Spring fever: First Communions, weddings and “people who act as though they are at a ball game”

The Deacon's Bench ^ | April 28, 2013 | Deacon Greg Kandra

[yldstrk]

C & E is more like it, you are viewed as a freak if you have ashes on your head on ash Wednesday

Now I will say this, I made the huge error of marrying a nonCatholic. At our service (I was such an idiot that I refused a Mass and took Communion before the ceremony) during the offering each other the “sign of peace” which I still abhor, the Catholic side grudgingly did it and the protestor side looked around like the rest of us were all nuts.

[Straight Vermonter]

Just look at how many come dressed as if they are attending the ball game.

My wife works at a local college. She says that young women today have no idea of the difference between clothes to wear out to a club and clothes appropriate for church or work. I've seen a young lady(?) at Mass with a shirt that doesn't reach her navel and tiny shorts and I've seen a woman at work wearing yoga pants and knee high boots.

I'm starting to think that this one time the wife knows what she is talking about.

[illinidiva]

I think that there needs to be a fine line. Yes people shouldn’t be yakking during a wedding and they should respectful of others during services However, Catholics tend to be too dour about their worship. If you’ve ever been to an African American service, there is lots of happiness and rejoicing. And these people are respectful and wear their Sunday best.

It seems to me that Catholicism could use a little less dourness and guilt and a little more joy.

[VermiciousKnid]

Sadly, I’ve seen everything the Deacon is mentioning here. My least favorite: The Cirque de Baptism with 20 babies at a time. Bleeccch! Once, when I was standing up there with my new goddaughter in my arms (the 14th of 15!), the priest instructed everyone to sing, “If You’re Catholic And You Know It, Clap Your Hands.” Uhmmmm.....no, I don’t think I will sing that, thanks.

None of the babies got a real exorcism, but they DID get that little ditty. It was the most irreverent sacramental ceremony I’ve ever seen, with people literally climbing over each other and Father having to shout to be heard (his own fault; he should run a tighter ship and not have those mass baptisms).

Regards,

[Bigg Red]

Oh, I hear you. I am astounded by what I see at Mass.

Recently, I was going in behind 3 college-age women, and thinking about how inappropriate their attire was. This time, there was no skin showing, but they had outfits that looked sprayed on to their very attractive figures. (I am a woman, so such sights just annoy me. I feel sorry for the men at Mass who are trying to concentrate.)

Imagine my surprise when I saw these females from the front and realized, by her face, that one of them must have been the mother, a woman clearly old enough to know better.

[Cronos]

Catholics tend to be too dour about their worship.

The point is respect. Also, evidently you've never been to a Catholic mass in Africa, have you? Have you been to a Catholic mass in the USA either?

[illinidiva]

Umm.. I’ve been to plenty of Catholic Masses. I currently attend a Catholic Mass in Spanish and enjoy it immensely. However, I also remember going to Catholic school and having to kneel through everyone taking Communion before I made my First Communion. I didn’t really gain any reverence or respect for the Eucharist as a first grader. All I remember was having sore knees.

[Coleus]

All I remember was having sore knees. >>>

oh, you poor thing, I feel so sorry for your pain.