The following comes from an Apr. 22 posting by P.G. Cuschieri on Aleteia.
Fr. Dennis can be seen waiting at the side entrance of St. Monica‘s on California Street at 6am every morning. If he didn’t wear his priest’s collar you’d swear he was on his way to the beach to catch a wave. The guy looks like Laird Hamilton with his wispy blonde hair and year-round tan. He holds a coffee and stands there smiling from 6 to 6:30, every morning, Monday through Friday, until he celebrates Mass. The guy is a saint.
Naturally, I try to avoid him like I owe him money. Don’t know why. Maybe it’s because we’ve run out of things to talk about. Maybe it’s because he’s so decent and I feel crummy about myself. Or maybe just because it’s a little after six in the morning and I just don’t want to talk to anybody.
That’s the thing about 6:30am daily Mass. These are die hard Roman Catholics. It’s like a private club. First rule: no talking.
There’s a posted sign leading into the church that says: “Capacity 928.” But on any given morning during the week, there are less than 70 people. This means pretty much everyone has their own pew. I actually manage about seven. I sit near the church’s rear and far to the left, right next to the Third Station of the Cross where Jesus falls for the first time. The nearest person to me sits about five rows up. She’s a very old lady who holds a rosary close to her.
Most folks at 6:30am daily Mass are old. And Catholic. But not all of them. Some come to receive a blessing. Others come to get out of the cold (not that it’s ever too cold in sunny California). But there are a lot of homeless people in Santa Monica. When the doors open early in the morning, many will wander in just to nod out.
On rainy days this is a problem. At least for a World War II veteran named Willy, who’s in his 80’s. If most of these Catholics are hardcore, Willy is their general: the pre-Vatican II, Syllabus of Errors kind. He doesn’t like the sign of peace. Can’t stand liturgical dancing. Was infuriated when they moved the tabernacle off the alter. Willy especially doesn’t like it when homeless folks use our Catholic house of worship as a flophouse.
But one day, this sorry homeless bum stumbled in and crashed out in one of the back pews. He then started snoring like mad. And loud as heck, too. Old Willy put down his pieta prayer book and approached to wake him.
“Get up,” he said. “This ain’t a hotel.”
The guy rolled over and continued sleeping. Willy then turned to me, “Hey. You wanna help me get this guy out of here?”
I really didn’t want to. I felt sorry for the guy. “Just let him sleep,” I said.
Willy looked at me like I was on crack.
Haven’t spoken to him since.
There is one woman who’s spoken to me twice. The first time was after I had let my hair grow very long and grew a beard, too. I thought I looked pretty cool, but considering I stumbled out of bed most of the time on my way in, I probably looked like one of the homeless guys that nodded out in back. (In fact, one day when I was looking particularly ratty and praying after communion, I noticed somebody had left a dollar next to me.) She just walked up to me, grabbed my hand and said, “You look like hell, honey. Go shave and get a haircut.”
I didn’t take her advice for another month or two, but when I did she came up to me again looking like my mother when I graduated high school.
“Now that’s more like it. I knew there was a handsome face somewhere in there.”
That was it. Haven’t spoken since….
To read the entire story, click here.
Once again, I start of by saying, Before Vatican II we never had this problem. The Church building is the House of God, and the Gate of Heaven. The Mass is a reenactment of Calvary. How many people were asleep on Mount Calvary while Our Lord was being crucified? Not very many! The Mass is now a celebration, and a meal, and maybe discreetly a sacrifice. At a meal and a celebration we have fun, and excitement. When we are bored, we leave. At many parishes, the Mass is a show, with the priest (now called a presider), as the ring master. The parish is just an active social center where meals are served, and things are sold to raise money. If any classes are taught, they are NOT taught by a priest, and most of the teachers are women. As a result, only a few men are present. There are very few parish missions, and probably no days of recollection, All Night Eucharistic Devotions, Novenas, religious processions or any thing that could distinguish the church from being CATHOLIC. Instead the parish could very easily be mistaken for another Protestant or non denominational church, which stresses social service instead of prayer. That is why the main stream Catholic churches are dwindling, and the traditional churches are growing. Check out the facts if you do not believe me. Ave Maria Purrissima!
The article implies the priest is drinking coffee just before Mass, thus advertising that he’s not keeping the one hour fast. Though, it is nice that’s he greeting the people at that hour. Let’s pray for our priests.
Jesusita, I am sorry to hear that your parish is so disappointing to you. Maybe you should request those things. All those things are present in parishes here although maybe not all in every parish at all times. Pray and ask for what you want.
Sorry folks, but much of this article is nonsense. Fr. Dennis has been gone for ages, and this mass is attended mostly by people who are going to work afterward. Yes, there is a pew, front left, with a group of widows, and yes, there are retired regulars who sit in their usual places, but as for everyone being old, was this author not seeing all those 30 somethings? They genuflect and receive the Eucharist on the tongue. This mass is not a collection of weirdos and sad sacks! This is my parish, this is my mass. What a snarky characterization of decent people who begin their day by praising God.
We had homeless pre VAtican II……they were called hobos, remember? They stayed on the periphery of society, in camps by railraod tracks, dumps, etc. In our age, there new name is “homeless” and they are congregaating much closer to us. Same problem, differnt name.
Most baffling social problem we have is homelessness, but worst social problem is child abuse….from child abuse emanates crime, drugs, alcoholism, domestic violence, more child abuse….just add it up.
good cause, I remember when they were called “bums”.
Because of all the Social assistance available in the USA today, homeless are really the mentally ill because they prefer to live the way they do.
“Love is the most necessary of all virtues. Love in the person who preaches the word of God is like fire in a musket. If a person were to throw a bullet with his hands, he would hardly make a dent in anything; but if the person takes the same bullet and ignites some gunpowder behind it, it can kill. It is much the same with the word of God. If it is spoken by someone who is filled with the fire of charity- the fire of love of God and neighbor- it will work wonders.”
-St. Anthony Mary Claret
I finished reading the article linked to another site …and posted a message concerning what appeared to be full disclosure regarding people named and described, their situations and where and when they were attending Mass.
But reading that Kristin, a parishioner there, says that these characterizations are made up … makes me feel a little better … Although, now the concern is not gossip, but fabricating a story and selling it as fact … !
If you think your parish is boring, it might be because you’re . . . . not paying enough attention to God.