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| Mass further a field; To Go or Not To Go - that is the question! | |
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| Topic Started: Friday, 6. August 2010, 17:50 (148 Views) | |
| Peter | Friday, 6. August 2010, 17:50 Post #1 |
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Some years ago and before I settled in my current parish I was in an area where Mass appeared not to be celebrated by the priest, more endured, if that doesn't sound too rude. It was around that time I started visiting other parishes, simply because I felt my spiritual life was up against the buffers. I wondered if it was selfish of me to want more than to simply go through the motions. I wanted to connect with Our Lord during the Mass which I was unable to do in my parish at the time. I remember being taken to task by someone whose company owned another catholic forum. It was his view that it didn't matter how dreadful things were, you supported your own parish and if it was indeed awful, you did something about it, you didn't just get up and go elsewhere. I could see what he was getting at............. up to a point because the Mass is the Mass however it's celebrated, but am I the only person that thinks we all need nourishing and that our faith needs to be nurtured? It probably sounds petty but when you went to give the sign of peace at my old parish, more often than not you were frowned at. Also, it was a big church and the priest had absolutely no idea about microphone technique and more often than not, you were unable to hear him. My current church is great, people are friendly and the Mass is celebrated reverently, however, I still go elsewhere now and again but I would obviously still support my parish. I'd be interested to hear what views others have on this. |
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| Rose of York | Friday, 6. August 2010, 18:03 Post #2 |
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Peter, I have been in a similar situation. It is all right another person tasking you to task and expressing his view that it didn't matter how dreadful things were, you supported your own parish and if it was indeed awful, you did something about it, you didn't just get up and go elsewhere. Your bishop and his monsignors and canons have, most likely, known this priest for years, they know what he is like, if they wanted to do something about it, they would have done. Your first responsibility is to do what is best for the salvation of your soul. A good priest advised me that if attendance at one particular church put me in spiritual danger, I should attend elsewhere. I see no reason why you should support your parish, Mass is about God. If I had my way there would be no set parish boundaries, once people gave up feeling tied to a church because of its location, the best communities would grow, the dodgy ones would lose attendance, and the bishop might catch on something is amiss. |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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| Paduan | Friday, 6. August 2010, 19:24 Post #3 |
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I was once talking to my vocations director about the experience of the Mass and I told him I was trying to experience Sunday Mass at other parishes simply to see how it is celebrated elsewhere and for the different sense of God that one gets from different priests, different homiletic styles, etc. He had absolutely no problem with that. As far as I know there are no rules saying you can't go elsewhere to Mass if your taste for God is better sated at another Mass. Obviously one should try to give it a go at one's home parish, but if all else fails then nobody can stop me travelling to the neighbouring parish, or even further. I know of plenty of people who have done that for various reasons, and nobody's had a pop at them for doing it. |
| Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. | |
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| CARLO | Friday, 6. August 2010, 19:44 Post #4 |
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Yes I agree with everyone so far! I am often a Mass wanderer but that is mainly because I travel around with work and also to visit family. However I strongly support my local Parish which for a few years now has been going through a sort of middle of the road patch. I am grateful for small mercies in this respect! Pax CARLO |
| Judica me Deus | |
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| Peter | Friday, 6. August 2010, 21:29 Post #5 |
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I'm really pleased to read the comments posted. As mentioned, I'm very happy with my current parish these days but go elsewhere just occasionally. I almost feel guilty for having the best of both worlds! Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts on this subject. Peter |
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| Alan | Saturday, 7. August 2010, 02:27 Post #6 |
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I see many difficulties with the practice of moving from Church to Church. I know of a family whose child was refused travel funding to his secondary school because the PP advised that they were not regular worshipers. Their crime twice a month they travelled to visit their respective parents. Attending Mass on those weekends in their parents parishes. If someone requires a priest to visit Then they may not be known and depending on circumstances the Priest of their Parish may be reluctant to attend. We have all heard of priests being attacked and abused. Then there is the problem of funding. Should we be required to contribute to our home parish? |
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God Bless all who visit this forum, Alan. Add Catholic CyberForum to your favourites | |
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| PJD | Saturday, 7. August 2010, 07:57 Post #7 |
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"Should we be required to contribute to our home parish?" As far as I know this was always a requirement i.e. you attend Sunday Mass in your own parish (discounting holidays and exceptions etc.). PJD |
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| Anne-Marie | Saturday, 7. August 2010, 08:26 Post #8 |
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I go where I feel there is a spiritual link with God, regardless of my home parish. When I moved here thirty years back, I found the church at the bottom of my road (parish A) cold and unwelcoming, unless you were part of the primary school 'in-group'. I found a neighbouring parish (parish B) very warm and welcoming. So I attended parish B. Years later a new priest arrived and I considered walking out during his first sermon (I've since discovered I wasn't the only one!). So I returned to parish A, still found it cold and delivered a powerful rebuke, which resulted in an extraordinary transformation, of which I was very much part. I was happy... till a rumour started about something only the priests and I knew... so it was assumed I was the source. (Years later I learned parishioners had seen what was going on and worked things out for themselves!). Made unwelcome by the PP, I returned to parish B, where a new priest made me very welcome. I am settled and happy there, so won't change as long as it remains that way, regardless of what may happen in my 'home' parish. There is no way of describing how it feels to be an active part of a loving and Christian family - what happens in my 'home' parish is now of little interest and no concern to me. Almost a year on they still haven't bothered to get my CRB clearance for their SVP, so I've stopped attending that again: my efforts can be better utilised elsewhere where I am able to produce real (and considerable) results for God. The Bible does tell us we should brush the sand off our feet in any town that makes us unwelcome! |
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Anne-Marie FIAT VOLUNTAS DEI | |
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| PJD | Saturday, 7. August 2010, 08:31 Post #9 |
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"The Bible does tell us we should brush the sand off our feet in any town that makes us unwelcome!" Yes it certainly does. PJD |
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| Rose of York | Saturday, 7. August 2010, 14:10 Post #10 |
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Is he not required to attend, except in circumstances he has reason to suspect may be dangerous? If he is not obliged to minister to his parishioners who attend Mass elsewhere, does that mean he is permitted to refuse to comply with a request for confession, by a person permanently unable to leave home, who has not been to Mass for years, and wants to be reconciled with God? A priest is obliged to hear confessions when requested. We are bound to contribute to the Church, if I had strong justifiable reasons for attending Mass in another parish, that is where I would contribute. There are a small minority of parishes where there are seriously bad situations, it is up to the parish priest and/or bishop to act, nobody should feel driven to going elsewhere. |
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Keep the Faith! | |
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7:54 PM Jul 11