALWAYS wrong to make the people in the pew uncomfortable.
 
Timothysis said:
Really? Perhaps Pope Benedict can appoint you as a special emissary to go about outing “wrong” priests. Then this type of thing wouldn’t happen again…:rolleyes:
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Hmmm. When the pedophilia started 40 plus years ago, people thought the priest could do no wrong. Many parents thought themselves blessed if they and their families had a special relationship with the priests in the parish. One did not question the priest. How could you? The priest was a holy man.

We will not be returning to those days any time soon. It became extremely clear protecting one’s child is solely up to the parent. For me this would mean feeling free to critize this priest for using poor judgement by picking a topic that is inappropriate in the presence of children on their First Communion Day.

The OP did say the priest in question was giving justification for the way the Church handled the scandal. What does this mean? Does he want the Church to continue a cover up if it happens again? That does not make me happy. The next time, the authorites need to be called immediately. Actually, someone should be talking to this priest because it doesn’t sound like he intends to reach for the phone.
 
aicirt said:
The OP did say the priest in question was giving justification for the way the Church handled the scandal. What does this mean? Does he want the Church to continue a cover up if it happens again?
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How did the Church handled the scandal? You seem to be focusing on the event, not the scandal.

The Church hired people to investigate the allogations. Did a review of all the diocese’ procedures. Initiated classes for all employees of the diocese to be aware of how to interact with children and report further abuse.

The Church is handling the scandal by trying to ensure it does not happen again.
 
Uhm. We’re talking about a homily. We’re also talking about the OPs perception of the homily when it was clear that she was expecting something else for the homily. And when the children weren’t so honoured she got annoyed or angry.

I’m not going to be so quick to vilify and condemn the priest but rather give him the benefit of the doubt.

Again, it is NOT about the children. It is about Christ.
aicirt said:
Hmmm. When the pedophilia started 40 plus years ago, people thought the priest could do no wrong. Many parents thought themselves blessed if they and their families had a special relationship with the priests in the parish. One did not question the priest. How could you? The priest was a holy man.

We will not be returning to those days any time soon. It became extremely clear protecting one’s child is solely up to the parent. For me this would mean feeling free to critize this priest for using poor judgement by picking a topic that is inappropriate in the presence of children on their First Communion Day.

The OP did say the priest in question was giving justification for the way the Church handled the scandal. What does this mean? Does he want the Church to continue a cover up if it happens again? That does not make me happy. The next time, the authorites need to be called immediately. Actually, someone should be talking to this priest because it doesn’t sound like he intends to reach for the phone.
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In our parish children are given the choice to either make their First Communion with their class or during the regular Sunday Liturgy, and they do not all choose the same Sunday, so we will have some children making their FC on quite a number of Sundays.Usually only 1 or 2 chidren make their FC at each Mass when they choose this option.

I do not think that the homily needs to address the subject of First Communion at all these Masses. The children have already been taught about the Sacrament. The homily should be the regular Sunday homily. However, the priests usually do acknowledge that there are children making their FC at the beginning of Mass, and their names and congratulations are printed in the bulletin. Otherwise, we are going to have a bunch of homilies on the subject of First Communion in a very short space of time (the Communions usually take place in May and June). That does not meet the needs of the rest of the parishoners.

So IMO, acknowledgement–yes. Homily on the subject–no, except at the special Mass for the class making their FC.
 
Evan said:
How did the Church handled the scandal? You seem to be focusing on the event, not the scandal.

The Church hired people to investigate the allogations. Did a review of all the diocese’ procedures. Initiated classes for all employees of the diocese to be aware of how to interact with children and report further abuse.

The Church is handling the scandal by trying to ensure it does not happen again.
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It is my opinion if this priest learned anything from the scandal he would have known that the people sitting in the pews do not want to hear a priest justify how this was handled.

These priests were moved to other parishes and continued to act out…for years. People had reported the instances to the Bishops and were ignored.

The Church did not need to hire anyone to investigate the allegations. You call in the complaint and a social worker and police come out and handle the investigation. That’s the law.
 
It would have been nice if the priest had done as you suggested. It’s what our pastor does. I would not be surprised to find that our pastor looks at the Sunday’s readings when he chooses which weekend to have First Holy Communion. I don’t think it would be out of line to tell your pastor that you were disappointed that he did not take specific note of that during the homily, even if mention was made of it during the other brief moments available at that Mass. That’s reasonable feedback. Likewise, if he made points about the sex abuse crisis that were either incorrect or inappropriately self-congratulatory on behalf of the bishops, it isn’t out of place to tell him so. Also, the topic isn’t uniquely tied to the Ascension, and could undoubtedly be worked in on a weekend where he doesn’t have bigger fish to fry. Fair enough.

Having said that, it is incorrect to suggest that
a) not aiming the homily directly at the children is “devaluing” them. The priest is required to aim his homily at breaking open the Scriptures for everyone, not at bringing everyone’s attention to the people who being baptized, married, buried, or receiving their First Holy Communion at that Mass. This even includes funeral masses! If your funeral Mass isn’t about you, then suffice it to say that your First Holy Communion Mass isn’t about you, either. If recognizing you fits his homilectic purposes, great. If not, you have no complaint. (And yes, I’ve been to weddings and funerals where the homily didn’t mention the “participants of honor”, and didn’t think it out of line.)
b) how children are dressed or what day it is has a single thing to do with whether one is addressing the topic of child abuse in their presence an age-appropriate way. The last time I checked, the kids are supposed to be there every week.
c) the middle of Mass is even remotely a time to confront a priest about the substance of his homily. (And on the grounds that he is blowing a unique “teachable moment”? That is REALLY over the top.)

This is not something about which you need to come unglued. You’re not going to get anywhere by blowing up at him. You’re also going to have a hard time explaining when he’s supposed to talk about the topic of the sex abuse scandal when by your own admission your fellow Catholics can’t be bothered to find the parish grounds for any purpose other than an occasional Sunday Mass, to the sad point that they need to be told on the day of their child’s First Holy Communion that yes, Sunday Mass IS an obligation.

If it bothers you a lot, talk to him. But please, for the good of your message, calm down first. After all, you are only in a position to convince, not convict.
Any attempt at conviction will only stir up a strident defense.
 
I think the Priest totally missed the boat. I would’ve been disappointed that his message included such ugliness on a day that should be positive for the sake of the kids. Seriously, homilies are positive all the time… I don’t think it’s asking too much that he make this one nice also. Imagine what the non-Catholic family members in attendance must’ve thought? Nothing like talk of perverted priests to make them glad they left the Church in the first place. :rolleyes:

I would’ve NEVER made a scene though… I would still very much want my child to receive the Eucharist.
 
yellowbird said:
Seriously, homilies are positive all the time… I don’t think it’s asking too much that he make this one nice also.
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Homilies are NOT supposed to be Postive ALL of the time.
Sometimes topics such as abortion, euthanasia and morality, need to be preached about.
 
Therer probably needed to be some harmony between both the DRE and whoever is in charge of liturgy, given the fact that First Holy Communion was scheduled for the Sunday where the Solemnity of the Ascension is observed. It’s never really a good idea to piggy-back these events together because there will be a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings, as evidenced in the OP (as I read it).

The Solemnity of the Ascension, whether it was celebrated on Thursday or on Sunday, trumps all other occasions. Thus, the homily was correctly geared towards this particular feast. The purpose of the homily is to focus on the readings of the particular Mass. It is supposed to help the faithful to better understand the Word of God that has just been proclaimed to them.

The Mass is not about any one particular individual or group. It is the Holy Sacrifice where we once again witness the salviffic acts of Calvary, where we receive the glorified and ascended Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. The Ascension should not be treated as some after-thought and kind of a segewey into Pentecost. Jesus loved and appreciated his human nature enough to take that body back to heaven with Him so that where His body went, we will go as well.

Even if the reception of First Holy Communion entailed a separate Mass, the focus is not on the children; rather it is on the Person they will be receiving and encountering for the first time. When we make the kids the focus of the Mass rather than Jesus, then, we have some serious problems because we start making the Holy Sacrifice about the “we”, rather than the “He”.
 
HolySpirit08 said:
During his homily and throughout the mass this past weekend, the priest never addressed the children receiving their first Communion directly or spoke on the subject at all. He instead focused on the Ascension and, of all things…defended the Church’s handling of sexual abuse by priests over the years!!! :eek: I was flabergasted!!! I swear, if one of the children were mine, I would have literally stood up and asked him to speak to the children about this momentous event in their lives.

Am I being unreasonable? :confused:
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No, you are not being unreasonable because if I had heard that sermon during the children’s First Communion I would have fallen out of the pew! Wow!
 
What sermon?

What did the priest say?

Is there anyone here who can tell us exactly what the priest said?

Is there anyone here who can post the exact homily, word-for-word that was delivered?

So far, I have read 38 responses/comments about a homily. I have yet to hear or read that homily.

What I do read is one person’s interpretation of that homily summarized in 4 sentences in the original post. I do not even read a single quote of exactly what he said.

Most interresting indeed…

How many people have already passed-judgment on this priest without hearing one single word of what he said???
 
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