Reading Names During Petitions

[maherite1977]

Greetings all.

During our weekend Masses, we invite our Parishioners to add people to our intention book that we should pray for during Mass. These names are then read during the Intercessory Prayers of the Faithful.

Here is the problem…
One of our Parishioners is a part of SNAP (Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests). He adds names to the intention book. The names he adds are notorious for bashing our Diocesan Priests and working to defame the Catholic Church in the media. Is it appropriate to read names of those who work to send the wrong message about the Catholic Church during Mass? I, as a Lector, find it quite embarrassing to read these names during Mass when the people listed have a known reputation in our Diocese of being out of line in Church teaching.

Thank you for your responses.

 

[tcraig]

Greetings all.

Here is the problem…
One of our Parishioners is a part of SNAP (Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests). He adds names to the intention book. The names he adds are notorious for bashing our Diocesan Priests and working to defame the Catholic Church in the media.
Thank you for your responses.

Do you think he’s adding the names to make a political statement? Or does he believe that the individuals that he is adding truly do need prayers because of their dissenting positions?

 

[maherite1977]

Do you think he’s adding the names to make a political statement? Or does he believe that the individuals that he is adding truly do need prayers because of their dissenting positions?

I think it is a political statement. He lives across the street from the Parish and has a large (2’ x 3’) sign in his front yard asking for true resolution for abuse survivors. He isn’t as vocal as his counterparts (do a search for SNAP Toledo and you’ll find the most vocal of the group).

(Going off-topic here) What I find quite upsetting is that the leader of SNAP Toledo is now being interviewed by the Toledo Blade everytime a Catholic issue pops up in the Diocese. It doesn’t have to be an issue of abuse, it could be an issue of the Bishop making an appointment or a personnel change. But, somehow, she ends up becoming part of the issue.

Perhaps she needs our prayers - to end this display of self-promotion and to end her crusade to sever the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Toledo.

 

[puzzleannie]

Greetings all.

During our weekend Masses, we invite our Parishioners to add people to our intention book that we should pray for during Mass. These names are then read during the Intercessory Prayers of the Faithful.

Here is the problem…
One of our Parishioners is a part of SNAP (Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests). He adds names to the intention book. The names he adds are notorious for bashing our Diocesan Priests and working to defame the Catholic Church in the media. Is it appropriate to read names of those who work to send the wrong message about the Catholic Church during Mass? I, as a Lector, find it quite embarrassing to read these names during Mass when the people listed have a known reputation in our Diocese of being out of line in Church teaching.

Thank you for your responses.

such people are obviously in need of prayer so what is the problem. What should not be read aloud, or even entered in the book for others to read, is the intention itself.

You should say, please pray for all those for whom our prayer ahs been requested, or please pray for all those who are sick:
John Jones
Mary Smith
etc.

I doubt if 5 people in the church will recognize any names except of individuals they know, so do not project your perceptions on them.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

such people are obviously in need of prayer so what is the problem. What should not be read aloud, or even entered in the book for others to read, is the intention itself.

You should say, please pray for all those for whom our prayer ahs been requested, or please pray for all those who are sick:
John Jones
Mary Smith
etc.

I doubt if 5 people in the church will recognize any names except of individuals they know, so do not project your perceptions on them.

I agree. We have an explicit command to pray for our enemies - surely we can catch everyone between there and friends, as well. I recognize the worry about scandalously seeming to endorse an individual’s activity, but, as you say, there are ways of praying that show no value judgments whatsoever. I actually think the prayer of the Church would be enriched if she made more of a point to pray for those whose souls, and not just bodies, need it most.

 

[maherite1977]

Not to purposely bump this thread up…but an issue came up during Holy Thursday Mass last night that added to the politicalization of the names during petitions.

The person-in-question was out front of church last night handing out cards with the picture of Sr. Margaret Ann Pahl, the nun who was murdered 27 years ago here in Toledo, with a message on the back (didn’t get a chance to read the message - I was busy with the altar servers before Mass). Word got back to our Pastor about this. He went out front and questioned why the gentleman was doing this. After basically being told he had to, Father kindly suggested he come inside the church and pray with us. The gentleman refused, still stating he had to do this. Father then asked him to leave. He refused. The cops were called. The reason I know about this…Father told us all about it in the homily. He was very good about how he said all this. Father told us he had to get it off his chest because he was very troubled by the situation and basically stated that this was not the time to made a political statement and that unity was needed a lot more than trying to make a issue. He went about this very professionally and I’m sure if applause was appropriate during Mass, there would have been some people clapping. He did a great job in downplaying the situation and returning our focus where it should be, on the Sacred Triduum.

Point being, I now firmly believe that the names being added during our Intentions are now political statements by this gentleman. If the line was blurred before, I think the line between prayer requests and political statements is now 20/20 clear.