IX. Laypeople
by catholicnews ~ May 8th, 2008. Filed under: Liturgy.
If you aren’t Catholic, you may have gotten the idea from watching television shows from the 1960s or even old movies like, “On the Waterfront,” that priests are really important. Now, if confession or receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus is a Catholic’s thing, then yes, priests are very significant. For other Catholics, though, there is another group that is held in high esteem: the lay people. That’s right, the regular folks who sit in mass, lead the singing, play the instruments, process in with “the Book”, flood the altar with extraordinary visitors, pick out the hymns to sing, crank out the bulletins, usher, etc, are held in special reverence.
If you are not Catholic and attend mass for the first time, you may have a hard time telling the difference between the priest and the lay people. This is because the lay people are generally in prominent positions in front of the church, facing the people. They are in and around the altar, and have numerous speaking and singing parts during the mass. Many times they are distributing communion, as well. Here is a hint if you get confused: the priest wears a long, flowing robe. Lay men wear pants; lay women wear whatever they want. That tip should help you.
Some laypeople have a fondness for guitars, banjos, bongos, tambourines, drums, etc. This gives them the chance to display their musical skills. Other laypeople have pretty voices and enjoy singing. They probably hope this will make up for all the other laypeople who aren’t singing. Laypeople like to choose songs that use the pronoun “I.” It gives them the chance to play God’s part during a song. They get to be the Bread of Life, they get to raise everyone up on the last day, etc. Laypeople want you to be able to play God, too. Despite this tremendous opportunity, most laypeople in the pews still choose not to sing very loud, if at all. Perhaps the pewsitters are embarrassed at their comparable lack of talent.
Still other laypeople use their considerable talents to distribute communion to parishioners. Laypeople like affirmation, so if you see one after church, be sure to tell her what a great job she did. Don’t be scared. A layperson will not immediately warm up to you or try to get you to be Catholic. This type of thing generally makes a layperson uncomfortable. Laypeople believe that “evangelizing” should be left to Protestants.
It is important for you to realize that all lay people are equal, but some are more equal than others. Although laypeople look, by and large, pretty much the same, some lay people wield special power. For example, if a parish priest used to give homilies (another word for sermon) on issues such as abortion, divorce or birth control at a church – and doesn’t anymore – well you can be sure one of these laypeople exerted his special power on him. Laypeople generally do not like homilies that deal with tough subjects like Hell or sin. That kind of stuff is for Protestants. Laypeople with the most special power usually 1) have a great deal of money 2) make their opinions known, often and 3) are very active in the church. If they have a problem with Magesterial teaching, that is usually a plus.
For some Catholics, other laypeople can be a real trial. Besides their desire for affirmation and need to participate, they can do some pretty irritating things. Laypeople sometimes like to bring their 11 and 12-year-olds into the cry room when they can’t get them to be quiet during mass. Laypeople will talk to each other and answer their cellphones during mass. Some laypeople have been known to eat Cheez-Itz, chew gum and drink cokes during mass (but respectfully put all these things away once communion starts) Whatever you do, do not complain to the office about these laypeople. The people in the office will always take the other group’s side. After all, no one likes a tattletale.
Other laypeople –generally pewsitters and people who spend a lot of time kneeling in prayers — will glare at you if you cough or if your baby cries. These types of laypeople are very holy and do not want their holy time disrupted. These types of laypeople have also been known to give the priest tips on how to improve his homily or bring more reverence to the mass. The best way to deal with these laypeople is to be very quiet and not make eye-contact.
In extreme cases, laypeople have actually caused other laypeople to leave the Church. However, for most faithful Catholics, leaving is not an option. Starting a blog and complaining about it is, however.
(5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5)
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May 8th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
“In extreme cases, laypeople have actually caused other laypeople to leave the Church. However, for most faithful Catholics, leaving is not an option. Starting a blog and complaining about it is, however.”
Simply hilarious.
Can you do a post on “pew blocking”?
http://www.3saints.com/rules.html
May 8th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Lay people are also Directors of Religious Education, which is a real problem if the DRE thinks that women should be priests or priests should be allowed to be married.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
This post is pretty mean-spirited…not in tone with the “light-hearted look” that this blog purports to have.
Not that I don’t agree that some of the things described are prevalent and problematic.
May 8th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I tire of the pronoun I in songs. I am simply not doing most of what the songs say I am doing. I want God to be God so I can be me. I am humble gosh-darn-it. HUMBLE!
May 8th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Hey Joseph,
Thanks for the kind words. Is “pew blocking” where someone sits on the end and refuses to move and makes your entire family crawl over him? If so, hey maybe!
Hi St. Leo the Great,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Hi Frances,
My husband warned me that it might not be a good idea to write a post and drink five mint julleps at the same time (I am still really depressed about Eight Belles and needed to finish off the mint from Albertson’s before it went bad.) Anyway, the moral of the story is…writing + alcohol+pregnancy= mean spirited post. Oh well, live & learn. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Hi Jimmy,
I think you are humble. You seem humble to me and I’ve met a lot of people in my time. I think you are humble, really. Stop beating yourself up!
God bless, Maureen
May 9th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Oh come on! That was NOT a mean-spirited post. I laughed out loud and so did my 80 year old devout Catholic Dad. Let’s keep it tongue in cheek people. We all know there’s a grain of truth in what she said. Keep it coming, girl.
Jeannie
May 9th, 2008 at 10:14 am
As an unemployed music director I found myself laughing my ___ off at the “they get to be the Bread of Life; they get to raise everyone up on the last day” line.
Well done.
pew blocking should definitely be a future topic. Or the over exaggerated bower/kneeler in the communion line
May 9th, 2008 at 11:01 am
This was perfect. And just as I was beginning to feel smug about all those you were writing about, you insert the last few lines about those who “do not want their holy time disrupted.”
Ouch!
May 9th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Hi Jeanne,
Thanks for stopping by (and your dad, too) and for the nice comment (affirmation). I hope this means I can continue writing and indulging in mint juleps.
Hi Amanda,
Thank you! The over exaggerated bower/kneeler. Interesting idea. I fear I have become an exaggerated bower. Between making sure my clothes stay in place, that I don’t tip over due to gravity (seven months pregnant), and the nervous look I have on my face, I am sure the priest is hoping I will quickly move to the side. Good luck in your job search!
TNP,
Thanks for stopping by. Well, I don’t want you to beat up yourself. Go treat yourself to something. Since I am telling you to, it would be uncharitable to do otherwise. Drop everything and go.
God bless, Maureen (lay cantor, advent wreath maker, apologist, apostolate starter, blogger, light to the masses, wife, mother, dog owner)
May 9th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
You forgot to mention knitting or text messaging.
No tattling because of the suggestion implied: “Father’s homily was dull.” Who wants to defend THAT? Easier to let the laity eat, drink and whatever!
May 10th, 2008 at 8:24 am
“However, for most faithful Catholics, leaving is not an option. Starting a blog and complaining about it is, however.”
LOL!
May 10th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Funny!!!
On Pew-blocking–sometimes the person at the end of the pew is there for a reason–like she’s the pregnant mom of two under two’s and Dad’s out back with one of them and she’s trying to save his seat in the hope that he makes it back with the recalcitrant baby to sit with the toddler so she can dart to the restroom before her bladder explodes. Not that that’s ever happened to me personally, or anything.
On exaggerated bowing–um, it’s called for. In the U.S. instructions for receiving communion. Which have their deficiencies, but too much reverence isn’t one of them.
On the choir members–sometimes they really, really hate the music. Really. And want it to change, and agitate for Latin and Really Good Old Songs and chant-like psalms. But if you think laypeople complain about Father’s homilies, just try being in a choir that has ventured too far or too often into the Latin territory–the complaints about pre-VII music and trying to set the clock back and a secret desire to oppress women (!) will burn your ears off. So the choir director shrugs and schedules “Here I Am, Lord,” again, and all the aging liturgical malcontents snort with satisfaction and go back to not-singing, but in a much more satisfied way than when they weren’t singing the Latin stuff.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:42 am
Hi Pewsitter,
Thanks for dropping by! Hey textmessaging is an idea! I guess the upside is they aren’t textmessaging while they drive or cross the street.
Hey Fr. V,
Good to see you! Come back again!
Red Cardigan,
Thanks for the nice comment. Yeah, there is probably just no pleasing us laypeople! You select a bad song, we complain. You select a good song, we complain. Although I have to say, I have really liked it when they bring out the old songs/Latin/chant, even if I can’t sing them well.
God bless, Maureen
May 11th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Well Maureen, I thought you had a great article going there. I laughed real hard several times. Right up until that last line. Then I realized how mean spirited this was. How could you?
May 11th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Count me in the crowd that thought this was pretty mean spirited. Maybe you could post about judgmental bloggers next.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
So are those in the “This is mean-spirited” column there because the post hit the mark or because it is just mean? I think it was an equal-opportunity look in the mirror.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
When I was a mere Catholic-in-training a year or two ago, we discussed our parish church building, which is less than 10 years old. It consists of four equal-sized sections of pews, all of which surround the altar on three sides. Hard to describe, except that everyone is easily able to see people across the room, even from those seats that face each other across the altar. It was explained to us that the building was designed that way so that parishioners could not only see the altar clearly, but each other as well, because we are all part of the same Church and we are all responsible for each other.
Everyone knows there are parishioners who are on councils and sing in our choir and generally tend to be more active than others, but (speaking for myself, anyway) I never get the sense that any one person is, or feels, more important than another. Like my mom (RHS) used to say, It takes all kinds to run a railroad. I guess I should just be grateful for my parish, I suppose.
Interestingly, though, I’ve seen variations of the lay-people you describe at my former Protestant congregations.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Hi Kate and KT,
Thanks for dropping by and commenting!
Ian,
Thanks for the nice comment. When are you going to be putting up another post?
Hey Tim,
Yeah, I am a convert, too. It is always interesting to hear other people’s perspectives who join the Church.
God bless, Maureen
May 12th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I was originally going to bookmark this site and give it to those who will be entering the church.
But after reading this post, of course, I can’t. Thank heavens it was published before I made that mistake.
Good humor is one thing. Vitriol is another. We’ve all seen egos on display. But the “I’m just a humble layperson and I know my place and thank God I’m not like THOSE….” is just as egotistical.
I long for the time when we can have a responsible diversity of roles and opinions in the church without resorting to nonsense like this – or a combative approach.
May 12th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Very funny. Even the stuff that hits a little closer to home. It wasn’t mean-spirited, just observant. It does take all kinds.
Maybe a future post could be done on church architecture. Especially the kind that emphasizes how important we all are.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
ian, I think it’s that it hit the mark all too closely; a center of the bullseye.
I agree with lwestin:
“Maybe a future post could be done on church architecture. Especially the kind that emphasizes how important we all are.”
Are we all important to God? Certainly. We are all part of the Church Militant, but only a priest can say Mass, and when we go to church, we should be focused on what he is doing and saying as part of our worship of God. There is often too little reverence during Mass.
Catholics used to be taught to be silent when they entered a church in honor of Jesus in the tabernacle, to say only what was absolutely necessary, not to chat inside the church. They also used to be taught to keep “custody of the eyes” when returning from Communion — rather than looking at other people, you look at the floor in front of you. People stayed and prayed more often after Mass as well. When you do those things, you feel closer to God.
Some of the “spirit of Vatican II” nonsense is really out of hand. If I wanted to worship like a Protestant, I would not have chosen Catholicism all those years ago.
By the way, since now “we are all Eucharist,” do I have to go up and receive Communion or can I just take a bite out of my neighbor?
May 13th, 2008 at 5:47 am
Red Cardigan, are you perhaps in my music group? Your comments sound all too familiar.
Maureen, what about a post about laypeople who want to minister in obscurity but get moved up onto the altar by some committee, so that not only do they have to stand in front of everyone and sing about being here, Lord, and raising people up on the last day, but also get to watch the same people chew gum every Sunday for years and years? And get to sing from “Respond and Complain,” that weekly responsorial psalm arrangement book that takes all the fun out of chant.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Red Cardigan, are you in my music group? This sounds mighty familiar.
Maureen, what about a post on laypeople who happen to like guitars but would like to minister in obscurity, but instead get moved by a helpful committee up to the altar area, where not only do they get to sing about being here, Lord, and raising people on the last day, but also get to watch the same people chew gum every single Sunday (where do they put the gum, anyway?). And get to sing from “Respond and Complain,” that weekly responsorial psalm arrangement book that takes all the fun out of chant.
May 13th, 2008 at 8:31 am
One woman actually handed me a hand written note that said I had no right to bring my (then toddler) to Mass. It was too disruptive. I burst into tears. Thankfully Monsignor Treston said not to pay attention to those people. When babies cry or fuss he just talks louder. This no second grader has just received his First Communion and feels God is calling him to be a Priest. I pray for his vocation.
May 13th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Ever notice how most laypeople with special powers are women?
May 13th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Hi Cathy,
You might want to mention that Erasmus guy while you are at it. He wrote a lot of vitriol. St. Thomas More wrote a lot of nonsense and combative stuff, too. Yikes, if only I were worthy enough to be in that boat, Cathy! It might make you feel better to know than one of my pieces are at least partly directed/inspired by me, etc. So, this is actually better and more effective than a cilice, in a lot of respects. 
Thanks for commenting. Wow, sounds like a tragedy was averted! I am glad the post went up in time, too. Anyway, prayers are always welcome on my behalf. Even though I use a pen name, I am pretty sure God will know I am the recipient.
Hey LWestin, Thanks for dropping by. I recognize you from commenting on my blog. I think that is a great idea about architecture by the way.
Hi MK, thanks for the interesting comment. Wow, biting people during mass. Now there is an intriguing blog post idea.
Nancy, gee whiz. That doesn’t sound like much of a reward system.
Thanks for dropping by and commenting!
Hey Mary, congratulations on your future priest! I am glad the priest let him stay.
Fr. J, yeah, we women are always starting trouble. Of course, I am above all that. Just kidding.
God bless, Maureen
May 13th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Oh, I meant to say that “more than one of my pieces are at inspired/directed at myself in some way”…sorry.
God bless, Maureen
May 14th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Oh gosh! People who glare at you if you cough or if your baby cries… I get so stressed out at mass for just that reason. And I too have had some lady scold me for bringing my (then) toddler to mass, because “it’s not a daycare centre”.
May 15th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
“Other laypeople –generally pewsitters and people who spend a lot of time kneeling in prayers — will glare at you if you cough or if your baby cries. These types of laypeople are very holy and do not want their holy time disrupted.”
yikes! ..well that pretty much describes me on some days — i am upping my bran intake at this time to alleviate the spiritual log in my … eye?
May 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Um… not funny at all. “Other laypeople –generally pewsitters and people who spend a lot of time kneeling in prayers — will glare at you if you cough or if your baby cries. These types of laypeople are very holy and do not want their holy time disrupted.”
Shouldn’t we all be spending a lot of time kneeling in prayers (unless you happen to be wrestling your toddler, which I understand)? I dislike strongly how this post makes people who take the mass seriously seem bad. Honestly, I may seem to glare a little when I’m shaken out of prayer by a crying baby behind me, but it’s more my surprise. Most serious Catholics like kids and expect to hear that now and then. (Hey, they are probably the ones with the five kids in the pew!)
One caveat: People who blow their noses in church during the moments of silence during and after consecration. Now, I have had stuffy nose colds five months out of the year or more my entire life (yup, bad immune system), and I’ve never felt the need to do this. One should kindly duck into the vestibule or outside.
And anyone who says I can’t kneel to the Lord Jesus before receiving Him needs to check themselves. The only guidelines on bowing should be: “If you fell over, you bowed too far.” ^_^
Red Cardigan: Everything you wrote was on my mind reading this. Couldn’t say it better. I’m in the choir too. I’m happy at the moment because we are learning “Ave Verum Corpus”, but we will no doubt get complaints about the Latin.
May 17th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Ah, yes, I am a veiled, kneeling Catholic.
I kneel before Mass.
I kneel during Mass.
I kneel after Mass!
Forever with the kneeling and the praying…
AND I LOVED this post! It’s hysterical and an equal opportunity for all of us to snicker at ourselves. And maybe examine our behavior and motivation.
(Oh, and I used to be the one who glared at the babies. Then I had one. Man, are they hard to control!)
May 18th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
The problem with the glares is that they can literally drive people away from the Catholic Church. I’ve seen it happen more times than I’d like to count.
Yes, we should all take Mass seriously. But we’re all called to be there, every week, unless we have a valid reason to stay home. The moms and dads with fussy babies are just as obligated to attend.
Those of us who’ve parented loud, active children felt mortified when their children made noise during Mass and disturbed others, but we had to come anyway. Not only that, we wanted to come, to be with Jesus in the Eucharist and to worship in community. But it’s hard to go to Mass faithfully when you know that not only will you not be able to pay close attention and worship as you’d like to, but also that you’ll be at the receiving end of glares, comments, snide remarks, etc. Talk about a test of faith!
May 28th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
well-written, maureen
i enjoy your writing and found this to be humorous, which is what i believe your intent was?
tongue-in-cheek and not taking ourselves quite so seriously — i need to take lessons on how to achieve this. work in progress! until then, i’ll continue to read your blogs.
May 28th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
[...] Lol. This is so going on the blogroll *nods* Here’s what I read today — http://stuffcatholicslike.com/2008/05/08/viii-laypeople/ [...]
June 16th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
“Laypeople like to choose songs that use the pronoun “I.” It gives them the chance to play God’s part during a song. They get to be the Bread of Life, they get to raise everyone up on the last day, etc.”
Genius! I never realized how often we do “play God” through the hymns!
June 29th, 2008 at 5:04 am
In response to the bowing comment:
In the United States, IGMR 160 now reads:
The norm for reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be addressed pastorally, by providing the faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm.
When receiving Holy Communion standing, the communicant bows his or her head before the sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the Precious Blood.
Go ahead and kneel if you want- just know that as the person who just tripped over you I find it just as annoying as you find the crying baby.
January 18th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Wow I just ran across your blog. It’s terrific!
My old Irish grandmother (God rest her soul) never missed mass, but had an interesting worldview: in her economy of salvation being a “holy roller” (her term) was about as bad as being an apostate. Remember the passage in the New T. about keeping your piety private? Bingo. (Hey, bingo — that’s another blog topic. File it under “liturgy.”)
I once had a holy roller turn around in his pew when my kid was acting up and tell me to leave, I was a disgrace to the church, etc. His poor wife looked like she was about to die of embarrassment. Luckily I escaped excommunication, but I’ve been VERY CAREFUL ever since, believe me — some people are just very holy, that’s all, and we slackers need to respect that.
There’s nothing mean spirited anywhere on your blog. Keep it up — people need to hear it!