Mass

[Wildweasel74]

Ah the old don't go to mass, don't believe in it but then want buried in the local graveyard at the end, go figure.!

[Hound]

Eldest lad had confirmation on Friday past.

Arrived at the chapel for 5.45pm as requested. Service lasted from 6-7.45pm then there were a few group photos.

So because the priest wanted to ensure that everyone got the full ultra-repetitive mass experience as well as the full confirmation experience, all our young families and elderly grandparents were forced to  sit, bored out of their f**king minds, for over two hours.

When someone reviews the demise of the Catholic Church in 50 years time, they'll have an easy synopsis to "reveal": once the Information Age wiped out all the bad eggs in the priest hood, the only ones left behind were those so utterly committed to the catholic mass, that they were unable see its very make up was driving people people away in masses.

Surprised to hear that. 

My kids are 18/19 so it's a while since their communions and confos, but they were far more modern affairs than mine and what you outlined. Very interactive, all about the kids and just a nice mix of entertainment and the holy stuff. Each ceremony over an hour but below 1.5 hours, but time flew.
Not that any of us go to mass since, bar Christmas.

[Rois]

I go to mass, but miss stretches at a time. I never feel bad coming out of mass. If the sermon gets too boring or the repetition annoys me, I just retreat into my own thoughts. I love a good choir, but not when they sing every response.

I think the Catholic Church is definitely missing a trick not having a separate children's Sunday School equivalent. I'd also love a "crying chapel" as part of my local church.

[Itchy]

Don't go to mass, don't miss it and I'm glad I've an hour on Sunday to do something useful rather than confess all my sins and watch my little kids do the same.

[Farrandeelin]

I go to mass, but miss stretches at a time. I never feel bad coming out of mass. If the sermon gets too boring or the repetition annoys me, I just retreat into my own thoughts. I love a good choir, but not when they sing every response.

I think the Catholic Church is definitely missing a trick not having a separate children's Sunday School equivalent. I'd also love a "crying chapel" as part of my local church.

Same as that Rois - well was until Covid. Our priest used to have all wrapped up in 40 minutes. He even gave a good practical sermon too.

Since Covid I have only been to family anniversaries and the likes however.

[An Watcher]

I go to mass but don't beat myself up if I miss it now and again.  Maybe my view is different but I see mass as part n parcel of being an irishman.  It didn't do me any harm and it won't do my kids any harm either.  Each to their own though

[Olly]

Well it did do me harm. I was an altarboy and used to hold the candle for stations of the cross and during boring bits I'd lick the candle wax off the candle when it was lit because it was dripping all over my hands. I now have no feeling in my hands and my tongue is permanently burnt and I can't tell if the tea on the other thread is too warm and have scalded my mouth at least twice a day since. There's no acknowledgement of the dangers altarboys encountered.

[restorepride]

I go to mass but don't beat myself up if I miss it now and again.  Maybe my view is different but I see mass as part n parcel of being an irishman.  It didn't do me any harm and it won't do my kids any harm either.  Each to their own though

Not sure that the United Irishmen would agree with your parcel! It is possible to detach nationality from religion - just takes a bit of courage.

[PMG1]

Like to go every week, miss an odd one for football reasons but normally there every Sunday, leave my children to their own choice, they stopped for a while but all back at it now. Attendance has actually picked back up to pre-covid levels

[Baile an tuaigh]

I never miss Mass and really enjoy going. Starting to get more active in volunteering and once a month or so I would help to organize gaeilge Mass's Which always brings a good crowd. My wife is a teacher and is a good speaker so she would do readings occasionally. My oldest is an Altar boy. Our Priests are very traditional and do some of the Mass in Latin pre Vatican two.

[gallsman]

I see mass as part n parcel of being an irishman.

Yeah, you can shove that bit up your hole.

As the youngest of five, we all used to go to mass every week. The da never went to communion as long as I can remember. When all the abuse stories came out he stopped going altogether. As people left home or we had training/matches that clashed we'd make our own way to mass and would inevitably start bunking off.

Stopped going altogether around 17/18 but would have gone with the mother on Christmas Day to keep her happy. My father stopped going completely 15/20 years ago.

Only go now for weddings, funerals and christenings. Don't know any of the "new" responses.

[imtommygunn]

I went until I was about 30 then one day there were american preachers over asking anyone who could feel the holy spirit to go to the altar and there was an uncomfortable 10 or 15 minutes. It honestly put me off a bit. I kept going at christmas with my folks till it has now ended up they come to me rather than I come to them at christmas so I haven't seen the inside of a church in a while. I'm not averse to it but I'm married to a, complete, atheist so there's just never any great desire to go to mass.

[Itchy]

I see mass as part n parcel of being an irishman.

Yeah, you can shove that bit up your hole.

As the youngest of five, we all used to go to mass every week. The da never went to communion as long as I can remember. When all the abuse stories came out he stopped going altogether. As people left home or we had training/matches that clashed we'd make our own way to mass and would inevitably start bunking off.

Stopped going altogether around 17/18 but would have gone with the mother on Christmas Day to keep her happy. My father stopped going completely 15/20 years ago.

Only go now for weddings, funerals and christenings. Don't know any of the "new" responses.

Thats the population of Ireland halved with one foul swoop. De Valera is long dead An Watcher and thankfully that legacy is slowly crumbling too.

[johnnycool]

I go to mass but don't beat myself up if I miss it now and again.  Maybe my view is different but I see mass as part n parcel of being an irishman.  It didn't do me any harm and it won't do my kids any harm either.  Each to their own though

Not sure that the United Irishmen would agree with your parcel! It is possible to detach nationality from religion - just takes a bit of courage.

There's certainly an "identity" aspect of going to mass as being intrinsically Irish, but that is certainly on the wane if not all but gone in large parts of the country.

If you get a benefit out of going to Mass then fair play to you, I never got that so never really go and neither do the kids which would be the exception rather than the rule with a lot of my peers and their families around here.

[Milltown Row2]

I haven't been regularly since I was mid teens, lapsed catholic and not really bothered with religion to be honest, each to their own and I have no issues with people who feel that religion is their way of getting through life and if it comforts them and helps with what life throws at them then brilliant.

As for the actual Mass service, when I'm at either weddings/funerals or the odd christening the same routine more or less has been the same for decades, unless they can change or modernise it, it will continue to lose it's flock, when I went, the mass was packed from 7am through to the las mass at 1pm on a Sunday, the Sat mass was also packed.

Factor in what's happened these last 40 years and the church in all that time never moved with the times and views of a modern world, it was never ever going to maintain the numbers or attraction.

RIP