Ushers

[Phemie]

There are people who tell me they haven’t gone to confession in 15 or 20 yrs. but they receive at every Mass because they don’t have sins.
I tell them, not making your Easter duty of Confession & Communion, once a year, during the Lenten season, is a mortal sin in itself! Those years are a long time to remain sin free! :dts:

Easter Duty is to receive Communion. Confession only is required once a year if one has mortal sins. I personally cannot tell people they are in a state of mortal sin even if they haven’t been to Confession in 20 years. Their conscience may be so badly formed that they can’t recognize a mortal sin when they commit one.

 

[Jean_Anthony]

Please keep all comments charitable, everyone. Thank you.

 

[SMHW]

I remember that when I was a child in the 1960s that the ushers actually did used to find seats for people. My family always seemed to be running late and the ushers would have to find individual seats for my family members.

In the beginning the whole congregation used to get up all at once to go to communion but at some point (1967? 1968?) the ushers started enforcing going up in lines. Perhaps it was because so many people were standing and waiting to get out of the pews that it was making things uncomfortable for the people who were trying to stay behind. I don’t know.

The ushers also took up the collection, handed out bulletins, and sometimes helped with traffic flow in the parking lot and in the street.

At my current parish we have ushers and greeters. The greeters pass out worship aids before Mass and bulletins and other materials after Mass. The oversee passing out and collecting the donation baskets. I have never seen the ushers try and help someone find a seat but they probably do if the seating is limited. That’s usually not the case since the church has seating for about a thousand people.

The altar is in the center of the church and we approach it from two sides to receive so the ushers do direct people. My parish receives starting from the back of the Church according to the wishes of the prior bishop. This is usually rather foreign to visitors (and confusing enough to regular parishioners) so the assistance is actually appreciated.

The ushers who are not directing the communion line and the altar servers (we usually have at least seven) also keep and eye on the people who have just received communion to make sure they are actually consuming the host.

 

[truetofaith]

I cannot believe you just wrote that! What a disgusting attitude. There is absolutely no reason that Communion has to proceed as though robots were going up to receive. People should be able to chose when they go up and it should not be dictated by ushers.

What does it matter when people go? If a person in pew 3 wants to spend a little more time in preparation and go near the end, is it going to hurt anyone? If the person in pew 7 joins the line before those in pew 4, are those in pew 4 going to miss out on something? Is the priest going to run out of Jesus?

I’m old enough to remember receiving at the rail and there was no ‘sense of order’ in the way people did that. It was wave of people to the front of the nave, in no particular order. People went up when they were ready.

No, my attitude is accurate. We have over 500 people at Mass & there are 6 stations, one at each aisle.
The priest is at one of them and, of course, there are people who only go to the priest, because he has the consecrated hands, or they want him to see them & smile or whatever!
These are the ones who roam around the whole church & try to cut into the priest’s line.
It would be pandemonium if the ushers didn’t direct the people row by row.

I wish they would have the altar rail again…the people waited until the one kneeling received & took their place. Everyone received communion from the priest.

 

[paperwight66]

Pandemonium?

A case for education from the pulpit on the subject of the Real Presence being the same whoever is distributing, priest or not.

With supplementary words concerning simple good manners.

Pandemonium? How awful.

 

[truetofaith]

QUOTE=asia53;12701029]All the above, except the part about the stupidity of people (Whoa, uncharitable!). Plus, we straighten up the Church after Mass: gather trash, left behind bulletins or personal items, straighten hymnals, etc.

I used the word the poster used but I do call a spade a spade.

I left those other duties out, thanks for adding them! :tiphat:

 

[truetofaith]

I’ve seen sour-faced ushers too…though pleasant ones as well. We’ve also had fainters and people who need medical attention, but it’s always been those closest who’ve stepped in to help, not necessarily the ushers.

The usher knows where the wheelchair is located or if a nurse or doctor is in the church. The usher must be involved.

 

[TimothyH]

Historically, Catholic Churches didn’t have pews and so ushers were not needed. Some Churches had stone benches or other seating but it was not the norm.

The sermon became the central act of worship in non-Catholic Churches after the reformation and hence the need for pews… and ushers.

People started going to non-Catholic Churches where they could sit and so pews were installed in Catholic Churches. From this came a whole host of problems.

Pews were rented to wealthy families even in Catholic Churches and poorer people couldn’t get into the Church while locked pews sat empty. Now we have people at Christmas draping scarves and coats about the pews to signal that the seats are taken and everyone gets offended and people wave and yell “Over here!!!” while some of us are trying to pray. There are elaborate ropes and “reserved” signs for the Knights of Columbus honor guard or parents of kids getting first communion who jump up and down with cameras and won’t be back to the Church until confirmation.

…and ushers.

I say rip the pews out. Lets go back to the good ole’ days when the poor stood, the rich brought chairs, the really wealthy had their servants bring sofas and porters guarded the doors with swords.

-Tim-

 

[truetofaith]

Easter Duty is to receive Communion. Confession only is required once a year if one has mortal sins. I personally cannot tell people they are in a state of mortal sin even if they haven’t been to Confession in 20 years. Their conscience may be so badly formed that they can’t recognize a mortal sin when they commit one.

They may as well join a Protestant denomination, and confess to God at any time they wish.

 

[Phemie]

No, my attitude is accurate. We have over 500 people at Mass & there are 6 stations, one at each aisle.
The priest is at one of them and, of course, there are people who only go to the priest, because he has the consecrated hands, or they want him to see them & smile or whatever!
These are the ones who roam around the whole church & try to cut into the priest’s line.
It would be pandemonium if the ushers didn’t direct the people row by row.

I wish they would have the altar rail again…the people waited until the one kneeling received & took their place. Everyone received communion from the priest.

Having someone walk away with the Blessed Sacrament is a problem; having someone cut in line for Communion shouldn’t even be an annoyance. It’s not like cutting in line to get the best seats at a concert. You are all lining up for exactly the same thing, or rather the same person, Jesus.

I’ve been to Masses at the Cathedral. 500+ people, many stations, and no ushers directing traffic. No pandemonium ensured.

 

[truetofaith]

Pandemonium?

A case for education from the pulpit on the subject of the Real Presence being the same whoever is distributing, priest or not.

With supplementary words concerning simple good manners.

Pandemonium? How awful.

Sorry, I should have said more confusing

People have told me they won’t receive from a Euch. Min.

 

[truetofaith]

Having someone walk away with the Blessed Sacrament is a problem; having someone cut in line for Communion shouldn’t even be an annoyance. It’s not like cutting in line to get the best seats at a concert. You are all lining up for exactly the same thing, or rather the same person, Jesus.

I’ve been to Masses at the Cathedral. 500+ people, many stations, and no ushers directing traffic. No pandemonium ensured.

Maybe Canadians are more reserved than Floridians & New Yorkers.

 

[Usige]

Sorry, I should have said more confusing

People have told me they won’t receive from a Euch. Min.

They won’t receive from a priest or bishop? I think you mean they won’t receive from an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (aka EMHC). Not trying to be snarky, just ensuring we are using the correct terms.

 

[truetofaith]

They won’t receive from a priest or bishop? I think you mean they won’t receive from an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (aka EMHC). Not trying to be snarky, just ensuring we are using the correct terms.

I didn’t want to spell Eucharistic Minister meaning the lay people.

 

[Regina7]

They won’t receive from a priest or bishop? I think you mean they won’t receive from an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (aka EMHC). Not trying to be snarky, just ensuring we are using the correct terms.

If I have children who haven’t made first communion yet and the parish allows/welcomes blessings, I always go to priest, bishop, deacon as EM cannot give a blessing. But I am careful to sit in a spot where I know we’ll have the priest or deacon.

 

[Usige]

I didn’t want to spell Eucharistic Minister meaning the lay people.

That is exactly my point. The laity (and deacons) are NOT Eucharistic Ministers.

Priest and Bishop - Eucharistic Ministers (can confect the Eucharist)
Priest, Bishop, Deacon - Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (those who normally distribute the consecrated species)
Laity - Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (those who distribute when there are not enough Ordinary Ministers of Holy Comminion)

Long and short is laity will never be Eucharistic Ministers.

As a side note what difference does it make if someone prefers to receive from the clergy versus a laymen? While their reason might not be correct, it doesn’t mean they cannot have a preference. My wife receives fronm the clergy because most EMHCs in our area have zero clue on how to distribute on the tongue. It is her right to receive that way so she eliminates the issue by receiving from clergy that are more practiced.

 

[truetofaith]

That is exactly my point. The laity (and deacons) are NOT Eucharistic Ministers.

Priest and Bishop - Eucharistic Ministers (can confect the Eucharist)
Priest, Bishop, Deacon - Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (those who normally distribute the consecrated species)
Laity - Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (those who distribute when there are not enough Ordinary Ministers of Holy Comminion)

Long and short is laity will never be Eucharistic Ministers.

As a side note what difference does it make if someone prefers to receive from the clergy versus a laymen? While their reason might not be correct, it doesn’t mean they cannot have a preference. My wife receives fronm the clergy because most EMHCs in our area have zero clue on how to distribute on the tongue. It is her right to receive that way so she eliminates the issue by receiving from clergy that are more practiced.

You are nit-picking on a point that is not relevant here. You know what I meant!

The point was…people disrupt the flow of communicants by jockeying for position to get to the cleric.

BTW…what does “confect the Eucharist” mean?

 

[Phemie]

You are nit-picking on a point that is not relevant here. You know what I meant!

The point was…people disrupt the flow of communicants by jockeying for position to get to the cleric.

BTW…what does “confect the Eucharist” mean?

Consecrate the bread and wine.

 

[Sunbreak]

I don’t see ushers as useless but their function does vary depending on the parish. Most commonly I’ve seen them welcome people, hold the door open, collect money and hand out bulletins. In one parish they are stationed on either end of the long communion rail to observe people who might just put a host in their pocket or some such thing.
I haven’t seen ushers used very much to herd people row by row, but sometimes you have to wonder why someone sits in the very back row and then has to rush up to be first in the communion line. If you want to be first, sit in the first row.
Ushers do come in handy when there are emergencies like a strange disruptive person coming in the door or a medical emergency.

 

[ccmcmg]

Wow…
I can’t believe such hard feelings towards people who are ushers and doing a **service **for their parish!!! This makes me so sad.

Most of the parishes here are fairly large, and have multiple aisles; it’s not always apparent which one you will be going to for Communion. Also, it gives you time to spend in reflection until it’s your turn (if you are on the aisle) instead of watching to see when it’s your turn, or which direction to go. Even if you aren’t on the aisle, if the one on the aisle isn’t receiving Communion, he/she can alert you that it’s your turn. Even the smaller parishes with one aisle use ushers for various (and good) reasons.

They also help with the collection; sometimes there is a gap between people in the pews, or people are unaware of the basket coming their way, in order to pass it along. They also help with seating, directions to the restroom or such; they make sure children aren’t going to the bathroom and then running around. They also greet and welcome those attending Mass, and pass out the bulletins afterwards.

The ushers also assist in helping find people to fill in if someone is scheduled and doesn’t show up. They clean up the pews afterwards. As well, many other duties of ushers have been listed above.

As for the daily Masses not needing ushers…there are rarely collections, or a very large crowd, and those there are generally regulars who know the drills.

I still can’t believe the animosity towards people volunteering their time, their time at Mass. My husband either attends two Masses so we can be together for one, or I sit alone while he is serving. I’m very disappointed in some of the responses. If are largest concern is that an usher is trying to **assist **us, we need to examine why that is. May God bless and open all our hearts to be compassionate and understanding, and teach us not to assume about others, nor take them for granted.