Standing on the Pews or kneelers in dirty boots

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Appleby

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I live in an area where in the wintertime most people wear boots or galoshes into the sanctuary because the ground outside is either covered with snow or it is muddy and wet. Frequently people allow their children to stand on the pews or the kneelers in wet, muddy boots. This means that the next person who uses this space will either get wet or dirty. Is it ever permissible to ask someone politely to not do this, or should one simply resign oneself to mopping up the mess with a clean handkerchief before sitting down?
 
Buy some doormats for the Church so people can wipe their feet.
 
You can ask, but expect an icy stare and the parents to avoid you from then on. Just remember to take some wipes or paper towel and take care of any mess in your pew. Should parents be more mindful? Certainly, but at least they are at Mass and bringing their children as well…I live in an equally snowy place, and it’s not much of a problem that I’ve noticed.
 
Some parents remove the boots when they get in the pew. But the idea of wipes is a good one.
 
Wait a minute! Wait just a minute!!

What ever happened to NOT PUTTING YOUR FEET ON THE FURNITURE!!!??? :mad:

Would these parents allow their children to go to someone’s home and stand on their couch with muddy feet?

Honestly - people need to learn some respect and then teach it to their children. Ohhhh, so they can’t see? Well, pick them up, sit in the front row if it is that crucial, or figure something else out, but don’t let them stand on the Church’s furniture!!! I should not have to kneel down in slush and dirt on an upholstered kneeler because someone didn’t keep their dirty feet on the floor.

Buy doormats? Bring wipes? Gracious me - what ever happened to manners. :rolleyes:

Grrrrrrrrrr — can ya tell this is a MAJOR pet peeve for me?

~Liza
 
I have 6 short children and yes, they stand on the kneelers to see. We sit near the front, but not always in the front–there are lots of families that sit there. How, pray tell, do I hold the 4 that can’t see up so they can? HMMMMM? There is nothing immoral about standing on the kneelers. They aren’t your mother’s couch or a fine piece of furniture. They are functional. Pet peeve all you want, but dusting or wiping off the kneeler is not the worst thing you have to do once a week…
 
If they are that short what difference does four inches make? :rolleyes:

I stand by my comments, it’s rude to stand with wet/dirty feet - or even clean and dry feet for that matter - on a place where men and women put their clean trousers and women have to kneel in stockings and skirts and sometimes bare knees.

Rude.

~Liza
 
Quite a bit, actually, because of the way our Church is set up the far right hand side is actually elevated a bit, so standing on the kneeler gives a great view for the shorties–it’s why we sit where we sit.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree. I’ve never heard a priest, teacher or anyone church related say to stay off the kneelers and my children will continue to use them as needed. Sorry 'bout that…🤷
 
lizaanne said:
If they are that short what difference does four inches make? :rolleyes:

I stand by my comments, it’s rude to stand with wet/dirty feet - or even clean and dry feet for that matter - on a place where men and women put their clean trousers and women have to kneel in stockings and skirts and sometimes bare knees.

Rude.

~Liza
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There’s something wrong with people standing on kneelers? Not only have I never been in a church that didn’t at least have one child standing on kneelers, its only rarely that I’m in a pew that doesn’t have someone standing on a kneeler. I always thought that this was a standard thing; its been a normal practice in every parish I’ve ever been a member of.
 
Lujack said:
There’s something wrong with people standing on kneelers? Not only have I never been in a church that didn’t at least have one child standing on kneelers, its only rarely that I’m in a pew that doesn’t have someone standing on a kneeler. I always thought that this was a standard thing; its been a normal practice in every parish I’ve ever been a member of.
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It has never occurred to me in 50 years of going to Mass that there was something wrong with putting one’s feet on the kneelers nor have I ever seen parents keeping their children from standing on the kneelers.
 
Phemie said:
It has never occurred to me in 50 years of going to Mass that there was something wrong with putting one’s feet on the kneelers nor have I ever seen parents keeping their children from standing on the kneelers.
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I suppose it is a matter of local custom. In 46 years of attending protestant services (most with kneelers) and 2.5 of Catholic services, in never occurred to me that standing on kneelers was permissible. Had I done that as a child, I’m fairly certain my own mother would have hit me hard enough to send me home to the Lord.

As a practical matter, I even kneel rather gingerly on some at our parish, as they seem somewhat “elderly” and prone to collapse. Not sure how well they would hold up to several children standing or jumping.

Paul
 
Wiping ones feet is as much a part of good manners as not standing on furniture, or, it was when I was a learning matters…

At our Parish, people walk on a paved parking lot, up a sidewalk, and into the Church. Unless the child runs off into the yard, there is not going to be mud on the shoes.

Maybe the Parishes where muddy boots inside is an issue, there could be a fundraiser to get some better sidewalks and volunteers to keep them shovled in the bad weather?
 
Offer it up.

If you have padded kneelers, thank the good Lord that you do not attend an older church which has unpadded kneelers (we saw a mission church like this in San Antonio) or that you do not attend a newer church which doesn’t even HAVE kneelers.

Or you could attend an Eastern Catholic liturgy, in which we do not kneel, but stand for the majority of the service. Problem solved. 😃
 
samcarter14 said:
Offer it up.

If you have padded kneelers, thank the good Lord that you do not attend an older church which has unpadded kneelers (we saw a mission church like this in San Antonio) or that you do not attend a newer church which doesn’t even HAVE kneelers.

Or you could attend an Eastern Catholic liturgy, in which we do not kneel, but stand for the majority of the service. Problem solved. 😃
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Amen!
 
Wow. I am just floored that people think it is perfectly acceptable to put dirty shoes (show me any shoes are are not dirty) on kneelers where people have to kneel in good clothing.

Amazing.

~Liza
 
lizaanne said:
Wow. I am just floored that people think it is perfectly acceptable to put dirty shoes (show me any shoes are are not dirty) on kneelers where people have to kneel in good clothing.

Amazing.

~Liza
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Did I say I think it’s acceptable? No. But I think that maybe, if that’s all you have to complain about in a Mass, you should count your blessings. During Lent, we are to be pondering Christ’s great sacrifice for us. He died for us, and to be complaining about a bit of dirt on one’s pants—easily taken care of if you use a tissue to wipe off the kneeler before Mass, as my grandmothers always did–seems a bit out of whack. Christ bled and suffered and was scourged for us, and we whine about dirt. Geez Louise.

Perhaps I’m biased. I’ve attended a parish where we were told our children would suffer. I won’t go into details, I don’t wish to. All i will say is that if all that had annoyed me at that church had been a bit of dirt on my pants–easily washed out with modern laundering methods–I’d have been grateful.

Dirt on kneelers, people stretching out their arms along a pew…these are all nitpicky things and NOT liturgical abuses. Are they issues of etiquette? Probably. Do they detract from the Mass? Only if one focuses on them instead of the Mass.
 
samcarter14 said:
Did I say I think it’s acceptable? No. But I think that maybe, if that’s all you have to complain about in a Mass, you should count your blessings. During Lent, we are to be pondering Christ’s great sacrifice for us. He died for us, and to be complaining about a bit of dirt on one’s pants—easily taken care of if you use a tissue to wipe off the kneeler before Mass, as my grandmothers always did–seems a bit out of whack. Christ bled and suffered and was scourged for us, and we whine about dirt. Geez Louise.

Perhaps I’m biased. I’ve attended a parish where we were told our children would suffer. I won’t go into details, I don’t wish to. All i will say is that if all that had annoyed me at that church had been a bit of dirt on my pants–easily washed out with modern laundering methods–I’d have been grateful.

Dirt on kneelers, people stretching out their arms along a pew…these are all nitpicky things and NOT liturgical abuses. Are they issues of etiquette? Probably. Do they detract from the Mass? Only if one focuses on them instead of the Mass.
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[edited] But it is a bit DISTRACTING when someone has been rude enough to put dirty feet on the kneelers, I’m focusing on the Mass, and I kneel down into soggy kneelers. Our Church is old, and our parish is not made of money to be replacing kneelers or recovering them all the time because they get worn out. It is flat out RUDE and disrespectful for people to be putting feet on the kneelers. Period. It has nothing to do with how holy or attentive, nitpicky or focused anyone is. ** It has to do with plain out respect for our parish property and fellow parishoners.**

~Liza
 
Jennifer_J said:
I have 6 short children and yes, they stand on the kneelers to see. We sit near the front, but not always in the front–there are lots of families that sit there. How, pray tell, do I hold the 4 that can’t see up so they can? HMMMMM? There is nothing immoral about standing on the kneelers. They aren’t your mother’s couch or a fine piece of furniture. They are functional. Pet peeve all you want, but dusting or wiping off the kneeler is not the worst thing you have to do once a week…
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I agree with Lizaanne.They are kneelers, not a step stool! I never let my child stand on them. As far as them being short & can’t see, that is not the most important thing. What’s to see? They should be *listening *. Many, many occasions I have someone tall/big or with a big hat on, sitting in front of me & I can’t see. I just listen! I get more out of the homily usually & I don’t stand on the kneelers, either;)
 
lizaanne said:
[edited] But it is a bit DISTRACTING when someone has been rude enough to put dirty feet on the kneelers, I’m focusing on the Mass, and I kneel down into soggy kneelers. Our Church is old, and our parish is not made of money to be replacing kneelers or recovering them all the time because they get worn out. It is flat out RUDE and disrespectful for people to be putting feet on the kneelers. Period. It has nothing to do with how holy or attentive, nitpicky or focused anyone is. ** It has to do with plain out respect for our parish property and fellow parishoners.**

~Liza
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[edited]

I repeat–if this issue is the most important issue in one’s parish–and I assume that it is a burning issue in one’s mind to start a thread about it, as the OP did–then that parish is a blessed one. It’s not a liturgical abuse. And yeah, people are going to be rude and thoughtless. [edited]; it is a hospital for sinners, for those who need to improve themselves. Pray for them.
 
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