So why DO people leave Mass early?

[7armyrugrats]

As do those attending Spanish Masses here. It’s not uncommon to see entire big blocks of families sit out communion, especially those sitting in back, with perhaps the smaller kids going for the blessing. In stark contrast to the English Masses where virtually everyone receives. Seems like either different catechises to me or the Anglophones are just more holy people.

Yes, I think that often the people who understand and respect the Eucharist the most are the ones who receive the least. Truthfully, none of us are truly worthy to receive Our Lord, but it is now encouraged that everyone receives as often as possible and that is misunderstood to mean unless you have murdered someone you should receive. It just isn’t taken as we should really look at ourselves and try to honestly evaluate our souls before we go up the line.

My husband was taught in Mexico not to receive Communion unless he had been to confession that week–in other words, Saturday in order to receive at Sunday Mass. His mom would march him to confession every Saturday so that he could receive on Sunday. She knew my husband was in no way a “good boy” And quite the dare devil to say the least and she wanted Jesus to be with him every week. My husband is so devoted to the Eucharist it’s humbling to me. He is the one who lead me home in many ways due to his respect for the Eucharist. He has become more “Americanized” and receives almost every Sunday now, but his devotion truly humbles me.

 

[ProVobis]

People have been leaving Mass early far longer than the oldest CAF poster can remember.

I don’t doubt that. But it sure seems like most early leavers now take the “receive communion and keep walking so no one notices” approach.

 

[SMHW]

It is dismaying.

My point was more that there doesn’t seem to be an easy solution to the problem.

Better catechesis? Yes, of course! That might reduce the number of people leaving but I doubt it would come anywhere close to stopping it.

It’s just so.easy for people to slip out when everyone is already standing and moving (which people have to do regardless of what position they assume to receive communion.)

 

[revert_jen]

1. Sing as many verses of the closing Hymn as needed. Do not sing 5 verses if the priest exits after the 1st one. Now, there are some special times where you would want to sing the whole hymn (Christmas, Easter, or if it was a Prayer to song like a Hail Holy Queen, etc). But people should not be kept there to simply hear the cantor sing.

A hymn is a hymn. In many cases, the entire hymn expresses an entire thought. I am always in favor of singing a whole hymn, rather than just a couple of verses.

HOWEVER, as long as the priest leaves first, you aren’t leaving early. If some people want to sing the whole hymn, they should be allowed to, but if the priest is gone, you can go too, even if people are still singing.

Basically, you don’t have to hang around just because I want to keep singing, and I don’t have to truncate a hymn just because you want to go. Seems fair to me, anyway.

As for the announcements, mostly our priest makes the announcements before the homily, so there is no escape that way. But he’s really good about keeping them short.

–Jen

 

[savedbygrace71]

It is not our place to judge their hearts, particularly since we have no way of knowing their reasons or intentions. To you it may not be a good reason, but to another person it may very well be a perfectly good reason…I would hope that the OP decides to explain to her son that it is unkind to keep count of the number of people arriving late or leaving early, and explain to him that no matter where they sit they are still at Mass and the focus should still be on the altar. No one would ever notice what the people around them are doing if they were honestly focussed on what they should be focussed on.

I put your first sentence and your last sentence together, so that no one has reason to judge HIS heart or intention, or mine. My son was counting people coming in to keep himself calm while we waited for his inhaler to work we weren’t tsk tsking at them for showing up later than we did. He is in first grade, and is proud of his ability to count fast enough to keep up with the fast moving lines of people that were coming in. As I’ve said repeatedly throughout this thread, we didn’t have a problem with the lateness or those who left early, it is simply a curious phenomenon.

All that we missed was the opening hymn, that we mostly could not hear in the narthex anyway.

 

[7armyrugrats]

I put your first sentence and your last sentence together, so that no one has reason to judge HIS heart or intention, or mine. My son was counting people coming in to keep himself calm while we waited for his inhaler to work we weren’t tsk tsking at them for showing up later than we did. He is in first grade, and is proud of his ability to count fast enough to keep up with the fast moving lines of people that were coming in. As I’ve said repeatedly throughout this thread, we didn’t have a problem with the lateness or those who left early, it is simply a curious phenomenon.

All that we missed was the opening hymn, that we mostly could not hear in the narthex anyway.

Oh I understand! I am a mom. I’ve got kids that age right now too. I just hope you (and all of us!) remember to teach our children to avoid unkind thoughts of others. In no way do I think your son was casting a judgement–he’s a little boy having an asthma attack. I’ve been there. Just please don’t neglect the lesson of charity. I’ve been guilty of forgetting this with my kids at times. I’m sure all of us can do better at this

 

[bitznbitez]

In Mexico people still rarely receive at every Mass. The Church states that faithful Catholics should receive Communion at least once each year during Easter season. I believe it is the 4th precept.

Ok so its available each time but many don’t receive every time. I was confused and thought maybe they were just having the liturgy of the word etc.

Could this be a vestige of having had the mass suppressed in mexico years back during the post revolution years ? Viva Cristo Rey and whatnot.

 

[Jennifoo]

I don’t recall ever having to leave Mass early on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation, but sometimes on a weekday due to time constraints. Twice I’ve had to attend meetings. Once or twice I’ve gone to a weekday Mass before work and had to leave because the priest’s homily ran long, pushed everything back and I had a 10-minute commute plus needed to change into my work uniform and clock in on time. Since the weekday Masses aren’t obligatory it is permissible to leave early as whatever one CAN attend is meritorious. This year will be my seventeenth anniversary as a Catholic and I’ve only had to leave Mass early about 3 or 4 times, so that’s not bad. ( I should add that I’m single with no children.)

 

[7armyrugrats]

Ok so its available each time but many don’t receive every time. I was confused and thought maybe they were just having the liturgy of the word etc.

Could this be a vestige of having had the mass suppressed in mexico years back during the post revolution years ? Viva Cristo Rey and whatnot.

Maybe a little bit of that, but mainly they follow the “old way” and don’t receive Communion unless they have been to Confession. My parents told me that when they were growing up here in the US that many if not most people didn’t receive unless they had been to Confession as well. It was not common for people to go to Communion every single Mass unless they went to Confession weekly, which some people did. I think now the Church has relaxed the rules (maybe due to Vatican 2? I’m not sure), or it could be that culturally we are less likely to view ourselves as sinners and unworthy when maybe we should. This is off topic, but I have met many people over the years that refuse to say the Penitential Rite at Mass because it makes them “feel bad” to call themselves a sinner. Even one of my sisters, the only other Catholic in my family now, complains that with the new translation of the Mass we “over do it to the point of nausea” (her words not mine).

 

[ProVobis]

Ok so its available each time but many don’t receive every time. I was confused and thought maybe they were just having the liturgy of the word etc.

Could this be a vestige of having had the mass suppressed in mexico years back during the post revolution years ? Viva Cristo Rey and whatnot.

At Polish Masses, you’d probably see the same thing, that not everyone receives. I believe most are of that old school where confession usually precedes communion.

 

[Pax2u]

I’m sure many people have a valid reason for leaving early. Some however are just in a rush to be the first out I notice so many keep their coats on during Mass as well…I believe it was Scott Hahn who asked, do you go a friends house for dinner and keep your coat on so you can hurry out?
For me, I refuse to get ready to leave until the final song has ended. So to any one that finds themselves sitting to my right…hold your horses this girl isn’t moving

That’s not nice…you are assuming they don’t have a good reason to leave when they are trying to do so. You don’t know…move over, girl.

 

[ProVobis]

He has become more “Americanized” and receives almost every Sunday now…

I was trying to google search on why this phenomenon exists. I wasn’t able to find a real explanation but I did stumble upon a site with a lot of opinions and observations on the matter.

amywelborn.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/a-question-2/

 

[TK421]

And I think this is why we don’t see this so much in other churches. For our Protestant brothers, if they had conflicting responsibilities, it wouldn’t necessarily be a big deal to miss services on any given Sunday. But for Catholics, we (hopefully) are getting to Mass even when it’s hard.
.

I don’t agree with this because regular Mass attendance rates are roughly the same as regular religious service attendance among Americans. Having the obligation being explicit doesn’t seem to show results. A person that attends Mass strictly out of the obligation is very likely soon-to-be a person that doesn’t attend at all or attends irregularly on special seasons. This is really the way it works for obedience to God in general. If a person identifies their Christianity solely for negative reasons (i.e. I do this because it’s how I was raised and I have to do it) then it means they’re in the process of falling away. Without a renewed spirit it’s just a gradual downward slope.

 

[TK421]

Maybe a little bit of that, but mainly they follow the “old way” and don’t receive Communion unless they have been to Confession. My parents told me that when they were growing up here in the US that many if not most people didn’t receive unless they had been to Confession as well. It was not common for people to go to Communion every single Mass unless they went to Confession weekly, which some people did. I think now the Church has relaxed the rules (maybe due to Vatican 2? I’m not sure), or it could be that culturally we are less likely to view ourselves as sinners and unworthy when maybe we should. This is off topic, but I have met many people over the years that refuse to say the Penitential Rite at Mass because it makes them “feel bad” to call themselves a sinner. Even one of my sisters, the only other Catholic in my family now, complains that with the new translation of the Mass we “over do it to the point of nausea” (her words not mine).

Hi 7army,

I think it is some of both. The frequency of Reconciliation was higher in the decades just prior to Vatican II than they ever were in the 2000 year history of the Church. In any other time period it would have been highly abnormal to show up to Reconciliation for no other reason than that it was shortly prior to receiving Eucharist. This is a stark contrast from the early Church, where Reconciliation could only be performed once in a lifetime through the order of penitents.

Vatican II moved away from this because Reconciliation isn’t meant to be a routine “touch up” before a person receives Eucharist, but then again, you still can’t just walk up and take communion if you’ve got severe sins on your conscious. Oddly, even in the 21st century, the Eucharist has once again come to be perceived as “magic”, because it is argued among heterodox minds that “at least that person is getting their boost for the week” (whatever that’s suppose to mean). Now that the routine of habitual Reconciliation has been done away with, and also now that receiving communion every Mass is standard, you have the situation where everybody filters up into the line out of a combination of peer pressure and ignorance. You more than likely have several instances of sacrilege at any given Mass.

 

[acadiANNA]

Please come to Mass
Early enough not to disrupt,
Worship reverently enough not to distract,
Dress respectfully enough not to offend,
Leave late enough not to insult.

Please prepare to enter into the celebration of Mass,
Participate fully to give God thanks,
Come humbly to receive the Lord,
Go forth renewed to take Christ to the world.

 

[ProVobis]

Without a renewed spirit it’s just a gradual downward slope.

FWIW, the very first prayer in the EF is “Introibo ad altare Deo. Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam.” (I will enter to the altar of God. To God who gladdens my youth.)

“In the Catholic understanding, the term juventutem refers to the spiritual youth that comes from the grace of Christ.” (Wiki)

 

[mjwise]

As someone who’s been to my fair share of American Catholic masses in life, I have to agree that I’ve seen this phenomenon (“dine and dash”) quite a bit and almost at every Catholic mass with a handful of exceptions. I don’t think I’ve ever seen 40% (!) loss during communion but definitely up to the 25% range before. It’s clearly a cultural norm or a socially acceptable thing to do in some parishes, and at that level of people leaving it’s not just people having other urgent things to attend to. It seems to be more common:

1. 
   *]in larger parishes (more anonymous, fewer social connections, and easier to slip out without calling attention to yourself)
   *]where there is routinely a long announcement period after Communion
   *]with more Mass-goers present (contributes to the anonymity aspect and #1 yet again)
   *]in church buildings with more discreet/additional side entrances (not as many people to go by to take leave)
   *]in churches where I’ve gotten the feeling a sizable part of the congregation is there “by default” or because they “have to be.”
   *]in churches that have little or no formal post-Mass interaction/fellowship and so there’s not much to do other than get in your car and leave even if you do stay to the end.
   
   FWIW, it’s a phenomenon almost totally alien where I attend, despite always singing entire hymns and not having the dismissal until after the close of the final hymn. A large proportion even stay for the organist’s postlude.

 

[petronus]

I have been a participant at the Eucharist for over 60 years , and throughout that time many people have left the church early .

In my early years we were given silly catechesis that if you were in church when the priest lifted the veil from the chalice at the offertory until after he had received communion your obligation had been fulfilled .

 

[7armyrugrats]

I was trying to google search on why this phenomenon exists. I wasn’t able to find a real explanation but I did stumble upon a site with a lot of opinions and observations on the matter.

amywelborn.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/a-question-2/

Yes, the marriage issue is a whole thread in it’s own, and honestly is a huge part of that in the Spanish Masses. And in Mexico it’s even worse in some areas! But even those that are married in the Church often don’t receive often down there until they are elderly. My husband is always joking about how old people in his town never sin but the young people can’t stop sinning. In the Spanish Masses in the US, I think at least in many areas priests are pushing people to receive unless they are in a state of mortal sin (thankfully in my opinion!) and many like my husband are benefitting from this. He still is more likely to sit out than most people I know, but 99% of the time he receives. There are so many spiritual benefits from the Eucharist. It is very important that we work hard to rectify issues so someone can get back to the Sacraments.

Another major issue is that many Mexicans that identify themselves as Catholic have never received their Sacraments at all, or have only been baptized. I don’t know if this is the same for all Hispanics or if it is exclusive to Mexicans. Too many parents believe they cannot have their child(ren) baptized until they can afford a party. Same goes for First Communion and Confirmation. Often times they really CAN’T do it because they never got around to marrying in the Church because they never had money for a party. I’ve been at my inlaws house visiting when a family of 6 had one party for the entire family…Mom and Dad got married, had all four kids baptized, First Communion, Confirmation all at once so they could start saving for the two daughters’ Quinceañeras (Sweet 15 party) in a couple years. I’m so glad my inlaws are not like that. They taught my husband that the Mass was the celebration, there was no need for another one afterwards. A party would only lead to disappointment because nothing tops Jesus.

 

[7armyrugrats]

Hi 7army,

I think it is some of both. The frequency of Reconciliation was higher in the decades just prior to Vatican II than they ever were in the 2000 year history of the Church. In any other time period it would have been highly abnormal to show up to Reconciliation for no other reason than that it was shortly prior to receiving Eucharist. This is a stark contrast from the early Church, where Reconciliation could only be performed once in a lifetime through the order of penitents.

Vatican II moved away from this because Reconciliation isn’t meant to be a routine “touch up” before a person receives Eucharist, but then again, you still can’t just walk up and take communion if you’ve got severe sins on your conscious. Oddly, even in the 21st century, the Eucharist has once again come to be perceived as “magic”, because it is argued among heterodox minds that “at least that person is getting their boost for the week” (whatever that’s suppose to mean). Now that the routine of habitual Reconciliation has been done away with, and also now that receiving communion every Mass is standard, you have the situation where everybody filters up into the line out of a combination of peer pressure and ignorance. You more than likely have several instances of sacrilege at any given Mass.

This makes sense. There does seem to be a fine line between devotion and superstition at times. And it also does seem to encourage a sense of entitlement as well.