Today at Mass

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Drachir

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I moved to another state to be near the ocean and enjoy my retirement. Little did I know
what was about to happen. I always go to Mass a ½ hour early so as to have time to reflect and pray. Upon entering the church I was surprised at what I saw. It looked like an auditorium Instead of pews there were folding chairs. I sat down and opened my prayer book but it was so noisy I could not concentrate and gave up. People were talking like they were at a basketball game.

As people entered I couldn’t help but notice the sloppy attire. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops and etc. This attire was worn by a majority of the people.

Well the Mass started and when we came to the consecration the chairs in front of me were so close I could not knell.

At communion the priest stayed on the alter and four women distributed the host. I am very uncomfortable receiving the host from a woman but I had no choice. Should I have not received communion?

After communion I estimate that fully 1/3 of the people left early.

Driving home I really didn’t feel like I had been to Mass. The next closest church would put a strain on my budget because of the extra gas and because I’m living on Social Security.

Thanks for reading this ….
 
Well today at our Mass the Priest announced that it was his last time to say Mass and that he was leaving the priesthood.

Just be thankful you have a Priest and pray like mad for him.
 
Drachir said:
I moved to another state to be near the ocean and enjoy my retirement. Little did I know
what was about to happen. I always go to Mass a ½ hour early so as to have time to reflect and pray. Upon entering the church I was surprised at what I saw. It looked like an auditorium Instead of pews there were folding chairs. I sat down and opened my prayer book but it was so noisy I could not concentrate and gave up. People were talking like they were at a basketball game.

As people entered I couldn’t help but notice the sloppy attire. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops and etc. This attire was worn by a majority of the people.

Well the Mass started and when we came to the consecration the chairs in front of me were so close I could not knell.

At communion the priest stayed on the alter and four women distributed the host. I am very uncomfortable receiving the host from a woman but I had no choice. Should I have not received communion?

After communion I estimate that fully 1/3 of the people left early.

Driving home I really didn’t feel like I had been to Mass. The next closest church would put a strain on my budget because of the extra gas and because I’m living on Social Security.

Thanks for reading this ….
Click to expand...
The sloppiness here is astonishing! 😦
I think that I would not have believed that it was a catholic church if I had gone in there! …people distributing the host!? That’s very odd…

You could write to the bishop y’know, do you think you should do this?
 
Drachir . . .

So sorry about the circumstances you ran into in your church . . .

Every now and again I run into someone who is in a very liberal church area . . . and very concerned . . . EWTN . . . the world wide Catholic network started by Mother Angelica . . . broadcasts their **Holy Prayer of the Mass **every morning . . . seven days a week . . . with the Holy Rosary prayed prior to the Mass . . . I highly recommend you tune in to EWTN . . . if you have it available in your area . . . it will comfort your spirit . . . and is a rich spiritual blessing each morning through which you can draw close to our Lord . . .

****Pray for the priest there . . . *by all means *****. . . but I would also recommend that you either talk to him personally . . . or write him (if you’re not good at person-to-person sitituations) . . . let him know you are very concerned about what you experienced . . . and in particular about not being able to choose to receive the **Host **at the hand of a priest . . .

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
Psalm 23:1
:bible1:

God bless . . .
. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You Blessed Lord+​
 
I think you will just have to pray and try with all your might to enjoy the church… God has a reason for you to go to that church.

I dont mean to sound rude by this… But what is wrong with a woman in your opinion distributing the host?
In larger churches they have ministers of the Eucharist, and women are allowed to pass the Eucharist out. To be honest, out of 20-30 churches I have been to, a woman has always given the Body or Blood of Jesus.
 
Drachir said:
I moved to another state to be near the ocean and enjoy my retirement. Little did I know
what was about to happen. I always go to Mass a ½ hour early so as to have time to reflect and pray. Upon entering the church I was surprised at what I saw. It looked like an auditorium Instead of pews there were folding chairs. I sat down and opened my prayer book but it was so noisy I could not concentrate and gave up. People were talking like they were at a basketball game.

As people entered I couldn’t help but notice the sloppy attire. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops and etc. This attire was worn by a majority of the people.

Well the Mass started and when we came to the consecration the chairs in front of me were so close I could not knell.

At communion the priest stayed on the alter and four women distributed the host. I am very uncomfortable receiving the host from a woman but I had no choice. Should I have not received communion?

After communion I estimate that fully 1/3 of the people left early.

Driving home I really didn’t feel like I had been to Mass. The next closest church would put a strain on my budget because of the extra gas and because I’m living on Social Security.

Thanks for reading this ….
Click to expand...
I lived in a resort area for many years where life in general was very casual, and so the church seemed to me. At mass, many of the people were dressed in tee shirts and flip flops and seemed loud and jovial, as if they were on vacation, which they were. For some time I inwardly seethed at what I considered to be irreverence and insolence. I was disappointed and unhappy with this church as compared to my former parish. At some point I realized that I was diminishing my own participation at mass by being angry. I met the pastor and got to know parishoners and began to think of this as ‘my new parish’. I don’t recall how long it took, but realizing that I couldn’t go back helped me to move forward. Please allow yourself some time.
 
Sounds like a good reason to hit the road in search of a more reverent parish. Appears to me that those folks may as well join a protestant church. My wife and I are travelers when it comes to finding good parishes. Yes, gasoline is expensive, but I won’t tolerate some of the stuff I see and hear about.

120 miles each way to Mass is not out of the question.
 
I igree with Patti…I would give it a few more chances before I nix it. At least try to get to know the priest. Maybe you can be useful there.
 
When I attend a church that doesn’t have pews, then I sit in the back so I can kneel and I’m not standing so much (pardon the pun) when I do so. I’ve also had a hard time receiving from laymen or Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers until someone in my family was quite ill & dying. The devotion, holiness, dedication and commitment of these people are “priceless”. My family members, those who were ill, would have not been able to receive Holy Communion had it not been for these dedicated people because apparently it is quite difficult for the priests to do especially here in Florida where there are so many retirees who eventually become incapacitated.

But also once you get to know the parish you can position yourself so you can receive from the priest. I attend another Mass on Sunday evenings and teens are Extraordinary Eucharistic Ministers and I always go to the priest, because I receive on the tongue and I noticed the teens making a face & getting skeeved…so I prefer the priest anyway.
 
I too live in a beach area at the Jersey Shore. I am 73 years old and remember what it was like to attend a reverent and holy Mass. We have at least 10 different churches that we could drive to a only 10 or 15 minutes. We’ve attended Mass at one time or the other at all of these. They were very much like you described. We settled on one which seems to be the best of the 10. This priest only has deacons and priests giving Holy Communion, has kept the altar rail and has one Mass on Sundays where the people actually kneel at the altar rail and receive. He has kept the statues and crucifix and station of the cross. But even at this church the people come in shorts, halters, sneakers, etc. Even the ushers taking up the collection wear shorts. It is so disheartening. And there is a sign posted at the entrance of the church regarding wearing appropriate dress for Mass, but no one heeds it. Unfortunately, the priest never says anything about it.

My husband and I, when attending Mass at other parishes we may be visiting, never receive from Extraordinary Ministers, as their hands have not been consecrated and we don’t believe they should be giving out Communion.

In one church I attended Mass at while visiting a friend in Long Island, NY, the priest sat on the altar while 13 women and men gave out Communion. The hosts were kept in glass dishes and the Sacred Blood in glass goblets. I’m sure the priest knew the rules about the type of vessels that must be used (and definitely not glass) but he obviously didn’t care.

I can only say, keep attending Mass and don’t let all the annoyances get to you. I once had a very holy priest suggest to me that I offer it up as a penance since we obviously can’t change everything that is wrong.

God Bless,

Pat
 
Drachir said:
I moved to another state to be near the ocean and enjoy my retirement. Little did I know
what was about to happen. I always go to Mass a ½ hour early so as to have time to reflect and pray. Upon entering the church I was surprised at what I saw. It looked like an auditorium Instead of pews there were folding chairs. I sat down and opened my prayer book but it was so noisy I could not concentrate and gave up. People were talking like they were at a basketball game.

As people entered I couldn’t help but notice the sloppy attire. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops and etc. This attire was worn by a majority of the people.

Well the Mass started and when we came to the consecration the chairs in front of me were so close I could not knell.

At communion the priest stayed on the alter and four women distributed the host. I am very uncomfortable receiving the host from a woman but I had no choice. Should I have not received communion?

After communion I estimate that fully 1/3 of the people left early.

Driving home I really didn’t feel like I had been to Mass. The next closest church would put a strain on my budget because of the extra gas and because I’m living on Social Security.

Thanks for reading this ….
Click to expand...
There’s a sad yet important lesson in this, and the lesson is… your highest priority for where you move to your new home should be the quality of the parishes nearby available to you.
 
I’m very sorry about your suprise. It seems that it pays to check out the local parish a bit before moving into a situation that is hard to get out of. Is this building the final church or is the parish remodelling or building a permenant church?

Here are my suggestions about how to cope:
  • Is there another time for Mass at this parish? If so you may find that one time is quieter than another.
  • Do your pre-Mass prayers at home or in your car before you go in.
  • Find a place to sit where you have the least distractions–probably not on the main aisle.
As for Father not distributing communion at all, let us hope that he was not feeling well rather than that this is his normal practice. If after time you see that it is, you can pray a spiritual communion rather then receive every week. EMHC are allowed by the church and once the communion is consecrated, it doesn’t matter if you receive it from a priest or an EMHC. However, the priest should not just sit there while other’s distribute unless he is ill.

I will be praying for you.
Drachir said:
I moved to another state to be near the ocean and enjoy my retirement. Little did I know
what was about to happen. I always go to Mass a ½ hour early so as to have time to reflect and pray. Upon entering the church I was surprised at what I saw. It looked like an auditorium Instead of pews there were folding chairs. I sat down and opened my prayer book but it was so noisy I could not concentrate and gave up. People were talking like they were at a basketball game.

As people entered I couldn’t help but notice the sloppy attire. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops and etc. This attire was worn by a majority of the people.

Well the Mass started and when we came to the consecration the chairs in front of me were so close I could not knell.

At communion the priest stayed on the alter and four women distributed the host. I am very uncomfortable receiving the host from a woman but I had no choice. Should I have not received communion?

After communion I estimate that fully 1/3 of the people left early.

Driving home I really didn’t feel like I had been to Mass. The next closest church would put a strain on my budget because of the extra gas and because I’m living on Social Security.

Thanks for reading this ….
Click to expand...
 
Drachir said:
I moved to another state to be near the ocean and enjoy my retirement. Little did I know
what was about to happen. I always go to Mass a ½ hour early so as to have time to reflect and pray. Upon entering the church I was surprised at what I saw. It looked like an auditorium Instead of pews there were folding chairs. I sat down and opened my prayer book but it was so noisy I could not concentrate and gave up. People were talking like they were at a basketball game.

As people entered I couldn’t help but notice the sloppy attire. Shorts, t-shirts, flip flops and etc. This attire was worn by a majority of the people.

Well the Mass started and when we came to the consecration the chairs in front of me were so close I could not knell.

At communion the priest stayed on the alter and four women distributed the host. I am very uncomfortable receiving the host from a woman but I had no choice. Should I have not received communion?

After communion I estimate that fully 1/3 of the people left early.

Driving home I really didn’t feel like I had been to Mass. The next closest church would put a strain on my budget because of the extra gas and because I’m living on Social Security.

Thanks for reading this ….
Click to expand...
Do you own or rent? I’d move to a new location where you can find a parish that is more traditional. I agree it’s an important lesson to learn. And if I ever move to the ocean which I’d love to do I’ll remember this.
 
That is so sad. Please don’t refuse communion because of the use of the EMHC’s, It is still Jesus. I agree with some of the other suggestions given. Don’t give up on this parish yet. And remember, at least in my diocese, the priests come and go. Hang in there and pray for a faithful one to come and make some changes.

Have you been to daily mass there? Maybe it is better.
 
My knee jirk reaction was to tell you to move, but I must agree also that there are usually different Mass times, if there is try them. At my parish the Vigil Mass is more conservative with chant and some Latin. And the 9am Mass is very reverent with traditional hymns and organ music.
 
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