F
Frosty
Guest
I love the smell of incense as well. For years, I was also one of those who are of the opinion that people who “claimed” to be allergic to it were basically just drama queens who ought to get over themselves and learn to put up with it. As a teacher, I was very familiar with the numerous allergies that so many children suffer and the reactions that certain substances trigger in them. I learned to accept [for example] that if only one child in the school had such a severe peanut allergy that just the slightest whiff of a peanut butter and jam sandwich in another’s lunch bag meant that the first child would have a reaction so severe that the child would die without immediate emergency intervention, that the school’s policy would be to ban any and all peanut substances from the building. Perhaps it doesn’t seem fair that those children who love peanut butter sandwiches or peanut butter chocolate bars etc. are deprived of them for the sake of only one child but what is more important? The health and well being of the entire school communtity or some individuals favorite lunch? If I could accept that reasoning at school why did I not carry it with me when it came to the use of incense in church? In my spiritual pride and pompousity, even though I would not admit it, I lacked empathy for those around me at Mass and despite my years, did not fully understand what it meant to be a member of a Catholic community.
A year ago, I moved to a different city and a new parish. The first thing I noticed on my initial visit to the new church was a sign that stated the church was a scent-free building. This did not make me happy and I seriously thought about going elsewhere but something kept pulling me back. I had a long chat with the pastor and he informed me that there were a great many parishoners with severe allergies to one thing or another and after several episodes occuring during Mass in which emergency ambulances had to be called he decided that certain steps had to be taken. Basically what it meant was that the men were asked not to wear after-shave or women to wear perfume or the use of richly scented flowers to decorate the altar. Incense was not forbidden but was used sparingly. Not used at weekend Masses but for funerals, Benediction and all the major feast days. His explanation didn’t really satisfy me and I thought perhaps he was over-reacting somewhat. Three weeks after that chat, at the 11am Sunday Mass, a young man had a violent reaction shortly after Mass had begun. It was caused by the perfume a visitor was wearing who sat in a pew a couple of rows behind him. The reaction was so sudden and so severe that the man had already turned blue and could barely breathe. Thankfully a doctor was sitting just opposite and saw what had happenned. He had the man moved out into the main aisle and tended to him until the ambulance arrived. Needless to say the whole congregation was very upset and shaken by the incident. A similar incident took place during the Easter Vigil but it was caused by the smoke from the candles and the incense. It happened to one of the choir members during the singing of the Gloria and was so bad that Father left the altar and gave her the Annointing of the Sick. In fact, she died hours after being taken to the hospital. Before anyone says that maybe it wasn’t the incense that caused her reaction. let me tell you that this was a woman in her thirties who knew she was allergic to incense but thought she could control it with the use of medications. She’d had some problems in the past and usually she would not sing at Mass when incense was used but that night was a very special one for her since her husband was being received into the Church. I can tell you that our pastor was shaken to the core as was the whole parish and we are still in mourning for her and her family.
All those who love incense would have been in seventh heaven this week at my parish. However it was a sad week for us. We have a large number of elderly parishoners and have experienced an inordinate number of deaths recently. There was a funeral every day and yesterday, we had three! Whatwith the amount of incense used at Benediction on Friday, by the time for the 5pm Mass yesterday, the church was so full of it, one could smell it out in the parking lot. Since it is the Feast of the Ascension, Father was planning on using incense during Mass but he told the thurifer to put it away. I was a greeter before Mass and watched many people walk into the narthex and because of the smell, immediately turn around and walk out. Even during Mass, the coughing and hacking was unreal. Normally, not a sound can be heard. By the time Mass was finished probably only half the congregation was left. Not too long ago. I would have dismissed all those people in my smugness as being weak and self-centered. I’ve learned a lot about myself this past year in this parish amd much of it has not been very flattering to me. Humility is a hard lesson to learn and I’m sad that it has taken me almost 60 years to learn it.
A year ago, I moved to a different city and a new parish. The first thing I noticed on my initial visit to the new church was a sign that stated the church was a scent-free building. This did not make me happy and I seriously thought about going elsewhere but something kept pulling me back. I had a long chat with the pastor and he informed me that there were a great many parishoners with severe allergies to one thing or another and after several episodes occuring during Mass in which emergency ambulances had to be called he decided that certain steps had to be taken. Basically what it meant was that the men were asked not to wear after-shave or women to wear perfume or the use of richly scented flowers to decorate the altar. Incense was not forbidden but was used sparingly. Not used at weekend Masses but for funerals, Benediction and all the major feast days. His explanation didn’t really satisfy me and I thought perhaps he was over-reacting somewhat. Three weeks after that chat, at the 11am Sunday Mass, a young man had a violent reaction shortly after Mass had begun. It was caused by the perfume a visitor was wearing who sat in a pew a couple of rows behind him. The reaction was so sudden and so severe that the man had already turned blue and could barely breathe. Thankfully a doctor was sitting just opposite and saw what had happenned. He had the man moved out into the main aisle and tended to him until the ambulance arrived. Needless to say the whole congregation was very upset and shaken by the incident. A similar incident took place during the Easter Vigil but it was caused by the smoke from the candles and the incense. It happened to one of the choir members during the singing of the Gloria and was so bad that Father left the altar and gave her the Annointing of the Sick. In fact, she died hours after being taken to the hospital. Before anyone says that maybe it wasn’t the incense that caused her reaction. let me tell you that this was a woman in her thirties who knew she was allergic to incense but thought she could control it with the use of medications. She’d had some problems in the past and usually she would not sing at Mass when incense was used but that night was a very special one for her since her husband was being received into the Church. I can tell you that our pastor was shaken to the core as was the whole parish and we are still in mourning for her and her family.
All those who love incense would have been in seventh heaven this week at my parish. However it was a sad week for us. We have a large number of elderly parishoners and have experienced an inordinate number of deaths recently. There was a funeral every day and yesterday, we had three! Whatwith the amount of incense used at Benediction on Friday, by the time for the 5pm Mass yesterday, the church was so full of it, one could smell it out in the parking lot. Since it is the Feast of the Ascension, Father was planning on using incense during Mass but he told the thurifer to put it away. I was a greeter before Mass and watched many people walk into the narthex and because of the smell, immediately turn around and walk out. Even during Mass, the coughing and hacking was unreal. Normally, not a sound can be heard. By the time Mass was finished probably only half the congregation was left. Not too long ago. I would have dismissed all those people in my smugness as being weak and self-centered. I’ve learned a lot about myself this past year in this parish amd much of it has not been very flattering to me. Humility is a hard lesson to learn and I’m sad that it has taken me almost 60 years to learn it.