What Happens Inside a Church

[Rawb]

I was watching the news last night, and heard them mention a local Catholic church I’d attended a few times. Turns out there was a meeting of some sort going on about preventing gangs. This happened IN the church. Not the parish hall or another room, inside the church.

Is that allowed? I’m in RCIA and, when confused once when a red badge mentioned ‘meeting in the large hall’ and I said “oh, in there?” and gestured to the church she looked confused and said “No, that’s a church, that’s the hall” and pointed a bit down the street to the parish hall. I mentioned that Protestants would probably hold the meeting in the church itself and she said “Oh, no, remember, Jesus is in there. We can’t just do whatever we want in there.”

So was the church right to allow this meeting on gangs to be held inside the church? I got the impression that only mass, praying, and confession happened within the church. There were non-Catholics at this meeting, police and ‘members of the community’. Now The Sacrement is kept in a small chapel, but the chapel is basically four pillars with some kneelers within the boundries of the pillars up at the front of the church. It’s still a part of the main body of the church building (IMO. Is that not true?) Thanks!

 

[Traditional_Ang]

I was watching the news last night, and heard them mention a local Catholic church I’d attended a few times. Turns out there was a meeting of some sort going on about preventing gangs. This happened IN the church. Not the parish hall or another room, inside the church.

Is that allowed? I’m in RCIA and, when confused once when a red badge mentioned ‘meeting in the large hall’ and I said “oh, in there?” and gestured to the church she looked confused and said “No, that’s a church, that’s the hall” and pointed a bit down the street to the parish hall. I mentioned that Protestants would probably hold the meeting in the church itself and she said “Oh, no, remember, Jesus is in there. We can’t just do whatever we want in there.”

So was the church right to allow this meeting on gangs to be held inside the church? I got the impression that only mass, praying, and confession happened within the church. There were non-Catholics at this meeting, police and ‘members of the community’. Now The Sacrement is kept in a small chapel, but the chapel is basically four pillars with some kneelers within the boundries of the pillars up at the front of the church. It’s still a part of the main body of the church building (IMO. Is that not true?) Thanks!

Rawb:

I would probably hold the meeting in the parish hall, but I once attended a meeting at St. Ignatius Church on the Campus of USF. There simply wasn’t a facility on the campus that was large enough to hold the meeting (Which involved some 6,500 students, faculty & various other employees), and the people running the University felt it was vital to hold the meeting. St. Ignatius Church (at least until the late 1970’s) was the largest church west of the Mississippi, so it was just barely large enough to hold the nearly 6,500 people , most of whom were Catholics, and all of whom understood and were willing to follow the “Rules of the House”.

The questions here seemed to be how important the meeting was and whether or not the meeting could conveniently be held elsewhere. Where the Lord is kept in the church seems to have nothing to do with the decision (He was kept at the front in St. Ignatius). But I do think it’s important that those attending the meeting understand the “Rules of the House”.

From your description, it sounds as if our Lord is being stored in some sort of a side chapel in your parish. That also shouldn’t figure into whether or not this meeting is held in the church or the parish hall. What should be important is that the group attending the meeting understand and agree to follow the “Rules of the House” regarding reverence and respect for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Some advantages of having the meeting in the parish hall offers are that people can come and go as needed, they don’t need to feel self-conscious about bowing or genuflecting to something they may not believe to be the Body and Blood of the Lord and they can eat before, during or after the meeting; all things they couldn’t do if the meeting were held in the church.

If I haven’t answered all of your questions, or if you still have concerns, or if you feel the group in question didn’t understand or try to follow the “Rules of the House”, I would suggest that you talk to your pastor about this.

I hope this helps.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

 

[porriwiggle]

I was watching the news last night, and heard them mention a local Catholic church I’d attended a few times. Turns out there was a meeting of some sort going on about preventing gangs. This happened IN the church. Not the parish hall or another room, inside the church.

Is that allowed? I’m in RCIA and, when confused once when a red badge mentioned ‘meeting in the large hall’ and I said “oh, in there?” and gestured to the church she looked confused and said “No, that’s a church, that’s the hall” and pointed a bit down the street to the parish hall. I mentioned that Protestants would probably hold the meeting in the church itself and she said “Oh, no, remember, Jesus is in there. We can’t just do whatever we want in there.”

So was the church right to allow this meeting on gangs to be held inside the church? I got the impression that only mass, praying, and confession happened within the church. There were non-Catholics at this meeting, police and ‘members of the community’. Now The Sacrement is kept in a small chapel, but the chapel is basically four pillars with some kneelers within the boundries of the pillars up at the front of the church. It’s still a part of the main body of the church building (IMO. Is that not true?) Thanks!

Are you sure that the meeting was actually held in the Church. You say you heard them “mention” the Church, but the secular press wouldn’t know the Church from the church hall in my experience.

Having said that, it is not good practice to hold a non-Church oriented meeting within the Church itself, unless the church is particularly set up for it, ie. it has a means of seperating the meeting area completely from the Sanctuary.

 

[Rawb]

Are you sure that the meeting was actually held in the Church. You say you heard them “mention” the Church, but the secular press wouldn’t know the Church from the church hall in my experience.

Yes, it was in the church. Them mentioning it caught my attention is all, they showed footage of people sitting in the chairs (a whole other reason why I dislike attending mass there) and a policeman speaking from the…I want to say lectern but I don’t think it’s called that.

Thanks for your responses. You confirmed what I had thought, that churches can’t just serve as a rec room. (I remember, when I was six or seven, playing in the ‘sanctuary’ of my family’s church for youth group one night. All the chairs had been pushed back and the game involved running around).

Just for the record, this isn’t my parish, just a church near where I go to school (I commute about 45 minutes every day) that I’ve attended on Holy Days when I knew I wouldn’t get to mass back home.

 

[Traditional_Ang]

Yes, it was in the church. Them mentioning it caught my attention is all, they showed footage of people sitting in the chairs (a whole other reason why I dislike attending mass there) and a policeman speaking from the…I want to say lectern but I don’t think it’s called that.

Thanks for your responses. You confirmed what I had thought, that churches can’t just serve as a rec room. (I remember, when I was six or seven, playing in the ‘sanctuary’ of my family’s church for youth group one night. All the chairs had been pushed back and the game involved running around).

Just for the record, this isn’t my parish, just a church near where I go to school (I commute about 45 minutes every day) that I’ve attended on Holy Days when I knew I wouldn’t get to mass back home.

Rawb:

It’s called a “Pulpit”. That’s where the priest is supposed to deliver his Homily. The “Lectern” is where “Lector” reads the Prophetic Lesson and the Epistle.

I don’t think they were using it as a Rec Room either, and thought that the problem they were confronting was severe enough they thought they needed to meet in a Catholic church. I just hope the guests understood the place they were visiting was sacred and wasn’t just a place of convenience.

When you have occasion to visit, if this is still on your mind, you can take the pastor aside and ask him why he held the meeting in the church and not the parish hall, what he thought to accomplish by holding the meeting there and if the visitors were instructed as to proper ettiquite in a Catholic church. You’re always welcome to post his reply.

I’m sure all of us were happy to try to be of assistance.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

 

[mosher]

There is nothing wrong with this. There is a provision however that if a Church or Oratory that reserves the Blessed Sacrament is used for this type of function that the Blessed Sacrament is to be removed and taken to an suitable place of repose.