Strange man in Satan shirt at Mass today

[ServusHumilis]

Sadly, some churches in Europe have experienced disruptions during Mass over the years by groups like “Femen” (radical, extremist feminist group with topless ladies in public). In particular, I remember reading about a topless lady who jumped on the altar during a Christmas Mass in the Cathedral of Cologne, Germany last year. The group has made threats of taking action in the future. All I can say is that we should pray for anyone who intentionally makes a scene at Mass – they’re likely going through some form of personal struggle (demonic or otherwise).

I remember hearing Fulton Sheen say that one of the signs of demonic possession is that the possessed will often strip naked in the presence of the Divine. Often times when taking communion to someone in mental sanitariums, the priest he knew walking down the hallway would see people in their cells strip as he walked by with the consecrated Eucharist on his person. I have no doubt some of the people mentioned in this thread were demonically possessed and that what is often mistaken for mental illness nowadays is indeed demonic possession.

 

[Elena321]

I remember hearing Fulton Sheen say that one of the signs of demonic possession is that the possessed will often strip naked in the presence of the Divine. Often times when taking communion to someone in mental sanitariums, the priest he knew walking down the hallway would see people in their cells strip as he walked by with the consecrated Eucharist on his person. I have no doubt some of the people mentioned in this thread were demonically possessed and that what is often mistaken for mental illness nowadays is indeed demonic possession.

I also think spiritual “realm” is not considered enough in today’s Psychiatry,but at the same time great care must be taken the other way too.
Ie:many people with mental illnesses have been psychologically harmed by Pentacostal etc ministries trying to “remove the evil spirits from them”
It’s an area that needs mush caution because suggesting to people with real severe mental illnesses that they have a “demon” can really mess with their already vulnerable brains.

 

[MtnDwellar]

Hail Satan shirts are sold by Satan worshipers.

They are sold at T shirt stores as novelties.
There is one that mocks the Satan shirt and actually says Hail Santa.

 

[TimothyH]

What’s wrong with a satin shirt?

I much prefer an p(name removed by moderator)oint oxford or even a silk shirt if you want that sheen, though they are a pain to iron, and satin is really, really out of style, but I wouldn’t think someone was strange if it was a button down, not too gaudy and worn with a nice sport coat.

They have lots of them really cheap at the SVdP and Goodwill stores.

-Tim-

 

[August_Carlson]

I was at the Mass in question in Ann Arbor and witnessed the entire thing from both the Sacristy, where I was assisting prior to Mass, and from the front of the church after the Mass began. The pastor was aware prior to the beginning of the Mass that there was a “disturbed man” in the congregation who was making noise and talking loudly about Satan. What he actually spoke was gibberish – incoherent, nonsensical and indecipherable.

The disturbed man was sitting in the front pew in the congregation-left side of the cruciform-shaped church – in an area reserved for the Lectors and people in wheelchairs (of whom, there were several). The Pastor actually went out prior to the Mass to see if he could help this man, but, as he was exiting the sacristy, one of the parishioners (a former police officer, BTW) wisely and professionally approached the disturbed man and helped to escort him out to the back of the church. This, in the end, was insufficient, because later on, during the Consecration, the man returned and sat down on the other side of the church (the congregation-right side).

I marveled as the disturbed man’s agitation ceased when the pastor intoned the Eucharistic Prayer. Father always sings at the incense Mass – and this was a high Mass. The disturbed man was held in awe. Whenever Father stopped singing, the man began to babble again and whenever Father sang, he fell silent.

During the “Our Father” section of the Mass, the disturbed man rose and left up the center aisle. Everyone saw him. He was mumbling and upset. I suspect that he was deeply uncomfortable about having to shake someone’s hands during the Sign of Peace. I think he understood the structure of the Mass – perhaps he was raised in a Catholic family.

He returned again during Communion. He was one of the last people in line to recieve. When he came up to the front, the Pastor actually spoke to him quietly. Everyone saw this moment if they were paying attention (and I think most people were). Father did not offer the Eucharist to the disturbed man, but he did bless him by drawing a Sign of the Cross on his forehead. The disturbed man quietly allowed this blessing to take place, but then, he suddenly turned and exited to the rear of the church by means of the central aisle. The Pastor’s decision to publicly and lovingly bless this man was one of the bravest and holiest actions I’ve ever seen made by a priest. The congregation’s silent, hopeful and prayerful witness was also a thing of beauty. I do not know what happened to the disturbed man after the Mass.

My take on all of this is that the disturbed man was paranoid-schizophrenic in the midst of the fullest and most dangerous thrall of his illness. He was talking to people who were not there. He was hearing voices. He was deeply agitated, upset, angry, frightened (you could almost smell his fear).

The church where this happened is a downtown church and we often see a lot of street people – most of whom, I suspect, have mental problems. This man’s mental illness was severe. Many of the street people in our city either refuse to go to the city shelter, or have been kicked out because they are labeled as trouble-makers. But I think that many of these people become trouble makers because so many mentally ill street people are victimized at the shelter – they are often robbed, beaten or intimidated by people who are stronger, more cunning, and far more menacing then they. Hence, they sleep in abandoned cars, on the street, and under culverts, in the cruelest of weather. They think they are safer on the streets than they are in the shelter.

Many of them also live with their mental illness without medication (tho’ they may self medicate with alcohol or street drugs). These people are desperately ill and without hope, and I believe that they deserve our prayer and our assistance daily. If we are as brave and loving as this good priest was, if we are unafraid to bless them, and if our communities are willing to witness our love for these poor souls, perhaps a better day will lie in store. This problem will not go away with wishful thinking, nor is the government competent or caring enough to assist. This is worth praying about. We need the wisdom and guidance of Christ’s Church. Maranatha!

 

[Sarcelle]

I was at the Mass in question in Ann Arbor and witnessed the entire thing from both the Sacristy, where I was assisting prior to Mass, and from the front of the church after the Mass began. The pastor was aware prior to the beginning of the Mass that there was a “disturbed man” in the congregation who was making noise and talking loudly about Satan. What he actually spoke was gibberish – incoherent, nonsensical and indecipherable.

The disturbed man was sitting in the front pew in the congregation-left side of the cruciform-shaped church – in an area reserved for the Lectors and people in wheelchairs (of whom, there were several). The Pastor actually went out prior to the Mass to see if he could help this man, but, as he was exiting the sacristy, one of the parishioners (a former police officer, BTW) wisely and professionally approached the disturbed man and helped to escort him out to the back of the church. This, in the end, was insufficient, because later on, during the Consecration, the man returned and sat down on the other side of the church (the congregation-right side).

I marveled as the disturbed man’s agitation ceased when the pastor intoned the Eucharistic Prayer. Father always sings at the incense Mass – and this was a high Mass. The disturbed man was held in awe. Whenever Father stopped singing, the man began to babble again and whenever Father sang, he fell silent.

During the “Our Father” section of the Mass, the disturbed man rose and left up the center aisle. Everyone saw him. He was mumbling and upset. I suspect that he was deeply uncomfortable about having to shake someone’s hands during the Sign of Peace. I think he understood the structure of the Mass – perhaps he was raised in a Catholic family.

He returned again during Communion. He was one of the last people in line to recieve. When he came up to the front, the Pastor actually spoke to him quietly. Everyone saw this moment if they were paying attention (and I think most people were). Father did not offer the Eucharist to the disturbed man, but he did bless him by drawing a Sign of the Cross on his forehead. The disturbed man quietly allowed this blessing to take place, but then, he suddenly turned and exited to the rear of the church by means of the central aisle. The Pastor’s decision to publicly and lovingly bless this man was one of the bravest and holiest actions I’ve ever seen made by a priest. The congregation’s silent, hopeful and prayerful witness was also a thing of beauty. I do not know what happened to the disturbed man after the Mass.

My take on all of this is that the disturbed man was paranoid-schizophrenic in the midst of the fullest and most dangerous thrall of his illness. He was talking to people who were not there. He was hearing voices. He was deeply agitated, upset, angry, frightened (you could almost smell his fear).

The church where this happened is a downtown church and we often see a lot of street people – most of whom, I suspect, have mental problems. This man’s mental illness was severe. Many of the street people in our city either refuse to go to the city shelter, or have been kicked out because they are labeled as trouble-makers. But I think that many of these people become trouble makers because so many mentally ill street people are victimized at the shelter – they are often robbed, beaten or intimidated by people who are stronger, more cunning, and far more menacing then they. Hence, they sleep in abandoned cars, on the street, and under culverts, in the cruelest of weather. They think they are safer on the streets than they are in the shelter.

Many of them also live with their mental illness without medication (tho’ they may self medicate with alcohol or street drugs). These people are desperately ill and without hope, and I believe that they deserve our prayer and our assistance daily. If we are as brave and loving as this good priest was, if we are unafraid to bless them, and if our communities are willing to witness our love for these poor souls, perhaps a better day will lie in store. This problem will not go away with wishful thinking, nor is the government competent or caring enough to assist. This is worth praying about. We need the wisdom and guidance of Christ’s Church. Maranatha!

How we treat the mentally ill has improved but there seems to be a lot of room for improvement. There is a lot about the brain we just do not understand with our science.

 

[Cimachol]

Has anyone else had such a thing happen during Mass? If so, what did the people and the priest do?

Once during Mass a homeless-looking man walked in and started shouting something about the Church. Various men in the Church started walking toward him at once and he quickly left.

Another time, after the contemporary choir made a somewhat questionable selection of the Alleluia before the Gospel, a man left his pew and began walking down the aisle, rolling his eyes and saying out loud, “Not for me! Not for me!” Not exactly the same as walking around in pro-Satan shirt, but inappropriate. No one did anything, but I think that was because he was leaving anyway and was out the door before the Alleluia was even finished.

 

[TimothyH]

I was at the Mass in question in Ann Arbor and witnessed the entire thing from both the Sacristy, where I was assisting prior to Mass, and from the front of the church after the Mass began. The pastor was aware prior to the beginning of the Mass that there was a “disturbed man” in the congregation who was making noise and talking loudly about Satan. What he actually spoke was gibberish – incoherent, nonsensical and indecipherable.

The disturbed man was sitting in the front pew in the congregation-left side of the cruciform-shaped church – in an area reserved for the Lectors and people in wheelchairs (of whom, there were several). The Pastor actually went out prior to the Mass to see if he could help this man, but, as he was exiting the sacristy, one of the parishioners (a former police officer, BTW) wisely and professionally approached the disturbed man and helped to escort him out to the back of the church. This, in the end, was insufficient, because later on, during the Consecration, the man returned and sat down on the other side of the church (the congregation-right side).

I marveled as the disturbed man’s agitation ceased when the pastor intoned the Eucharistic Prayer. Father always sings at the incense Mass – and this was a high Mass. The disturbed man was held in awe. Whenever Father stopped singing, the man began to babble again and whenever Father sang, he fell silent.

During the “Our Father” section of the Mass, the disturbed man rose and left up the center aisle. Everyone saw him. He was mumbling and upset. I suspect that he was deeply uncomfortable about having to shake someone’s hands during the Sign of Peace. I think he understood the structure of the Mass – perhaps he was raised in a Catholic family.

He returned again during Communion. He was one of the last people in line to recieve. When he came up to the front, the Pastor actually spoke to him quietly. Everyone saw this moment if they were paying attention (and I think most people were). Father did not offer the Eucharist to the disturbed man, but he did bless him by drawing a Sign of the Cross on his forehead. The disturbed man quietly allowed this blessing to take place, but then, he suddenly turned and exited to the rear of the church by means of the central aisle. The Pastor’s decision to publicly and lovingly bless this man was one of the bravest and holiest actions I’ve ever seen made by a priest. The congregation’s silent, hopeful and prayerful witness was also a thing of beauty. I do not know what happened to the disturbed man after the Mass.

My take on all of this is that the disturbed man was paranoid-schizophrenic in the midst of the fullest and most dangerous thrall of his illness. He was talking to people who were not there. He was hearing voices. He was deeply agitated, upset, angry, frightened (you could almost smell his fear).

The church where this happened is a downtown church and we often see a lot of street people – most of whom, I suspect, have mental problems. This man’s mental illness was severe. Many of the street people in our city either refuse to go to the city shelter, or have been kicked out because they are labeled as trouble-makers. But I think that many of these people become trouble makers because so many mentally ill street people are victimized at the shelter – they are often robbed, beaten or intimidated by people who are stronger, more cunning, and far more menacing then they. Hence, they sleep in abandoned cars, on the street, and under culverts, in the cruelest of weather. They think they are safer on the streets than they are in the shelter.

Many of them also live with their mental illness without medication (tho’ they may self medicate with alcohol or street drugs). These people are desperately ill and without hope, and I believe that they deserve our prayer and our assistance daily. If we are as brave and loving as this good priest was, if we are unafraid to bless them, and if our communities are willing to witness our love for these poor souls, perhaps a better day will lie in store. This problem will not go away with wishful thinking, nor is the government competent or caring enough to assist. This is worth praying about. We need the wisdom and guidance of Christ’s Church. Maranatha!

This is a very beautiful and moving post, lucid and well written. The part about the priest being simultaneously loving an brave made me well up with emotion.

Thank you for writing this and for taking the time to type it all out. I hope you post often.

-Tim-

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

Once at church, I saw a bleached-blonde woman walking slowly up for Communion. She was wearing a black top that had, printed in bold white letters on her back: “Naked Bartenders Flirt With You.” I happened to notice it while I was kneeling, waiting to go up, or having already returned to my seat.

 

[sweetcharity]

We had an “incident” in which a lady didn’t like the homily that our priest was delivering. The priest implied that he questioned the ‘fine’ details of the Noah’s Ark story. A lady jumped up and said, “We know it’s true. It’s the Word of the Lord.” She then walked out of the church. Poor father quickly ended his homily. You could tell he was totally embarrassed. Years later he returned to our church, to fill in for an absent priest. By coincidence, he returned the same weekend that the Noah’s Ark story was being read. He made reference to what had happened years before and how humbling it was.

The Noah’s Ark lady was harmless, but she was very wrong for doing what she did. She owed Father an apology. Although the homeless men could be excused, due to mental illness, there was no excuse for what the Noah’s Ark lady did.

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

We had an “incident” in which a lady didn’t like the homily that our priest was delivering. The priest implied that he questioned the ‘fine’ details of the Noah’s Ark story. A lady jumped up and said, “We know it’s true. It’s the Word of the Lord.” She then walked out of the church. Poor father quickly ended his homily. You could tell he was totally embarrassed. Years later he returned to our church, to fill in for an absent priest. By coincidence, he returned the same weekend that the Noah’s Ark story was being read. He made reference to what had happened years before and how humbling it was.

The Noah’s Ark lady was harmless, but she was very wrong for doing what she did. She owed Father an apology. Although the homeless men could be excused, due to mental illness, there was no excuse for what the Noah’s Ark lady did.

I could never do something like that! She was a little out of line, yet her intention was right. At least she said what she said.

 

[TimothyH]

We had an elderly lady with dementia give a great big loud yawn -YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH - in the middle of a homily. Everyone turned and there she was, mouth wide open, shaking the cobwebs out of her head and smacking her dry lips having just woken up from a nice nap in her wheelchair.

So I’m an altar server and I’m sitting right behind the Presider’s chair trying not to laugh and Father’s at the ambo just going on - blah blah blah, in today’s Gospel the Lord encourages us to such and such yada - as if nothing even happened.

-Tim-

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

Once, during the singing of a hymn, an elderly lady was standing, holding her book, then it slipped from her hands and landed with a loud, hard echo onto the seat in front of her. She picked it up, and it happened again.

 

[TimothyH]

Once, during the singing of a hymn, an elderly lady was standing, holding her book, then it slipped from her hands and landed with a loud, hard echo onto the seat in front of her. She picked it up, and it happened again.

An elderly monk at the monastery told me that he used to fall asleep during Matins - prayers at 4:00 AM - when he first entered the monastery. He would doze off while standing and the music book would fall from his hands with a loud echo in the cavernous Abbey Church. The Abbot would make him prostrate himself on the floor in front of everyone every time it happened. One day he found a string and tied the book to his hand until he got used to being awake at that hour.

-Tim-

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

Another strange church story. This is, by far, the strangest thing of all that I remember having happened. There was a radio playing, throughout the entire Mass, and anyone who could have done something about it didn’t seem to notice. It could be heard faintly, yet clearly enough, in the speakers in the ceiling. A lady I sat with whispered to me if I was hearing a radio, I said yes, and a man and woman in front of us with children said they were hearing it too. After the priest had finished his sermon, and all was quiet, the song “Baby’s Got Her Bluejeans On” was playing. Then, right after Communion, after the hymn had silenced and the priest and everyone had returned to their seats and it was the quiet after-Communion reflection time, the song “The Game of Love” was playing. And the lyrics that intruded into the silence were: “Love, love, la-la-la-la-la-la! It started long ago in the Garden of Eden, when Adam said to Eve, baby, you’re for me!” I thought…what??? And the priest, deacon, altar servers, no one except the people I was sitting around noticed. It disrupted the entire Mass for me, and ruined the “feel” of it. I couldn’t believe it!

 

[sweetcharity]

I was at a Mass, at the Cathedral in Los Angeles. A phone was ringing during Father’s homily. When no one answered the phone, Father stopped his homily and told the person to answer the phone. He quickly realized it was his phone that was ringing, so he sat down and answered it. He told the caller that he was busy at the minute, but he could meet him for golf. It was at this point that we all realized he was making a point. It was quite amusing.

 

[Crown_of_Stars]

I was at a Mass, at the Cathedral in Los Angeles. A phone was ringing during Father’s homily. When no one answered the phone, Father stopped his homily had told the person to answer the phone. He quickly realized it was his phone that was ringing, so he sat down and answered it. He told the caller that he was busy at the minute, but he could meet him for golf. It was at this point that we all realized he was making a point. It was quite amusing.

Oh no!

 

[TimothyH]

I was at a Mass, at the Cathedral in Los Angeles. A phone was ringing during Father’s homily. When no one answered the phone, Father stopped his homily and told the person to answer the phone. He quickly realized it was his phone that was ringing, so he sat down and answered it. He told the caller that he was busy at the minute, but he could meet him for golf. It was at this point that we all realized he was making a point. It was quite amusing.

Every priest in the western world does the same homily when it’s the “Samuel! Samuel! Here I am for you called me” reading from 1 Samuel 3.

-Tim-

 

[Elena321]

I was at the Mass in question in Ann Arbor and witnessed the entire thing from both the Sacristy, where I was assisting prior to Mass, and from the front of the church after the Mass began. The pastor was aware prior to the beginning of the Mass that there was a “disturbed man” in the congregation who was making noise and talking loudly about Satan. What he actually spoke was gibberish – incoherent, nonsensical and indecipherable.

The disturbed man was sitting in the front pew in the congregation-left side of the cruciform-shaped church – in an area reserved for the Lectors and people in wheelchairs (of whom, there were several). The Pastor actually went out prior to the Mass to see if he could help this man, but, as he was exiting the sacristy, one of the parishioners (a former police officer, BTW) wisely and professionally approached the disturbed man and helped to escort him out to the back of the church. This, in the end, was insufficient, because later on, during the Consecration, the man returned and sat down on the other side of the church (the congregation-right side).

I marveled as the disturbed man’s agitation ceased when the pastor intoned the Eucharistic Prayer. Father always sings at the incense Mass – and this was a high Mass. The disturbed man was held in awe. Whenever Father stopped singing, the man began to babble again and whenever Father sang, he fell silent.

During the “Our Father” section of the Mass, the disturbed man rose and left up the center aisle. Everyone saw him. He was mumbling and upset. I suspect that he was deeply uncomfortable about having to shake someone’s hands during the Sign of Peace. I think he understood the structure of the Mass – perhaps he was raised in a Catholic family.

He returned again during Communion. He was one of the last people in line to recieve. When he came up to the front, the Pastor actually spoke to him quietly. Everyone saw this moment if they were paying attention (and I think most people were). Father did not offer the Eucharist to the disturbed man, but he did bless him by drawing a Sign of the Cross on his forehead. The disturbed man quietly allowed this blessing to take place, but then, he suddenly turned and exited to the rear of the church by means of the central aisle. The Pastor’s decision to publicly and lovingly bless this man was one of the bravest and holiest actions I’ve ever seen made by a priest. The congregation’s silent, hopeful and prayerful witness was also a thing of beauty. I do not know what happened to the disturbed man after the Mass.

My take on all of this is that the disturbed man was paranoid-schizophrenic in the midst of the fullest and most dangerous thrall of his illness. He was talking to people who were not there. He was hearing voices. He was deeply agitated, upset, angry, frightened (you could almost smell his fear).

The church where this happened is a downtown church and we often see a lot of street people – most of whom, I suspect, have mental problems. This man’s mental illness was severe. Many of the street people in our city either refuse to go to the city shelter, or have been kicked out because they are labeled as trouble-makers. But I think that many of these people become trouble makers because so many mentally ill street people are victimized at the shelter – they are often robbed, beaten or intimidated by people who are stronger, more cunning, and far more menacing then they. Hence, they sleep in abandoned cars, on the street, and under culverts, in the cruelest of weather. They think they are safer on the streets than they are in the shelter.

Many of them also live with their mental illness without medication (tho’ they may self medicate with alcohol or street drugs). These people are desperately ill and without hope, and I believe that they deserve our prayer and our assistance daily. If we are as brave and loving as this good priest was, if we are unafraid to bless them, and if our communities are willing to witness our love for these poor souls, perhaps a better day will lie in store. This problem will not go away with wishful thinking, nor is the government competent or caring enough to assist. This is worth praying about. We need the wisdom and guidance of Christ’s Church. Maranatha!

What a beautiful story and I pray God makes all Fathers and parishioners as loving and courageous as this one.
But to be honest,I wish other parishioners hadn’t supported the parishioner escorting the man out and had of stopped him.
He’s possible been rejected many times so perceiving being rejected from Church could damage him so much.
Doesn’t he belong a part of the Catholic Church and Community too?
Maybe he left during the sign of peace because he feared being unloved and rejected if he shook people’s hands…
I agree it’s our communities that need to help them and love them and not just depend on Government agencies or Medical practitioners who can sometimes be uncaring or don’t do anywhere near enough for them.

Also,service providers often don’t recognise that some of them are “troublemakers” not because they would wish to be but because a part of their brain that affects behaviour is damaged from the illness.
Eg:some people with Schizophrenia,and some with Frontal-temporal Dementia have cell loss in Temporal lobes and sometimes this makes them aggressive or strip off in public etc.
They sometimes end up getting kicked out from “care homes” or other places etc due to the providers not understanding they are not wilfully being bad but rather that those “behaviours” are from the illness.
It’s a tragedy.

 

[August_Carlson]

Elena, you wrote: “I wish other parishioners hadn’t supported the parishioner escorting the man out and had of stopped him.He’s possibly been rejected many times, so perceiving being rejected from Church could damage him so much. Doesn’t he belong a part of the Catholic Church and Community too?”

On this, I must respectfully disagree. The church community deserves to be kept safe from harm while they attend Mass. The man’s erratic behavior was threatening. Escorting him out was proper at the time. He was not thrown outside into the snow, nor was he scolded. He was simply and professionally escorted to the narthex at the back of the church and politely asked to please not disturb the liturgy that was taking place.No one treated the man with disrespect. The disturbed man was intent on causing a disruption, and that’s why he re-entered the church again. He had no intention of worshiping. But the miracle of it all was that the liturgy itself became a healing event, however fleeting it might have been in that poor man’s life.

I am sadly certain that the disturbed man has indeed been rejected in the past – his very behavior would be a reasonable cause for people to react in a negative way towards him. But we must be prudent in church. Some people can be extremely dangerous. We have children in attendance, the elderly, and the handicapped, and most people who have a high expectation that they will be safe. And they should have that expectation honored. The church should be the safest place on earth.