Sunday morning donuts and coffee.
Coming late - leaving early.
Locally, as in most metropolitan areas (not talking here about small towns), there are a few Catholic Churches that are bastions of orthodoxy and good liturgy. Generally speaking, in some of the suburbs and in Minneapolis especially, it seems most of the Churches are typically middle of the road to “liberal” - what would we ever do without labels?
Anyway, today at Mass, I noticed that maybe 1/3 of the casually clad congregants left Mass after Communion. (Which is none of my business of course.) I also noted that when the cantor was doing her warm up before Mass, about 3-5 minutes before the processional, the Church started to fill up - which suggests to me, most people show up just about the time Mass is to begin. (Maybe to avoid the pre-show at the piano bar, I’m not sure. I often think of Mel Brookes’ scene in the piano bar from “High Anxiety” during these warm ups.)
TLM
On my way home I mused over the impact of the Motu Proprio thing. Like it’s really going to even have much of an impact on these people and local parishes? It’s fairly obvious, that if a good proportion of the people show up to Mass minutes before it begins, and more than a few leave right after Communion, the traditional Latin Mass is so far off their radar screen, it is not funny. I’m fairly certain, the average person in the pew just doesn’t care. (And I’m not getting all Trautman on you here either.)
The Church doesn’t think, “short term” however, everything about this permission is focused on the long term. So it is going to be a long while before mainstream parishes are willing and able to sit through a traditional Latin High Mass. Most priests do not even know the rubrics or the Latin.
The olden days.
When I was little, it seemed a lot of people would go to the low Mass - which was much shorter than a High Mass. Some priests had the reputation of “shot-gun” priests because they could zip through the Mass in no time, and had very short homilies.
It was generally conceded that one could come into Mass any time before the Gospel and it would still count as fullfiling one’s Sunday obligation. (I think that understanding is still present.) It is true however, a few people would leave at Communion, despite the priest’s warnings about Judas doing the same thing at the Last Supper; although the other impatient ones normally waited until the priest disappeared into the sacristy. I should mention however, an amazing number stayed behind to make a prolonged thanksgiving after Communion, light candles, etc.. (Many churches don’t have vigil lights any longer.)
So what does this mean? I’m thinking it means that it is going to take a heck of a lot more than the Latin Mass to make fervent worshippers out of the average Catholic. But the return to liturgical solemnity and devotion, as typified in the TLM is a great start, to be sure. And those who come late, leave early? They will always be around.
Cardinal Sean on the TLM: “In my comments at the meeting I told my brother bishops that in the United States the number of people who participate in the Latin Mass even with permission is very low. Additionally, according to the research that I did, there are only 18 priories of the Society of St. Pius X in the entire country. Therefore this document will not result in a great deal of change for the Catholics in the U.S. Indeed, interest in the Latin Mass is particularly low here in
New England.” - Cardinal Sean O’Malley
July 1st, 2007 at 10:16 am
I seem to recall, being a grade school educated canon lawyer, that the Mass was divided into two parts, the Mass of the Catechumens and the Mass of the Faithful. The MotC went through the Gospel. The MofF started with the Creed.
But it seems to me that you could avoid the everlasting pains of Hell if you got there by the end of the Creed and stayed until the first parishioner had received Communion.
I don’t recall too many leaving after the Communion in my parish in Duluth (not as many as do now) but I do remember what our Assistant Pastor carrled the “St Anthony’s Track Club” at the 10:30 High Mass that was followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Fr. Shubitz would stand in the rear of the Church (known as the vestibule in those days, not the “narthex”), and give his best glare at the crowd leaving in a rush after the “Ite Missa est.” But it didn’t seem to do much good.
And a few years later, Fr. left the priesthood, although I don’t know if the Track Club was one of his reasons.
But I still feel a bit guilty for having left early one Sunday because I had to get home to baby sit so my Dad could get to the 12:00 Mass at another parish (no evening Masses in those days). I hope Fr. Shubitz believed my excuse.
Ooops, I had it wrong. The MotC did include the Creed (which makes sense, now that that I think about it).
1. PREPARATION FOR HOLY MASS
2. MASS OF THE CATECHUMENS
Part One - PREPARATION
Part Two - INSTRUCTION
3.MASS OF THE FAITHFUL
Part One - THE OFFERTORY
Part Two - CANON OF THE MASS
Part Three - THE COMMUNION
4. CONCLUSION OF THE HOLY MASS
July 1st, 2007 at 10:33 am
Ray - That is funny - one of the priests were always at the back of Church after Communion - glaring - kids weere the only ones he stopped however.
Were you at a Church where the nuns always filled the first two rows? That was cool.
Do you remember Masses so crowded people had to stand down the aisles? That was cool too.
July 1st, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I have to agree Terry, once in a while (days of obligation) I have to go to the New Rite, and everybody is just in and out. Recieve the Eucharist, and they are chewing while starting the car in the Parking Lot. If I turn around and check, 3/4 are gone right after Communion. Very Sad. At TLM, most people are there 5-15 minutes before, and after Mass.
It will take at least another 20-30 years to restore Liturgical life, and reverance in the Church. We have lost our sense of Public Worship. We have adopted a Minimalism, and it shows in the Vestments,the “look of the Church” the shorter Prayers, the casualness of the Priest, and the People.
July 1st, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Ken - I agree with you.
Once, after Mass, I must have been kind of bowed over or something while praying, and a woman - I later noticed was in a conversation with others in the center aisle, sent her daughter over to check and see if I was all right. I guess they were not used to people praying after Mass and thought I was dead. LOL!
July 1st, 2007 at 12:58 pm
Well, there weren’t enough of them to fill the first two rows, but they sure filled the first row, Terry. Counting their cook/housekeeper, there probably were seven or eight of them. That would be for the Sunday High Mass and major feast days and Holy Days of Obligation.
Of course, for the kids’ Mass before school during the week, they were behind their respective classes so they could take notes on misbehavior.
And they all monitored the Altar Boys so if we varied the slightest from the GIRM-EAB (”General Instructions of the Roman Missal Especially for Altar Boys”), we would be sure to hear about it.
I’m sure the City of Duluth wished that they had had as much interest in monitoring the St Anthony’s School Boy Police unit. “Officer Mattson”, its commandant, had a special meeting with us after school one day at which he proclaimed us to be the “worst unit in the entire city.”
I don’t recall any recriminations from the nuns for receiving that “honor.”
Is it wrong to dump snow in mail boxes when you are waiting for somebody to need guidance in crossing the street? How about, is it wrong to attempt to chop down the telephone pole (our “Stop” signs were heavy duty metal in those days), while trying to keep warm?
Adults just didn’t understand. But fortunately, the nuns understood some of what it was like to be a boy.
July 1st, 2007 at 6:57 pm
We don’t have too much trouble with people leaving early in our parish. The Fransiscans who used to staff it trained people that they were supposed to recite the “O Sacrament Most Holy” prayer after the final hymn before anyone went out the door. It has been quite a few years since the Fransiscans were here, but that custom has endured. Of course people from out of town don’t know what’s going on when everyone kneels after the hymn to recite that prayer together, but they usually comment favorably.
July 1st, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Terry, I forgot to mention in the previous comment that the picture you used with this post is really lovely. Where did you find it?
July 2nd, 2007 at 9:19 am
It seems to me that if we actually had some proper catechesis from the pulpit we wouldn’t have all these issues of the general population being so completely apathetic to anything that goes on in the Church.