The feedlot mentality

Kevin Miller, over at HMS blog,brings us this article in reference to altar girls and the Vatican document on liturgy that’s in the works.

….He compared it to a document the Vatican issued several years ago which had a similar negative tone toward lay eucharistic ministers of either sex. Parishes still use them because they are necessary to move hundreds of people through communion and out of the parking lot in time for the next Mass. (emphasis added.)

“Move hundreds of people through communion”! This is exactly what I was talking about in my post on Confirmation.

4 comments

Thomas says:

September 30, 2003 at 9:48 am

Mass is a celebration, not an assembly line. The link to the article is eye opening.
Robert Diaz says:

October 2, 2003 at 4:42 pm

Were you trying to link to http://moss-place.stblogs.org/archives/005073.html that article in the hyperlinked text “My post on confirmation”? You can erase this comment once you fix it.
Peony Moss says:

October 2, 2003 at 5:25 pm

Fixed. Thanks, Robert!
Amy says:

October 6, 2003 at 4:06 pm

as a “Pittsburgher” I just thought I’d comment on my experience around here…
I’ve been to Mass at St. Ferdinand many times… They have two Saturday evening Masses and four more on Sunday… and they’re always full. About 16 people assist the priest with distribution of communion (both forms. If those 16 people were removed, Mass at St. Ferdinand would probably last upwards of four hours. That’s 24 hours of Mass split between three priests (one who is elderly & uses a motorized scooter to get around). So for them, “moving hundreds of people through communion in time for the next Mass” also works to save their sanity and physical well-being.
On the other hand, at my parish, only one of our three weekend Masses ever comes close to being full. We could easily do away with Eucharistic ministers and not have any problems.
Seems to me that it’s a rock & a hard place situation… and we need to pray a LOT for more vocations.

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