Why no coat racks in Catholic churches?

[Leopard]

…The very idea of keeping a cold church and being proud of it and dissing those who keep a church warm is baffling to me.

That’s not it at all. I am sure we would all love to worship in a comfortable church building, but we have to deal with what we have. And many of us have older buildings that would be prohibitively expensive to heat in the manner you describe.

 

[Indyann]

I’m so sorry I wasted your time.

I guess it’s a Protestant thing. If this thread were cut and pasted onto a Protestant online forum, or if I discussed it with Protestant friends and relatives, they would shake their heads and say, “Weird. Catholics sure don’t have a clue, do they?”

I honestly hope that all of you will consider at least visiting a nice, warm Protestant church and see how good it feels to not have to tote around your heavy coat, and how good everyone looks dressed up in dressed, suits, slacks, and sweaters instead of parkas and fleeces. It’s not as evil as you all think it is. And it really does create an atmosphere of loving family which is very pleasant. Go see for yourself, if you can get past your disdain for Christians who don’t have Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

BTW, in all my years as a Protestant, I have never, ever seen a Protestant church with coat hooks around the sanctuary. I would really be interested in knowing which church has such an ugly thing. Are you certain that it wasn’t a church that is meeting temporarily in a school gymnasium? I assure all of you that most Protestants are NOT the Phillistines that some of you seem to think they are when it comes to decorating, art, and beauty. Catholics don’t have a lock on class. At the moment, I regret to say that I am wondering if Catholics have class. The very idea of keeping a cold church and being proud of it and dissing those who keep a church warm is baffling to me.

Maybe you are right, it is a Protestant thing.
The Catholic faith is not concerned with “how good it feels not to have to tote around a heavy coat”. I doubt that most Catholics care how “good everyone looks”. Just not on the radar screen.

Sorry you are so disdainful of this classless, clueless and rude Catholic. Like I said in earlier post. “Some people just don’t get it”.

 

[Sarabande]

I assure all of you that most Protestants are NOT the Phillistines that some of you seem to think they are when it comes to decorating, art, and beauty.  Catholics don't have a lock on class.  At the moment, I regret to say that I am wondering if Catholics have class.  The very idea of keeping a cold church and being proud of it and dissing those who keep a church warm is baffling to me.

I’m a bit confused… When did this become Catholics thinking that Protestants are “Phillistines” and evidently vice-versa, or whether or not either one had class?

 

[homewardbound]

If someone’s main concern in a church is whether or not people wear their coats, then they are going to church for the wrong reasons and obviously do not understand the worship that is going on. Coats on, coats off, nicely dressed or in sweat pants…whichever! We are there worshiping God and giving glory to Him. The warmth I get in Mass is from God and His Presence as I worship Him. I don’t need people to make me feel warm and comfortable. I don’t need a coat rack to take my coat off nor to speak with others before or after Mass. All I have to do is smile at someone or wave to get them to acknowledge me. Not saying coat racks are not nice, but I don’t get how its a big deal at all.

When did the focus of church turn from giving glory to God to making sure everyone gets whatever they want, regardless of whether or not the people can afford such things for the building? Why can’t people realize not all churches can afford to be warm and cozy every week? Not all churches focus are on providing breakfast and social gatherings before and after services. The focus for most, I would hope, is to go there and worship God. If one cannot feel welcomed in a church by God first, and the people second, then that is their problem not everyone elses. I’ve been to plenty churches where the people are great and welcoming and everything, but I if I do not feel God there I am not going to waste my time going. I don’t go to church for the people.

Those of us who go to church to worship God are the weird ones I guess:shrug:

 

[Petergee]

I’m so sorry I wasted your time.

I guess it’s a Protestant thing. If this thread were cut and pasted onto a Protestant online forum, or if I discussed it with Protestant friends and relatives, they would shake their heads and say, “Weird. Catholics sure don’t have a clue, do they?”

I honestly hope that all of you will consider at least visiting a nice, warm Protestant church and see how good it feels to not have to tote around your heavy coat, and how good everyone looks dressed up in dressed, suits, slacks, and sweaters instead of parkas and fleeces. It’s not as evil as you all think it is. And it really does create an atmosphere of loving family which is very pleasant. Go see for yourself, if you can get past your disdain for Christians who don’t have Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Please don’t put words into people’s mouths. Nobody said that it is “evil” that protestant churches have a different atmosphere, a different culture, and a different reason for going to church. That’s what they do, and we understand it, and it’s fine as far as it goes. We believe that in Christ’s Church we have something far better. We don’t “have disdain” for people who don’t have the Eucharist, we feel sorry for them, and we quite understand why they do other things to create “atmosphere”. we’re not “dissing” them for having toasty churches. If they want to pay the power bills to create the type of atmosphere they want, that’s fine, let them do so.
As for “Philistines”, well maybe I wouldn’t use that word, but **in general **protestants do seem to have a great disdain for sacred art.

I grant you that some Catholics dress too casually at Mass. But I don’t think we should go to the other extreme and focus on “how good everyone looks dressed up in dresses and suits”.

And yes I do sometimes keep my coat on at work, because our air-con for some reason makes my office much colder than anyone else’s. I don’t mind, it makes/lets me work harder without breaking into a sweat, just like a church that’s a bit on the cold side prompts me to pray harder.

 

[I_Believe]

Protestant this,
Protestant that,
the Catholic Church is where it’s at !
All this adeu,
about our coats,
next it will be how we fix our oats !

 

[jssaxon]

Why is everyone being so insulting to the OP? I think he/she brought up and interesting observation. Yes, Catholic Churches tend to be weak in the fellowship and hospitality department. Usually the priest disappears after greeting everyone at the door and retreats into hiding. Catholic Churches don’t have very many opportunities for fellowship and parishioners tend to rush out the door and make a beeline to their autos. In fact, many don’t even doff their coats in the first place.

All these things add up to a weak sense of community that in no way reflects the original Christian communities that were more communal, shared meals, pooled resources, and knew each other by name. Protestant churches mostly score higher in this department.

So, lack of coat racks is a symptom of a problem, not the cause of it. It is one of many signs of a Church that tends to be insular and cold.

 

[Petergee]

Why is everyone being so insulting to the OP? I think he/she brought up and interesting observation. Yes, Catholic Churches tend to be weak in the fellowship and hospitality department. Usually the priest disappears after greeting everyone at the door and retreats into hiding.

“Usually”? I’ve seldom encountered a priest who wasn’t still there in the vestibule/courtyard long after Mass when nearly everyone else had left. Sometimes priests have to rush off to other urgent duties (to say Mass at another church some distance away, to give the sacraments to a dying person etc.). Most priests have many demands on their time and have little left for idle chit-chat. I have never heard of a priest “hiding” from his congregation after Mass. Who are you to call others “insulting” with this grossly unfair and untrue sweeping condemnation?

Catholic Churches don’t have very many opportunities for fellowship and parishioners tend to rush out the door and make a beeline to their autos.

Many of them leave quickly, it’s true. But it’s quite wrong to say that the Church doesn’t provide many opportunities. Nearly every parish I know has a formal or informal get-together/cuppa after Mass, but few people bother to stay for it, mostly the same people every week. And nearly every parish I know has a number of very active social groups. Plus several apostolate groups which have a social side. And the priests are constantly urging parishioners to be involved in these things. If some Catholics choose not to get involved in any of them, you can hardly blame the Church and accuse it of being “insular and cold”.

In fact, many don’t even doff their coats in the first place.

I think we’ve done that to death don’t you? It’s now surely obvious, to anyone who doubted it, that leaving our coats on is not a sign that we hate everybody and don’t want to be there.

All these things add up to a weak sense of community that in no way reflects the original Christian communities that were more communal, shared meals, pooled resources, and knew each other by name. Protestant churches mostly score higher in this department.

I haven’t noticed protestants sharing their meals any more than Catholics do. And definitely not pooling their resources more than Catholics. Where is the protestant equivalent of the vast networks of hundreds of thousands of Catholics living in religious houses, true Christian communities where no individual owns anything but they dedicate their lives and all their possessions to the work of building up the Kingdom of God?

Who says we don’t know each other by name? I know hundreds of people by name in my parish. Sure it’s easier to learn and remember people’s names in most protestant congregations which tend to be much smaller than Catholic parishes and where they typically only have one or two services per week.

When our convert friends have been in a Catholic parish for as long as they were in a protestant congregation, they will know just as many Catholic parishioners’ names as they once knew protestants’ , and the relationships will probably be deeper.

 

[Leopard]

…Usually the priest disappears after greeting everyone at the door and retreats into hiding…

That’s unfair. Usually when the priest “retreats into hiding”, he does so into the confessional, or else has to prepare for the next Mass or some other duty.

 

[Fred_4]

Because it’s cold!

 

[jssaxon]

Lots of defensiveness on this thread. That’s usually the case when the truth hits close to home.

Obviously, Catholics deep down know that they are un-welcoming. It’s very noticable. The lack of coat racks is just another example.

I wonder what would happen if people ignored this post completely, instead of nervously pulling out every farfetch argument they could think of to explain away why Protestants are so much warmer, as a rule.

Lets list all the possible excuses

1. Protestants lack the real Eucharist, so they compensate by being friendly
2. Protestants think going to church is the social hour instead of focusing on God
3. Protestants just want to be entertained and sit in comfortable seats with central heating
4. Protestants are phonies and their friendliness is a sham
5. The lack of coat racks is because Catholics are just like the Jews escaping Egypt
6. The lack of coat racks is an ancient tradition of the one true church!

 

[jssaxon]

1. Protestants are softies who need luxury, Catholics are one tough bunch who endure frigid temperatures to worship God!
2. It’s freezing in Catholic church buildings!
3. We’'re not unfriendly, we are too focused on God!
4. Protestants worry too much about their comforts
5. Catholics are better at everything and certainly don’t have one thing to learn from Protestants!
6. That’s not a buffalo stampede in the parking lot, those are good Catholics !!!

 

[Leopard]

Lots of defensiveness on this thread. That’s usually the case when the truth hits close to home.

Obviously, Catholics deep down know that they are un-welcoming. It’s very noticable. The lack of coat racks is just another example.

I wonder what would happen if people ignored this post completely, instead of nervously pulling out every farfetch argument they could think of to explain away why Protestants are so much warmer, as a rule.

Lets list all the possible excuses

1. Protestants lack the real Eucharist, so they compensate by being friendly

Yes, they do, but that doesn’t necessarily mean their friendliness is some sort of compensation. They may or may not just be naturally friendly people. Just as Catholics.

1. Protestants think going to church is the social hour instead of focusing on God

Some may, others may not. Why would you make a sweeping generalization about this?

1. Protestants just want to be entertained and sit in comfortable seats with central heating

See previous answer.

1. Protestants are phonies and their friendliness is a sham

Who ever said this?

1. The lack of coat racks is because Catholics are just like the Jews escaping Egypt

This is not official Catholic teaching and I am sure the poster who brought it up meant it humorously, but it is an interesting thought.

1. The lack of coat racks is an ancient tradition of the one true church!

If you mean most churches that do not have coat racks have not had them for a very long time, then probably yes. If you are suggesting that this is therefore dogmatic, then no.

 

[Leopard]

1. Protestants are softies who need luxury, Catholics are one tough bunch who endure frigid temperatures to worship God!

You’re exaggerating. Our churches aren’t frigid. We just need to keep within our heating budget, and many older churches in areas with cold winters are very expensive to heat.

As an aside, I think it has been presumed here as a given that protestant churches are always kept warmer than Catholic churches. I have not found this to be true. I have visited some protestant churches in my area that have similarly old buildings, and have found that they generally also keep their heat set low, probably because their old buildings are similarly expensive to heat, In these churches worshipers also commonly keep their coats on in winter.

1. It’s freezing in Catholic church buildings!

Not literally, but sometimes it can feel that way.

1. We’'re not unfriendly, we are too focused on God!

How can one be too focused on God?

1. Protestants worry too much about their comforts

That’s another sweeping generalization.

1. Catholics are better at everything and certainly don’t have one thing to learn from Protestants!

I don’t think anyone ever claimed this either, but to suggest that a lack of coat racks indicates a lack of interest in learning from others seems pretty far fetched.

1. That’s not a buffalo stampede in the parking lot, those are good Catholics !!!

Name calling, that’s mature.

Yes, Catholics often do leave promptly after Mass because another Mass may be starting very shortly and persons coming to that Mass need to be able to get in.

 

[Greg72]

Yes, Catholics often do leave promptly after Mass because another Mass may be starting very shortly and persons coming to that Mass need to be able to get in.

Then the ones who receive Our Lord in the Eucharist and head straight out the nearest door are really being terribly considerate

Since the coat rack thing has been done to death, how about someone explaining to me why so many Catholics come to Mass late and leave early. This is also something that I never saw in a protestant church.

I understand that we go to Mass to recieve Jesus (those of us in a state of grace anyhow) and that the Mass is a sending-out, but why do so many Catholics seem to have no concept of the importance of gathering together as a faithful people (or of their Sunday obligation for that matter).

And please, before people start making all sorts of excuses for these souls, know that I accept the fact that quite a few of them could have a real reason to not be there for the whole Mass. That can’t possibly apply to them all though (Catholics and Protestants aren’t that different).

Also strange is the fact that so many of them will walk right up the centre aisle and sit near the front of the Church. Personally, if I was ever late for Mass (and it has almost happened in icy weather) I would sit at the back so as to not distract anybody.

I’m not there to people-watch, but when people practically join in the procession or move right in front of the lector or Priest, then it’s pretty hard to ignore.

 

[Indyann]

Then the ones who receive Our Lord in the Eucharist and head straight out the nearest door are really being terribly considerate

Since the coat rack thing has been done to death, how about someone explaining to me why so many Catholics come to Mass late and leave early. This is also something that I never saw in a protestant church.

I understand that we go to Mass to recieve Jesus (those of us in a state of grace anyhow) and that the Mass is a sending-out, but why do so many Catholics seem to have no concept of the importance of gathering together as a faithful people (or of their Sunday obligation for that matter).

And please, before people start making all sorts of excuses for these souls, know that I accept the fact that quite a few of them could have a real reason to not be there for the whole Mass. That can’t possibly apply to them all though (Catholics and Protestants aren’t that different).

Also strange is the fact that so many of them will walk right up the centre aisle and sit near the front of the Church. Personally, if I was ever late for Mass (and it has almost happened in icy weather) I would sit at the back so as to not distract anybody.

I’m not there to people-watch, but when people practically join in the procession or move right in front of the lector or Priest, then it’s pretty hard to ignore.

No excuse for them. They are simply in the wrong. I have heard many priests address this and seems to make no difference to some.

 

[Sarabande]

No excuse for them. They are simply in the wrong. I have heard many priests address this and seems to make no difference to some.

I agree - no excuse at all to leave early unless there was an emergency.

It doesn’t really happen at the Cathedral where I cantor - I mean people leaving early. Many actually stay till the hymn is over and will stay for the postlude. Some will arrive late, but based on my parents’ account it’s mostly because they are having a difficult time finding parking especially if the previous mass runs over, inclement weather or that the streets in the city are blocked off for some parade. Most of the people who come are visitors, so they wouldn’t know. Those things aren’t announced on the news. BUT I know that is the exception to the rule. Not all churches are on major city roadways or in the city.

In the smaller, Catholic churches I’ve attended on a reaular basis, it has never occurred. People are there for the entire mass.

For some of the normal parishes, I have seen people arrive late, and leave early and I agree that is uncalled for. I’m not speaking about those who actually have a legitimate reason for leaving - ie emergency, etc. I don’t believe those people who practice this weekly feel they’ll be in a state of mortal sin if they don’t. Ones I know who do this kind of thing all the time, don’t “believe in that”. So, I really don’t know why they have gotten into that practice.

 

[Sarabande]

Then the ones who receive Our Lord in the Eucharist and head straight out the nearest door are really being terribly considerate

Actually, our former pastor would sometimes ask congregants at the end of mass if they could move their cars sooner, rather than later so that there would be enough parking for the next mass (which was 15 minutes later) or for one of the large archdiocesan events in the afternoon. I wasn’t too crazy about that, but I also understood where he was coming from. Although I don’t think he was the nicest guy, so he always came off as cold. Our new pastor, who is wonderful, no longer does that. Needless-to-say, our cathedral parish is so much happier, friendlier and in a way holier because of this new pastor. Even all the priests there now are wonderful. I love it there.

 

[Leopard]

Then the ones who receive Our Lord in the Eucharist and head straight out the nearest door are really being terribly considerate…

The point is not about people who leave Mass early, it is about why most people do not hang around for hours afterward.

 

[Greg72]

The point is not about people who leave Mass early, it is about why most people do not hang around for hours afterward.

I understand that (though you are eggagerating). I am raising another point which is an extension.

Okay, so Catholics aren’t there to socialize - I get it (and I personally agree that Mass isn’t the place for it). I also understand that practical matters such as parking may sometimes become an issue. Fine.

In most cases, however, I see simple ignorance and a great deficiency. I believe that the Catholic Church holds the Truth; that it is the Church founded by Our Lord. This does not, however, mean that the church on earth is doing everything right and that we couldn’t learn a bit from our separated brethren.

It’s nice to hear of a Priest addressing the issue of people leaving Mass early (though it’s a shame that so few listened). It’s also nice to hear of parishes where there aren’t people who try to beat the Priest out the door.