Showing up to Mass Late?

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Stromboli

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Last night I went for a fitness run and really overdid it. I had to stop to take a break and I did near my parish on a public bench where I could watch the main entrance to my church.

I got there right at the ringing of the 6:00 Angelus immediately before that Mass began. I sat there for nearly ten minutes watching people strolling in after Mass began. No rush, no hurry – these folks were strolling and chatting. They were still coming as I left.

In leaving I passed another entrance to my church and I saw the same thing. People strolling and chatting as they entered the church, now a good ten minutes into the Mass. I finally saw one person slowly jogging with a concerned look on his face as if he was running late.

This was a very new viewpoint for me and reinforces the fact that something is terribly wrong.
 
If these people were really going in for mass and no concern about being late, there might be a problem there. But I sometimes walk into churches just to see the church or to say a prayer, after I’ve been to mass already. I do it indiscreetly and stay in the back, although I would never talk. Then after I’ve prayer for a while, I will leave. Maybe those people were doing the same thing?
 
Sarabande said:
If these people were really going in for mass and no concern about being late, there might be a problem there. But I sometimes walk into churches just to see the church or to say a prayer, after I’ve been to mass already. I do it indiscreetly and stay in the back, although I would never talk. Then after I’ve prayer for a while, I will leave. Maybe those people were doing the same thing?
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No way. I would guess I saw perhaps 100 people enter in those 10 minutes of so. It was a new vantage point and it was sad.
 
Stromboli said:
No way. I would guess I saw perhaps 100 people enter in those 10 minutes of so. It was a new vantage point and it was sad.
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Wow! That is a lot. Sad. (I also just saw I said “indiscreetly” instead of “discreetly”. oops!)
 
At our church, our priest starts mass anywhere from on time to 10-20 minutes late. At one point last summer he started EVERY mass 15-20 minutes late. Sometimes the fish rots at the head.
 
Something is terribly wrong. Catholics gossiping about the perceived faults of other Catholics. I wonder how many of us are perfect Catholics who would look perfect to other people in every moment of our week?

This thread topic is not a news story, a request for info, a sharing of faith or anything else positive designed to lead us closer to Christ. Why don’t we all say a prayer for the people who were late and then spend some time in an examination of our own faults.
 
There is nothing new under the sun. When I was a kid, my father would routinely leave the house 5 minutes late, and we’d get to church at 10 to 15 after. And he insisted on sitting near the front every week.

I gotta believe, as long as there’s been mass, people have shown up late.
 
thomasf said:
There is nothing new under the sun. When I was a kid, my father would routinely leave the house 5 minutes late, and we’d get to church at 10 to 15 after. And he insisted on sitting near the front every week.

I gotta believe, as long as there’s been mass, people have shown up late.
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I was laughing at the “insisted on sitting near the front” part.

I have a chronic lateness problem (though I’m usually not “that” late - but late nonetheless), and my family doesn’t seem much different, so I sometimes get to Mass 5+ minutes late. Around here, most people (and priests) seem to respect the mass’s starting time and arrive before the hour (assuming the mass is on the hour).

What seems more common, and perhaps a greater problem or at least sign of lack of devotion is leaving right after communion. This seems to almost never happen at my own parish, but at some it is alarmingly common.
 
In a culture where self-service is the only virtue, people become numb to other people, things, and obligations. “God knows that I love Him deep down; He doesn’t really care what time I show up.” Someone is first in those sentences, and it is not God.

So, what can we say? We could speak about the social and philosophical characteristics and causes for the growth of this radical individualism, but that would probably go under one of the other fora.

Father Jone, in his Moral Theology, explains the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. Those who miss the Consecration, he says, do not fulfill the obligation. Speaking of what is now called the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, he distinguishes between the more important and less important parts of the Mass (his list cannot be fully applied to the Ordinary Form). It is a mortal sin to willfully miss an important part, but only a venial sin to miss a lesser part. This, however, only applies to the Sunday obligation. Perhaps this belongs in the Morality forum, but it is the only ‘rule’ about this that I have come across.
 
SmartyPants said:
At our church, our priest starts mass anywhere from on time to 10-20 minutes late. At one point last summer he started EVERY mass 15-20 minutes late. Sometimes the fish rots at the head.
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smarty,
Why does he do this? I think it’s rude. I wonder what the Lord thinks of his behavior? Is he old. a Senior?
Pray for him.

God bless,
jean8
 
If I’m not mistaken: technically, a baptized Catholic can receive Communion at any time; he cannot be refused (barring some other circumstance). This is the case even if the person didn’t attend any other part of Mass other than Communion.

At least, that’s what I gathered from a similar question posed to Jimmy Akin. But I could be wrong.

I recommend you ask an apologist.
 
I am an usher at the Sunday P.M. Mass at our church. I can attest that there are regulars that arrive late routinely. This is very distracting to all participants.
 
jean8 said:
smarty,
Why does he do this? I think it’s rude. I wonder what the Lord thinks of his behavior? Is he old. a Senior?
Pray for him.

God bless,
jean8
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Maybe he wants to avoid the distraction of people arriving late i.e. recognizing that people are going to show up en masse (pun intended) to mass. 🤷
 
I have a phobia about being late for anything but a few weeks ago my husband and I had to stop to get gas before Sunday Mass and ran a little late. We slipped into the back right after the processional trying to be discreet. So… guess what the Homily was about that morning? 😊 Yep, being late for Mass, peoples lack of knowledge about Catholic doctrine etc. We looked at each other and slunk lower into the pew but the Priest made some really good points and we will pay more attention to time from now on. As a new returnee I also am brushing up on Catholic teaching by taking a review course that my Church is offering.
 
SmartyPants said:
At our church, our priest starts mass anywhere from on time to 10-20 minutes late. At one point last summer he started EVERY mass 15-20 minutes late. Sometimes the fish rots at the head.
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You bring up an excellent point. The trains run on time here – always. In the last 5 years I believe on Mass started 5 minutes late…
 
jc-servant said:
Something is terribly wrong. Catholics gossiping about the perceived faults of other Catholics. I wonder how many of us are perfect Catholics who would look perfect to other people in every moment of our week?

This thread topic is not a news story, a request for info, a sharing of faith or anything else positive designed to lead us closer to Christ. Why don’t we all say a prayer for the people who were late and then spend some time in an examination of our own faults.
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I agree to a point. A great many threads on these forums are very negative. I’ve read more than a few about people coming to Mass late but it doesn’t effect me as I sit near the front.

This was stunning though. While it was my parish, it was not the Mass I attend and I saw it from an outsider’s viewpoint from a city bench. Something is broken. It was unnerving and maybe I felt the need to unburden myself. My apologies if I offended you.
 
Sancto_Spiritu said:
If I’m not mistaken: technically, a baptized Catholic can receive Communion at any time; he cannot be refused (barring some other circumstance). This is the case even if the person didn’t attend any other part of Mass other than Communion.

At least, that’s what I gathered from a similar question posed to Jimmy Akin. But I could be wrong.

I recommend you ask an apologist.
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What’s your point???
 
rgm said:
I am an usher at the Sunday P.M. Mass at our church. I can attest that there are regulars that arrive late routinely. This is very distracting to all participants.
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I guess THAT’S the point of this thread. People seem to PLAN to be late for Mass. It’s SOP and in a word that really stinks. Mass aside, one wonders where these people learned their manners?
 
Sancto_Spiritu said:
If I’m not mistaken: technically, a baptized Catholic can receive Communion at any time; he cannot be refused (barring some other circumstance). This is the case even if the person didn’t attend any other part of Mass other than Communion.

At least, that’s what I gathered from a similar question posed to Jimmy Akin. But I could be wrong.

I recommend you ask an apologist.
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I don’t think that’s the point. Just because you can stroll in late and receive Communion doesn’t mean you should. 😦
 
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