Mass

[Rois]

A bit off topic - but do you have to buy presents for a first communion, or is money still ok? It is for my OH's godchild. Dress was about 80% of the cost of my wedding dress 🙈

[Saffrongael]

A bit off topic - but do you have to buy presents for a first communion, or is money still ok? It is for my OH's godchild. Dress was about 80% of the cost of my wedding dress 🙈

Straight cash acceptable

[trueblue1234]

Money still ok. I wouldn't bother with any wee memento that you used to get. If it's not digital, they don't want it imo.

[johnnycool]

A bit off topic - but do you have to buy presents for a first communion, or is money still ok? It is for my OH's godchild. Dress was about 80% of the cost of my wedding dress 🙈

Your OH's godchilds parents need a boot up the hole.

"Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."

[quit yo jibbajabba]

Money still ok. I wouldn't bother with any wee memento that you used to get. If it's not digital, they don't want it imo.

This. All about the money unfortunately

[Fear Bun Na Sceilpe]

Money still ok. I wouldn't bother with any wee memento that you used to get. If it's not digital, they don't want it imo.

Money, all about the money and the sesh.
Mas and Das  go mental when their non denominational SF run Irish language  school suggest that they wont be providing any  prep for 1st communion, lol you couldn't make it up. Missing the post communion pish up

"Oh we need another Irish language school that is non CCMS, even though we dont have the numbers to be approved for a  permanent build as a result"
Translation
"Feck you, this is the Ra and we want to run that school our way, we dont care if we end up with 3 schools all pissing in buckets"

[Rois]

Eh? Strangely enough, the communion is for a child at an Irish language school! Money it is so.

Yes, there's a family meal (won't be a piss up) so I see it as a nice occasion to get family together. Will be followed two days later by my son's baptism. We'll be Catholic'd out by the end of the weekend!

[imtommygunn]

Very relevant as we have a nephew's communion next week. I haven't been in a chapel in years either 

Money it is.

[RedHand88]

Asked the wife how much we had to give our nephew for his confirmation. She reckoned £50.
I said he's not getting married you know

[imtommygunn]

50 quid - jaysus. 25 max lol.

[Milltown Row2]

When did the Christening/communion/confirmation parties start becoming a thing? Christ its a proper piss up, makes a bitta money for the club but I can't remember Jesus saying god be with you and enjoy the sesh at the club!!

[general_lee]

When did the Christening/communion/confirmation parties start becoming a thing? Christ its a proper piss up, makes a bitta money for the club but I can't remember Jesus saying god be with you and enjoy the sesh at the club!!

Is it a Belfast thing? There's wetting the baby's head and then there's 20 smicks looking like their fresh out of Laganside court skulling pints in the Cathedral quarter

[Milltown Row2]

When did the Christening/communion/confirmation parties start becoming a thing? Christ its a proper piss up, makes a bitta money for the club but I can't remember Jesus saying god be with you and enjoy the sesh at the club!!

Is it a Belfast thing? There's wetting the baby's head and then there's 20 smicks looking like their fresh out of Laganside court skulling pints in the Cathedral quarter

Could well be, I never did it, back in the day you went to the auties and uncles houses and had loads of tea (Nambarie) and took money out of their purse

[Farrandeelin]

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

What can be done to modernise Mass?

[Tubberman]

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

What can be done to modernise Mass?

You know those concerts with a hologram of Elvis or Joe Dolan "performing"?
Well they could do the same, but with Jesus.
So Jesus would give the sermon himself, or St Paul or whoever.
Then at Easter you get to watch the crucifixion, rising from the dead etc
At Christmas, you get to see him being born like "one born every minute" or "the rotunda" TV shows.

It's an absolute winner. The churches would be packed every week, people would be going to mass to see the really good sermons several times, like when Titanic came out.