The Easter Vigil was very disappointing

[Cat]

There were many Protestants and/or non-religious people in our congregation during our Easter Vigil Mass. I would say well over a hundred non-Catholics. They were there to see their friends or relatives be received into the Church.

Some of them weren’t exactly happy that they were losing their son or daughter to a “pagan, idolatrous, Mary-worshipping” cult.

Would YOU be happy if your son or daughter or some other loved one fell away from the Church that you consider to be the True Church of Christ, and committed themselves to a “cult” that you distrusted and even hated?

Of course these non-Catholics have no idea that this is the most important, holy Mass of the year (even though the priest says it several times during the Mass). To them, this is a night for family fun or family mourning, depending on their perspective. Non-Catholics don’t even know what a Mass is–to them, it’s a big show, a ritual.

I am so glad these loud, camera-snapping, water-sipping, candy-eating, gum chewing, cell-phone-using or texting, talkative people and their hungry, thirsty, tired, crabby, video-game playing children were there last night, because anyone who attends Mass will receive some graces from the Holy Spirit. I’m hoping and praying that our Easter Vigil Mass will be the beginning of THEIR journey home to the Catholic Church and to fulness of faith in the Lord Jesus.

And I’m so glad that the Catholic Church doesn’t ask these people to leave the Mass when they act like the non-Catholics that they are.

 

[OraLabora]

There’s always some dingledorf at every Mass or liturgical office that fails to turn off his or her phone.

I would be so mortified of embarrassment if it happened to me, that I always lock my cell phone in my car (hidden) before I enter the church. Being at a monastery in a very rural area it is highly unlikely to be stolen.

 

[kage_ar]

I am so glad these loud, camera-snapping, water-sipping, candy-eating, gum chewing, cell-phone-using or texting, talkative people and their hungry, thirsty, tired, crabby, video-game playing children were there last night, because anyone who attends Mass will receive some graces from the Holy Spirit. I’m hoping and praying that our Easter Vigil Mass will be the beginning of THEIR journey home to the Catholic Church and to fulness of faith in the Lord Jesus.

And I’m so glad that the Catholic Church doesn’t ask these people to leave the Mass when they act like the non-Catholics that they are.

I wonder, what non-Catholic Church permits or encourages this kind of disrespectful behaviour during services? I’ve never been to one.

“They are not Catholic” is no excuse to be rude in Church.

 

[lutherlic]

…
Some of them weren’t exactly happy that they were losing their son or daughter to a “pagan, idolatrous, Mary-worshipping” cult.
…

That made me laugh!

Seriously though, inconsiderate behavior shouldn’t be blamed on any group in particular. We should be charitable. While usually not the case, phones may be needed for family issues (sickness, emergencies, etc.). People being inconsiderate are not thinking to themselves “I feel like being inconsiderate and selfish today, distracting all around me”. Maybe this is the first time they have been back to church in a long time - do we really want to embarrass them so they stay away?

At least a small part of the problem is ours too. It is easy to allow their actions to engulf us. If it can’t be blocked out and we are not comfortable politely saying something, we should move.

Don’t get me wrong, I struggle with this too. I just know that I don’t know their situation, I haven’t “walked a mile in their shoes”, and sitting their thinking bad thoughts about them only hurts me. At the most important celebration of our liturgical year I should be better than that.

 

[cyberwolf001]

I waited for the telltale sign of who believes in the Real Presence - and I didn’t mean to judge, just observe who genuflected to the empty tabernacle.

I know a few that keep doing that, every year they tell me they are half way done before they’ve forgotten it is empty.

Some of them weren’t exactly happy that they were losing their son or daughter to a “pagan, idolatrous, Mary-worshipping” cult.

Wonder how they’d feel if there child joined a REAL pagan faith.

I wonder, what non-Catholic Church permits or encourages this kind of disrespectful behaviour during services? I’ve never been to one.

“They are not Catholic” is no excuse to be rude in Church.

Agreed. If I attended Mass again I’d NEVER be this rude and I’d hope my Catholic friends if they attend an ADF liturgy would NEVER be this rude in turn. In an ADF rite they’d be kicked right out, possibly in the most literal sense of the work kicked.

Heck I know some Pagan groups wont allow Christians to attend due to fear that the Christian would engage in spiritual warfare during ritual. “Our guardian spirits do all the can dealing hostile spirits outside the rite, we don’t someone attack the rite spiritually from within” they say.

 

[Saint_wannabe]

I know a few that keep doing that, every year they tell me they are half way done before they’ve forgotten it is empty.

Wonder how they’d feel if there child joined a REAL pagan faith.

Agreed. If I attended Mass again I’d NEVER be this rude and I’d hope my Catholic friends if they attend an ADF liturgy would NEVER be this rude in turn. In an ADF rite they’d be kicked right out, possibly in the most literal sense of the work kicked.

Heck I know some Pagan groups wont allow Christians to attend due to fear that the Christian would engage in spiritual warfare during ritual. “Our guardian spirits do all the can dealing hostile spirits outside the rite, we don’t someone attack the rite spiritually from within” they say.

I know that Jesus is present in the Eucharist and I also know that the Eucharist is taken out of the church for Good Friday, but that still doesn’t stop me from dropping to one knee & making the sign of the cross in front of the altar where this miracle takes place every day. I know that God is still present in His church, and I think if anyone is looking around to see if anyone is kneeling in front of an empty Tabernacle, and then judging them as not a real Catholic, they are just being very foolish, and also not being very humble at all.

 

[Nick_in_MB]

I wonder, what non-Catholic Church permits or encourages this kind of disrespectful behaviour during services? I’ve never been to one.

“They are not Catholic” is no excuse to be rude in Church.

Probably not encourage, but doesn’t discourage it either.
My parents came with me once, and Dad felt it was very appropriate to snap a photo of Fr. during his homily.
At their church, it’s in a theater type setting, minimal lights, and it’s a big show with “hands in the air” during the singing. Contemporary band, modern Christian music. Due to the lack of a building, they literally met in a movie theater (now they meet in a school auditorium), and the overflow was another theater where the service was projected live on the screen. People would go in there if they didn’t want to actively participate, and it wasn’t out of the question to see people texting in the overflow.
Prior to the services, they offer donuts, coffee, sausage + biscuit sandwiches, cookies, juice, and you can bring these into the service. They do this even in the school auditorium now. And when they get their own building, it’ll most likely be the same setup, in the style of a theater with no windows.

There’s a church near my parish that’s known as the “breakfast church.” I’ve never been (tempted to go for the free meal), but I’m told that you eat breakfast during the service. I’ve driven past there on Saturday nights, and see grills outside making sausage sandwiches for their Saturday night service.

And then, I’ve heard on the radio of a church in California that serves nachos and pizza, and you can bring these into the service (a non-Catholic church).

So for them, it’s probably the norm to eat and drink in church.

 

[PatriceA]

I know that Jesus is present in the Eucharist and I also know that the Eucharist is taken out of the church for Good Friday, but that still doesn’t stop me from dropping to one knee & making the sign of the cross in front of the altar where this miracle takes place every day. I know that God is still present in His church, and I think if anyone is looking around to see if anyone is kneeling in front of an empty Tabernacle, and then judging them as not a real Catholic, they are just being very foolish, and also not being very humble at all.

I’ll admit I forgot, I also forgot there wasn’t any holy water either. Those actions are just automatic for me. I guess that means I’m not a real Catholic.

 

[Nick_in_MB]

I know that Jesus is present in the Eucharist and I also know that the Eucharist is taken out of the church for Good Friday, but that still doesn’t stop me from dropping to one knee & making the sign of the cross in front of the altar where this miracle takes place every day. I know that God is still present in His church, and I think if anyone is looking around to see if anyone is kneeling in front of an empty Tabernacle, and then judging them as not a real Catholic, they are just being very foolish, and also not being very humble at all.

Our missals actually said to do that at the end of the service on Good Friday. I didn’t do that, I read it last night.

I will say, not genuflecting because the tabernacle is empty isn’t a real good indicator to tell if a person is being reverent; or that genuflecting to an empty tabernacle is a sign of a person who’s disrespectful during Mass. The party I described, they didn’t genuflect at all. And I see plenty of people walk into church and don’t genuflect, they’re usually the ones who make a beeline to the door after Communion.

I’ll admit I forgot, I also forgot there wasn’t any holy water either. Those actions are just automatic for me. I guess that means I’m not a real Catholic.

I did that too. I forgot and thought holy water was there at the beginning of the vigil.
Good Friday though, it was interesting to watch the people walk in as I was in line for the confessional. I saw people just ignore the font, some people put their finger in and then make an expression of “oh, right” or “oh, odd.” Then there were people who did the whole thing as if holy water was in there.

 

[therealdeal]

Better than mine, not ONE person came into the Church by way of our parish tonight (or any recent year as far as I can remember). I consider that a failure. Plus a one hour thirty minute Mass, with skipped readings and the priest yelling instructions because nobody knew what to do. Lord help us…

 

[therealdeal]

Really sorry to hear that. Perhaps you, and your priest, could benefit by praying to St. John Vianny, just look at what he did in Ars! (although it did take over 10 years to see any progress…)

 

[JReducation]

My parish had a beautiful mass and lasted 2 hours very reverent. The church was beautifully decorated. Three adults were confirmed this year. For the most part, parishioners are quite respectful at my parish for mass. Last night a family of 4 (two girls 5-7 years?) that I didn’t recognize sat in front of me. After an hour the two girls became restless and were lying down on the pews and up and down. They left right before communion - maybe didn’t realize the vigil was a two hour mass. The family in the pew in front of them had two girls same age who sat behaved like little ladies so it is possible to bring kids to mass and have them behave appropriately. At least I didn’t see any kids run up and down the aisle like at some services in the past.

You’re absolutely right. The Vigil is not a mass for kids that age, unless they fall asleep. I remember when I was married. We took our three children to the Vigil, my daughter loves pageantry, always has. She was very attentive. My boys would each collapse after the third reading and sleep through the whole mass.

Also, you don’t know how long the mass is going to be. The mass that we, the brothers, attended had 60 people being received into the Church, between the baptisms and confirmations, the mass lasted three hours from 8 to 11. That’s a long time for any kid, unless he goes to sleep. We have a children’s room to the side of the sanctuary. It works well, because the window looks right on to the sanctuary. I imagine it gives the kids something to look at. But I can’t imagine those parents in that room for all those hours with a wrestless child.

That being said, our mass was beautiful and very solemn, except for three cell phones that went off. I can’t see why adults are worse than teens. We have a teen mass every Sunday and those kids always put their phones on vibrate or turn them off. Last night it was the adults who didn’t follow directions. It may have been the same person who received three calls. However, it’s inappropriate and annoying.

I wish that the pastor had a better voice for the Exultet, but he did the best he could. The words are still beautiful even when you miss a note or two.

Fraternally in the Risen Lord,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[JReducation]

We had a lovely Vigil, though for some unknown reason Fr. decided to only have 3 of the 7 readings. That was a disappointment.

The rubrics only require three. I watched the Easter Vigil from the Vatican and they did four of the seven. Usually, if you have baptisms and confirmations, an older crowd or some situation where it would cause a discomfort to extend the Vigil, you reduce the number of readings. I have seen it done even when there are not baptisms and confirmations, because the neighborhood is not safe and the pastor does not want people out on the street at night. We did it because of the large number of baptisms and confirmations, we had three readings, then the ones that are part of the proper of the mass.

Fraternally in the Risen Lord,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[DeOppressoLiber]

Sad to hear all the negative nights people had
I have to say ours went great. Which surprised me.
I’m a pilot, and have to fly virtually every weekend. As a consequence, I’m rarely at Sunday mass with the majority of the people who have families etc… I go during the week, which has a pretty low turn out of mostly elderly parish members. I like my quite respectful masses with the old folks
So I show up last night and the parking lot looks like a 3rd grade field trip, children running nuts every where. I was sure it was going to be a nightmare inside.
To my amazement once we started processing into the church every single kid there settled down, and were absolute angels through out our 3 hour mass.
Come on, that many kids sitting quietly and respectfully for that long , without one problem? If that isn’t a sign of the real presence and a miracle, nothing is

 

[DeOppressoLiber]

Sad to hear all the negative nights people had

I have to say ours went great. Which surprised me.

I’m a pilot, and have to fly virtually every weekend. As a consequence, I’m rarely at Sunday mass with the majority of the people who have families etc… I go during the week, which has a pretty low turn out of mostly elderly parish members. I like my quite respectful masses with the old folks

So I show up last night and the parking lot looks like a 3rd grade field trip, children running nuts every where. I was sure it was going to be a nightmare inside.

To my amazement once we started processing into the church every single kid there settled down, and were absolute angels through out our 3 hour mass.
Come on, that many kids sitting quietly and respectfully for that long , without one problem? If that isn’t a sign of the real presence and a miracle, nothing is

 

[Cat]

Probably not encourage, but doesn’t discourage it either.
My parents came with me once, and Dad felt it was very appropriate to snap a photo of Fr. during his homily.
At their church, it’s in a theater type setting, minimal lights, and it’s a big show with “hands in the air” during the singing. Contemporary band, modern Christian music. Due to the lack of a building, they literally met in a movie theater (now they meet in a school auditorium), and the overflow was another theater where the service was projected live on the screen. People would go in there if they didn’t want to actively participate, and it wasn’t out of the question to see people texting in the overflow.
Prior to the services, they offer donuts, coffee, sausage + biscuit sandwiches, cookies, juice, and you can bring these into the service. They do this even in the school auditorium now. And when they get their own building, it’ll most likely be the same setup, in the style of a theater with no windows.

There’s a church near my parish that’s known as the “breakfast church.” I’ve never been (tempted to go for the free meal), but I’m told that you eat breakfast during the service. I’ve driven past there on Saturday nights, and see grills outside making sausage sandwiches for their Saturday night service.

And then, I’ve heard on the radio of a church in California that serves nachos and pizza, and you can bring these into the service (a non-Catholic church).

So for them, it’s probably the norm to eat and drink in church.

Exactly! Thank you.

How many of you have attended a Protestant “megachurch” lately? It is the norm to eat and drink. Many of these churches seat people at tables and they can buy coffee drinks and treats and eat/drink throughout the worship service. And even the regular Protestant churches usually tolerate people chewing gum, sipping water (or even coffee) and munching hard candy during the worship service.

It’s considered a strategy to help make people feel more comfortable in a church. They want to make church seem less like “church” and more like a visit to someone’s home. I realize that to Catholics, this seems bizarre, but it’s the way evangelical Protestants and other Protestants think these days. It’s all about evangelizing–attracting new people. After all, Jesus did the same kind of thing. He spoke outdoors, told stories, and answered questions from the audience.

As for cameras, that’s been the norm in Protestant churches at special occasions for decades.

And chatting–well, again, a lot of the megachurches are set up like coffee bars or cafes–you sit at at table and watch a DVD of a pastor, or a live video of the music or local speaker, and you are free to chat while you’re listening. If you want quiet, you go into a different area of the church to hear the worship service.

The only thing that would not be the norm in the evangelical Protestant church is to have the kids with you. Evangelical Protestants send their children to a nursery. So they’re not used to having their kids with them during “church,” and they may not know all the “quiet” tricks that some of the Catholics moms and dads use.

One more possibility-certain fundamentalists sects of Protestants would consider it a righteous thing to do to disrupt a “pagan Catholic Mass.” They consider the entire affair of the devil, and so to talk loudly, walk around, chew gum, etc. would be considered a good thing because it will make people not hear the evil teaching spewing from the priests.

Yes, of course I realize that probably some of the noisiest people were probably the cradle Catholics who should know better. What am I supposed to do? What is the priest supposed to do–order them out of the church? Kick them out of their one trip to Mass (or maybe 2nd trip, counting Christmas). These people are in grave danger of going to hell. I think the priests want to give them every opportunity to hear the Word of God and to be convicted by the Holy Spirit to repent and be restored to full fellowship with the Church and with Jesus. No priest wants to be the cause of someone losing their soul because they left the Church forever after being offended over getting “thrown out” of a Mass. (And we all know someone who has been offended in Church and has nothing but bitterness for their church.) Better for us who are in full fellowship to be patient with those who are unaware of the danger their soul is in, and to lovingly woo them back into fellowship.

 

[Cat]

I wonder, what non-Catholic Church permits or encourages this kind of disrespectful behaviour during services? I’ve never been to one.

“They are not Catholic” is no excuse to be rude in Church.

Have you ever attended a full-gospel, Pentecostal worship service? Or an African-American church?

There’s a constant din of noise and lots of movement. Very little silence. If there is a silent time, the music starts up.

And this is considered reverent and worshipful in those fellowships.

 

[BendedKnee]

I visited my 1st Easter Vigil last night.
Sadly, I had to leave perhaps an hour early, missing the finish of the Initiations and Eucharist.

But the time I was there was amazing! I loved the entire service, it was beautiful.

I really wanted to visit the Mass this morning, but I’ve been busy with 2 services, a church breakfast, and an Easter egg hunt since 5 AM. Before the egg hunt, I heard the bells of the Catholic Church sounding off in the distance and felt depressed that I wasn’t there.

One more possibility-certain fundamentalists sects of Protestants would consider it a righteous thing to do to disrupt a “pagan Catholic Mass.” They consider the entire affair of the devil, and so to talk loudly, walk around, chew gum, etc. would be considered a good thing because it will make people not hear the evil teaching spewing from the priests.

I have a grandmother who was not at all happy when she heard I was visiting Vigil.
That sounds like something she might do.

I was careful not to make a fool of myself or stand out, so I was pretty quiet.

 

[JReducation]

If you want to see a lot of movement, pageantry, and music try a Greek Catholic Easter Liturgy. It goes for hours and it’s non-stop activity. But it’s absolutely beautiful. Though I don’t understand a word and they don’t give you a missalette with the translation. If you’re not Greek Catholic, you have no clue what is being said. I was able to follow along because I recognized some of the rituals from my Church history classes and liturgy classes in formation. But some of the rites were foreign to me. I have to admit that I was able to get into the spirit of the liturgy, because you put yourself in the mindset that this is the proclamation of the Risen Christ. Once you do that, the rest is not that important. You just float along with the congregaton.

I have also been to a Ukranian Catholic Church for Christmas and that was another wonderful experience, even though I did not understand a word and they too don’t give you the translations. You either speak Ukranian or you’re sunk. The only thing was that these were American Ukranians, so the homily was in English.

I always laugh because the first time I went to another Catholic Church that was not Roman I did not know how to receive communion and the priest figured it out. He started to laugh at my awkwardness when he lifted the little spoon.

Language is important to a certain extent. If you follow the rites, you can figure out what is going on, even in another Church.

Fraternally in the Risen Lord,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Cat]

If you want to see a lot of movement, pageantry, and music try a Greek Catholic Easter Liturgy. It goes for hours and it’s non-stop activity. But it’s absolutely beautiful. Though I don’t understand a word and they don’t give you a missalette with the translation. If you’re not Greek Catholic, you have no clue what is being said. I was able to follow along because I recognized some of the rituals from my Church history classes and liturgy classes in formation. But some of the rites were foreign to me. I have to admit that I was able to get into the spirit of the liturgy, because you put yourself in the mindset that this is the proclamation of the Risen Christ. Once you do that, the rest is not that important. You just float along with the congregaton.

I have also been to a Ukranian Catholic Church for Christmas and that was another wonderful experience, even though I did not understand a word and they too don’t give you the translations. You either speak Ukranian or you’re sunk. The only thing was that these were American Ukranians, so the homily was in English.

I always laugh because the first time I went to another Catholic Church that was not Roman I did not know how to receive communion and the priest figured it out. He started to laugh at my awkwardness when he lifted the little spoon.

Language is important to a certain extent. If you follow the rites, you can figure out what is going on, even in another Church.

Fraternally in the Risen Lord,

Br. JR, OSF

JReducation, I am SOOOOO glad that the Lord has preserved your health and given you another Easter on earth with all of us! Happy Easter, friend.