Vampire t-shirts at Mass

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This question has two answers.
(1) Should people wear t-shirts to Holy Mass? The answer is no. You would dress nicely to interview for a job, you’d dress nicely for a dinner invitation, you’d dress nicely for special occasions. Holy Mass is certainly a special occasion. Does God love you just how you are? Yes, of course. But that’s quite the wrong way to look at this situation. Focus your attention on presenting yourself to the Lord rather than the other way around.

(2) Is there something incompatable with vampires and Catholicism? The answer is yes (and I’ll be the guy who makes your Harry Potter connection as well). Indulging the symbols of the occult is a direct affront to the Lord and is quite outside of Catholic sensibility. Vampires don’t exist? I don’t know. They may not-- at least I’ve never met one. But that’s beside the point. It is dangerous to the soul to glorify occult behavior or symbols-- it weakens your spiritual resolve.

How do you think the devil claims souls? Most of us will never see a red-horned man in a cloud of sulfer-- but do not pretend that Satan isn’t in your home. In your movies. In your children’s books. On your radio. Pulling you down, one little vampire shirt at a time… getting you more accustomed to accepting evil into your home. Into your heart. Into your soul.

I’m serious. Stay vigilant.
 
FrCorey said:
Jesus could show up today and enter your church and you would not let him stay. he would have long hair and beard bare feet and sandals and a long robe. maybe even acting a little crazy to see how you would act.
then after you ask him to go home and clean up and get some clothes on. he would go home, and tell the father that the children are still not ready yet. lets give them a few more of thier decades. and then try again.
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Quite a chip on the cassock, there Father. No one is seriously talking about sending someone home. People are discussing appropriate attire. What is wrong with the church helping lift people up, rather than leaving them in the mire?

As for asking someone dressed oddly and acting crazy, please feel free to come to church with me next week and you can see the kindness that is shown each week to the man who usually dresses in mismatched pastels and grunts, twists, and and periodically screams during mass. We all understand he is a child of God, albeit with some problems.

Paul
 
yellowbird said:
Why did they think the “vampire fad” will cause the need for more exorcists?

Vampires aren’t real. The seem to be all the rage because of the Twilight books … which are are silly and totally harmless except they show a very sappy view of love … I’ve read them. Nobody reading those books could ever actually think that vampires are real unless they had serious mental health issues to begin with.

I excpect that next I’ll hear how the Harry Potter books caused the need for more exorcisims?

:rolleyes:
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Yes, he mentioned the Twilight books specifically, due to the fact that they teach children that these things (in the occult) are fine so they play with the occult and invite the devil in without realizing it, he said. Children think that a lot of things are real when adult society doesn’t (and I am not as equipped as a practicing exorcist to say one way or another). And yes, he also mentioned/warned against the Harry Potter books (as did our Holy Father when he was still prefect of the CDC) due to the magic (read: occult, that children will see as a good thing to do) portrayed in it.😉
 
mystified said:
I don’t like them in or outside of the church, but that may just be the seasoned citizen in me.
However, they are immeasurably better than the T-shirt favored by man in my former parish that advertized a notorious topless/bottomless bar in the community. He wore it to Mass almost every Sunday:eek::eek::eek:
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:rotfl:That’s too much.
 
I don’t like any kind of scary shirts in any public place because some little ones (and older children, too!) get scared, and some kids have nightmares (can you guess that one of our kids had this problem?!).

All I can say is that the person who wears a scary shirt had better not be protesting the war, because both are violent behaviors. You can’t talk about peace when you aren’t willing to live peacefully.

But there’s really not a lot that we can do about it when someone not from our immediate family or intimate circle of friends wears something offensive to Mass, is there?

We can contact the priest during the week and ask if it would be possible for some kind of announcement to be made, but I’m betting that the priest will say that they can’t do that and take a chance on offending someone. Sometimes a teenager will be rebelling, and the parents are just happy to get him/her to Mass, even if he/she insists on wearing something butt-awful. We can’t drive these kids out just because they aren’t perfect yet. None of us are, but most of us don’t wear our imperfections, we hide them.

And lest we criticize other parents for not being stricter or sticking to a dress code, well, I say we should be very careful about judging other parents. Sometimes Christian parents do EVERYTHING right and their kid still rebels bigtime, and it’s real easy for someone to say, “Well, just be strict with them.” That doesn’t always work in real life. I would say to be very careful about judging parents because SOMEDAY, you may find yourself in the same situation with a contentious, rebellious teenager, and then you will hope that someone shows YOU and your kid some mercy.

I don’t think it’s appropriate to approach a complete stranger and make a comment about their clothing, unless the clothing is blatently obscene (a naked woman or man, e.g., and I’m not talking Venus de Milo!) Hopefully the usher would ask such a person to please cover the obscene shirt or leave before the cops come!

IMO, about the only recourse we have is to get up and move, and then to pray really hard for restored peace of mind and calm spirit during Mass, and for the person who seems to have no idea that the scary shirt is offensive during Mass.

But I really don’t see what else we can do.
 
I would hope (and pray) that the majority of the Church’s priests aren’t so cowardly.🤷
 
brigid12 said:
Yes, he mentioned the Twilight books specifically, due to the fact that they teach children that these things (in the occult) are fine so they play with the occult and invite the devil in without realizing it, he said. Children think that a lot of things are real when adult society doesn’t (and I am not as equipped as a practicing exorcist to say one way or another). And yes, he also mentioned/warned against the Harry Potter books (as did our Holy Father when he was still prefect of the CDC) due to the magic (read: occult, that children will see as a good thing to do) portrayed in it.😉
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The Twilight books aren’t children’s books, they’re for teens and young adults. If you haven’t actually read the, which I’m guessing you haven’t I don’t think you can speculate on what they invite people to do. There’s no spells, no conjuring, the main vampire characters don’t kill anyone except an evil vampire who is after the main human character. It’s not your typical vampire story.
 
Am I the only one to notice that the OP was over two years ago? Why are people continuing this thread rather than initiating a new and more relevant one?
 
Cat said:
I don’t like any kind of scary shirts in any public place because some little ones (and older children, too!) get scared, and some kids have nightmares (can you guess that one of our kids had this problem?!).

All I can say is that the person who wears a scary shirt had better not be protesting the war, because both are violent behaviors. You can’t talk about peace when you aren’t willing to live peacefully.

But there’s really not a lot that we can do about it when someone not from our immediate family or intimate circle of friends wears something offensive to Mass, is there?

We can contact the priest during the week and ask if it would be possible for some kind of announcement to be made, but I’m betting that the priest will say that they can’t do that and take a chance on offending someone. Sometimes a teenager will be rebelling, and the parents are just happy to get him/her to Mass, even if he/she insists on wearing something butt-awful. We can’t drive these kids out just because they aren’t perfect yet. None of us are, but most of us don’t wear our imperfections, we hide them.

And lest we criticize other parents for not being stricter or sticking to a dress code, well, I say we should be very careful about judging other parents. Sometimes Christian parents do EVERYTHING right and their kid still rebels bigtime, and it’s real easy for someone to say, “Well, just be strict with them.” That doesn’t always work in real life. I would say to be very careful about judging parents because SOMEDAY, you may find yourself in the same situation with a contentious, rebellious teenager, and then you will hope that someone shows YOU and your kid some mercy.

I don’t think it’s appropriate to approach a complete stranger and make a comment about their clothing, unless the clothing is blatently obscene (a naked woman or man, e.g., and I’m not talking Venus de Milo!) Hopefully the usher would ask such a person to please cover the obscene shirt or leave before the cops come!

IMO, about the only recourse we have is to get up and move, and then to pray really hard for restored peace of mind and calm spirit during Mass, and for the person who seems to have no idea that the scary shirt is offensive during Mass.

But I really don’t see what else we can do.
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Worth repeating. WOW.
:clapping::clapping::clapping::clapping:
 
CAROLOFTHEBELLS said:
I don’t know if this is the correct place to start this thread. I understand that vampires are pretty popular with young people, due to some movies. What I don’t like is seeing a t-shirt worn by a teen/young person that says, “I Run With Vampires”. I have only seen this once, but it was right up front in the front row at the left side of the altar. The dad was sitting right next to him. It was Palm Sunday, to boot. It’s pretty a pretty disgusting or at least mentally distracting thing to see during the liturgy of the eurcharist. If I talk to the priest about it, can the church request a dress code in their bulletin regarding shirts with writing? With so much political correctness these days, I don’t know if that is done anymore.
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I would close your eyes and thank God that He has brought this teenager into church and placed him in the front row where said teenager could partake in the Mass and then say a prayer for all the other families who allow their teenagers to just stay home and a prayer for all the families who have lost teenagers and don’t have their children to bring to Mass.
 
At least I’m there.😃
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To me, this is the problem. The “at least I’m there” mentality says that we are to be accepting of ANYTHING, because we are supposed to be so grateful for someone’s presence. Why not have nudity, then, or some other extreme, at Mass–after all, at least they are there?

IMHO, this is part of how we got to this point, where disrespect for, or at least indifference toward, the Blessed Sacrament is common. It relates to so many other problems (cell phones, talking, etc.) because all of these begin with the individual “It’s all about me, meeting my needs and wants” mindset. It suggests, among other things, a maturity problem that is by no means limited to young people.
 
Chatter163 said:
To me, this is the problem. The “at least I’m there” mentality says that we are to be accepting of ANYTHING, because we are supposed to be so grateful for someone’s presence. Why not have nudity, then, or some other extreme, at Mass–after all, at least they are there?

IMHO, this is part of how we got to this point, where disrespect for, or at least indifference toward, the Blessed Sacrament is common. It relates to so many other problems (cell phones, talking, etc.) because all of these begin with the individual “It’s all about me, meeting my needs and wants” mindset. It suggests, among other things, a maturity problem that is by no means limited to young people.
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👍
 
Chatter163 said:
To me, this is the problem. The “at least I’m there” mentality says that we are to be accepting of ANYTHING, because we are supposed to be so grateful for someone’s presence. Why not have nudity, then, or some other extreme, at Mass–after all, at least they are there?

IMHO, this is part of how we got to this point, where disrespect for, or at least indifference toward, the Blessed Sacrament is common. It relates to so many other problems (cell phones, talking, etc.) because all of these begin with the individual “It’s all about me, meeting my needs and wants” mindset. It suggests, among other things, a maturity problem that is by no means limited to young people.
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I agree with you about the “Me-Centered Culture,” but what is your point exactly?

Are you saying that anyone who does not meet a certain dress code will be ousted from the Mass? I don’t think that’s going to happen.

I don’t think any priest in the U.S. will ask a teenager with a vampire shirt to leave Mass. Maybe. And perhaps it would do some good–perhaps the teenager would be impressed with a priest who took a stand. But I think more than likely, it would do more harm than good. I’m just glad I’m not a priest facing this dilemma!

So what do you think should happen? How do you think the problem of Me-Centered Culture should be solved when it bumps into Mass?

I think your word “maturity” has a lot to do with it. I’m not sure it’s possible for someone who is mature to force an immature person into maturiy, just like it’s impossible to force a five-year-old to be mature enough to drive or babysit or cook his own dinner. And I’m not at all sure how “maturity” can be produced in those who are adults but still immature. Consequences?–that might work (social ostracization, frowns, head-shakings, etc.) but when it comes to their eternal soul, I can’t just see jeopardizing that by kicking them out of Mass.
 
Cat said:
I agree with you about the “Me-Centered Culture,” but what is your point exactly?

Are you saying that anyone who does not meet a certain dress code will be ousted from the Mass? I don’t think that’s going to happen.

I don’t think any priest in the U.S. will ask a teenager with a vampire shirt to leave Mass. Maybe. And perhaps it would do some good–perhaps the teenager would be impressed with a priest who took a stand. But I think more than likely, it would do more harm than good. I’m just glad I’m not a priest facing this dilemma!

So what do you think should happen? How do you think the problem of Me-Centered Culture should be solved when it bumps into Mass?

I think your word “maturity” has a lot to do with it. I’m not sure it’s possible for someone who is mature to force an immature person into maturiy, just like it’s impossible to force a five-year-old to be mature enough to drive or babysit or cook his own dinner. And I’m not at all sure how “maturity” can be produced in those who are adults but still immature. Consequences?–that might work (social ostracization, frowns, head-shakings, etc.) but when it comes to their eternal soul, I can’t just see jeopardizing that by kicking them out of Mass.
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Kindly, I think you missed the point. Chatter163’s comment was directed towards Orpheus2112’s comment of “At least I’m there. :D” Chatter163 isn’t (necessarily) calling for the ushers to bar the door to keep people out. Rather, the poster is saying that Oprheus2112 needs to think about someone other than himself. Mass isn’t for us, it’s for Jesus.
 
FrCorey said:
Jesus could show up today and enter your church and you would not let him stay. he would have long hair and beard bare feet and sandals and a long robe. maybe even acting a little crazy to see how you would act.
then after you ask him to go home and clean up and get some clothes on. he would go home, and tell the father that the children are still not ready yet. lets give them a few more of thier decades. and then try again.
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Actually, Jesus does show up to church - at every Mass.

To compare what Jesus wore at his time (the fashion) to some kid wearing an inappropriate T-Shirt is ridicuolous.
 
WhollyRoamin said:
Kindly, I think you missed the point. Chatter163’s comment was directed towards Orpheus2112’s comment of “At least I’m there. :D” Chatter163 isn’t (necessarily) calling for the ushers to bar the door to keep people out. Rather, the poster is saying that Oprheus2112 needs to think about someone other than himself. Mass isn’t for us, it’s for Jesus.
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and isn’t it quite judgmental to think that this teenager in question wasn’t there for Jesus? 🤷

I was reflecting a bit more on this and I often remember that when I see something, or hear something during Mass I ask myself “why did Jesus allow me to hear this or see this today at Mass?” and usually there is an answer that’s often quite unexpected. Especially in a situation that stands out in my mind - as in your case, a situation that bothered you so much that you felt to post here and ask about it.

for instance, last night there was a hell on wheels little girl at mass, running all over the front of church, completely inappropriate behavior and the parents were doing nothing. It wasn’t a family I have ever seen before and found it odd that they’d be sitting in the front pew. So while I was trying not to be distracted, asking Jesus not to allow me to be distracted, the following thoughts came into my head:
  1. perhaps the parents themselves were distracted. Perhaps they have had some tragedy recently and felt the NEED to be in church. Perhaps they were just so consumed in their own prayer that they couldn’t handle their child too.
  2. Mass is for children all children of God. Even the misbehaved ones.
  3. sometimes telling your child “I love you” is what they need at any given moment which made me think of my own teenager and how there are many days when I certainly don’t like her very much.
So perhaps there was a message that Jesus was sending you in seeing that teenager with the t-shirt, and I doubt that it had anything to do with vampires or clothing. 🙂
 
BlessedMomof2 said:
So perhaps there was a message that Jesus was sending you in seeing that teenager with the t-shirt, and I doubt that it had anything to do with vampires or clothing. 🙂
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Maybe it was like his message to St. Francis?

**“Francis, rebuild my house which, as you can see, is falling into ruin.” **

🙂
 
WhollyRoamin said:
Maybe it was like his message to St. Francis?

**“Francis, rebuild my house which, as you can see, is falling into ruin.” **

🙂
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In rebuilding, however, they shouldn’t overlook a flawed stone…
“The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.”
😉
 
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