Smoking in Front of the Church After Mass

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A lot of times, parishioners hang out in front of the church after Mass. It’s a time of fellowship and getting to know new people.

Occasionally, a parishioner may take out a cigarette and start smoking in front of the church.

I find that unseemly and not a good witness.

Is it the Evangelical Protestant in me that makes me cringe when I see that?
 
TrueLight said:
A lot of times, parishioners hang out in front of the church after Mass. It’s a time of fellowship and getting to know new people.

Occasionally, a parishioner may take out a cigarette and start smoking in front of the church.

I find that unseemly and not a good witness.

Is it the Evangelical Protestant in me that makes me cringe when I see that?
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The seminarian we had last summer always wore a cassock to Mass and would stand outside smoking both before and after. One parishioner, a former teacher, gave him what for for being a bad example for our children. I can’t say that I’ve ever noticed anyone else light up, although when I was growing up it was not unusual to see the men get up after the Gospel and retire to the church steps to light up while ‘their women’ listened to the sermon.

Personally, I’d like to slap the cigarette out of the mouth of anyone who lights up and that’s got nothing to do with religion but with disgust at a filthy habit. Right now I’m visiting my brother and dread walking back into the house each time I go out because the smell of cigarette smoke that envelops you is just nasty. DH sleeps outside in a tent to avoid it.
 
Happens less now than it used to when smoking was an accepted social practice.

As Phemie said, it was not unusual, back in the 30’s-60’s, for the “men” to get up and go out for a smoke during the homily, chat with other men, and then come in just in time for the consecration.
This happened a lot, in big cities & small towns,
and from what I have learned talking to a wide cross-section of American Catholics who were around during that time, something that was completely accepted, by the clergy and the laity, alike.

I am a smoker, and while yes, I have smoked while standing outside of church after Mass-
it is usually because I am talking with others who also smoke.
I am not one of those people who has to run out and ***have to ***smoke,
for me it is more social.
I would never light up in front of a child or a non-smoker, but that is just me.
 
I do happen to think smoking is discussing but it’s more than that. I grew up in a church where smoking was considered unChristian. If you smoked you had to keep that under wraps. You definitely did not smoke in front of a church!

Is there such a belief in the Catholic Church?
 
TrueLight said:
A lot of times, parishioners hang out in front of the church after Mass. It’s a time of fellowship and getting to know new people.

Occasionally, a parishioner may take out a cigarette and start smoking in front of the church.

I find that unseemly and not a good witness.

Is it the Evangelical Protestant in me that makes me cringe when I see that?
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Well we all have our weakness, I would rather have a thousand Men and Women fire up after Mass, just as long as they Come.
 
It’s a bad example to set for any chidren that might be around. But it isn’t a worse example than smoking anywhere else in public. There’s nothing unCatholic about smoking cigarettes.
 
We are all sinners, and won’t criticize anyone for smoking. It isn’t specifically a sin in the RC Church, though one could indirectly consider it a sin as abusing the body.

That said, I think smoking is gross. In Canada smoking has been banned in all public buildings, but many people smoke outside the doors, and I cannot stand having to walk through the resultant smokescreen. I always hold my breath before walking through, until I am out of range. People who smoke need to consider the effects of imposing their second-hand smoke on others.

My father was a heavy smoker back in the days when that was fashionable. He died from it. Left a huge impression on my 12-y.o. mind.
 
Corki said:
It’s a bad example to set for any chidren that might be around. But it isn’t a worse example than smoking anywhere else in public. There’s nothing unCatholic about smoking cigarettes.
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I had to chuckle when I started reading this thread. When I was in Houston for the SLC conference, I was a little taken aback when I saw our host Metropolitan light up after Mass (sans vestments, of course and before our dinner). But, I certainly was not offended by it. He joked that he was a chain smoker. I was more worried about his lungs than anything else, as he is a very holy man and I would love for you guys to keep him for a long time.

If anything, Blessed Miguel Pro used to smoke like a chimney. There are pictures of him smoking while he was disguised as an auto mechanic.
 
It seems that it’s only me and the Parish Priest who light up outside the church nowadays. All my cronies have given up. Ten years ago it was usual for people to stop and chat with a cigarette after Mass. I think it was a “Catholic” thing. I’ve never seen anyone leave the church during the homily for a quick puff though.
 
How about the idea of it being a stumbling block for others? Some people have some ideas that Christians shouldn’t smoke or drink. Can it not be argued that smoking in front of a church (I’m not talking about smoking in general), can be a stumbling block for Christians or Christian inquirers who do not expect to see Christians smoking?
 
Occasionally, a parishioner may take out a cigarette and start smoking in front of the church.

LOL, how times change. I remember back in late 50’s and all threw the 60’s after Sunday mass many folks would chit chat smoking in front of Church after mass and that included many priests too.

I look at it as a personal choice.
 
TrueLight said:
A lot of times, parishioners hang out in front of the church after Mass. It’s a time of fellowship and getting to know new people.

Occasionally, a parishioner may take out a cigarette and start smoking in front of the church.

I find that unseemly and not a good witness.

Is it the Evangelical Protestant in me that makes me cringe when I see that?
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Personally, I’ve never had a problem with smoking around church, or even in church.

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No one does that at our church. I think it would be tacky.

Smoking is gross.
 
TrueLight said:
How about the idea of it being a stumbling block for others? Some people have some ideas that Christians shouldn’t smoke or drink. Can it not be argued that smoking in front of a church (I’m not talking about smoking in general), can be a stumbling block for Christians or Christian inquirers who do not expect to see Christians smoking?
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Holy people are not necessarily prudes, True Light. Interestingly enough, Jesus, Himself, said that He was characterized as a “glutton and drunkard”. Now, I don’t care much for smoking, myself, simply because I suffer from migraines and I hate the smell. However, that shouldn’t dissuade people from inquiring about the Church.
 
TrueLight said:
How about the idea of it being a stumbling block for others? Some people have some ideas that Christians shouldn’t smoke or drink. Can it not be argued that smoking in front of a church (I’m not talking about smoking in general), can be a stumbling block for Christians or Christian inquirers who do not expect to see Christians smoking?
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A stumbling block usually refers to something that leads another to sin. Except as noted previously as a bad example to children, I don’t see how that applies.

Many non-Catholics want Catholicism to conform to their idea of what Christianity *should *be. Catholics don’t have a problem with smoking, drinking or even gambling (gasp) as long as prudence and tempercance are the guiding values.

I don’t see how this would be any more of a stumbling block than the parish casino night or the beer tent at the parish bazzar.

I don’t smoke, don’t let anyone smoke in my house and don’t like to be around people who smoke. But it’s for health reasons, not religious ones.
 
I don’t smoke cigarettes anymore, but I used to. I still don’t see the problem with firing one up after mass/dinner, etc. Who cares?
 
TheMc said:
Personally, I’ve never had a problem with smoking around church, or even in church.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_JRkgseRT7...ds+banner+hypocrite+sexual+abuse+cover-up.jpg
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Ahhhhhhh… The sweet smell of Balthazars! Smoked it myself last night at the benediction. I’m sure Jesus enjoys a good smoke too. 😃

The deacon said “Only use two pieces of charcoal” because he knows I like to use three. Even so, I could smell it on my clothes as I sat in the coffee shop after the benediction.

If only they could put that smell in a cigar, I might start smoking again myself.

-Tim-
 
There’s a small contingent of us who do smoke but we stay downwind of the nonsmoking “saints” as they exit from Mass. The group includes the pastor and the deacon. One day they got delayed in the church building. The rest of us lit up and were chatting away, as I remarked, well away from the church entrance.

A very large woman felt the need to admonish us sinners, stomped over to us, and gave us a gratuitous lecture on our nicotine-based sinfulness, concluding with, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” The anti-smoking contingent is like that: We smokers are fair game for whoever decides to pick on us at the time. We’re a little less popular than heroin addicts, and only slightly more popular than the average skunk. But in any case, that morning, this hefty gal was really on fire and gave us what-for! I don’t think she would have done that if Father and Deacon were with us.

One of the puffers looked at her, and growled, “Yeah, well it looks like your temple has a few additions which are in violation of the building code!”

There’s really nothing in the Catechism that I could find about it, but it would seem, for those of us who are hooked, and have lost the freedom of choice as to whether we light up on any particular occasion, smoking is at most a venial sin.
 
This reminds of the “shorts” threads that pop every summer. We castigate folks in Mass for not following self-imposed societal peccadilloes and, in doing so, we sometimes fail to love our neighbor.

Forgot about preaching against contraception or idolatory. Eliminate homilies on Judgment and Hell. Let’s get rid of the smokers outside Mass. 😛

I’ve never seen it in my parish. It wouldn’t bother me if I did.
 
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