AmericanPapist Comments
Ridiculous...they need to make the Bishop aware of that.
I really don't know what to say to this, beyond the obvious statement that it's ridiculous. Is there a name for a condition wherein one is simply too attached to one's pets?
I agree with the above two posters. But I do love dogs very much. But, if the priest can bring pets to Mass, why can't I??
Let's sic the "Domini canes" on him.
Oh dear Tim...
'Although the apparently untethered canines "have been known to growl" at late-comers'
Ha! How late does he start to growl? Can they also tell if a communicant is in a state of Grace?!!
This is so sad that it's actually funny. I'd feel like I was in a loony pin with a priest like that. Promise I won't make any more fun of my totally normal parish compared to this one!
Cheers from Canada. Tony
Mme Sosostris,
I think the term you're looking for is "delusional".
"Do not throw your pearls to pigs..." and so forth. I love my cats dearly, but they're JUST CATS...and for the record, they've not set paw into a church since I've had them (even on the Feast of St. Francis), due to something I heard somewhere about them not having immortal souls. (wink) Plus, they would be apt to try to play with any Rosaries present...tends to distract from the reverence of the prayer...
Dear Lord Jesus,
Could you please come and perform another violent cleansing of the Temple?
.
This is the kind of thing that makes me sick. I imagine that some of his parishioners say to themselves : "ohh how cute" and the like. It sounds to me that this priest wants attention and wants very very badly to be liked/ loved by the congregation, this is obviously not the role of the priest. The Priest-as-entertainer is a result of a weakness that is formed out of a psychological deficit of some kind, or at best a almost total lack of understanding of what the liturgy is, and who it is about. Here's a clue Father its not about you or your dogs. I wonder how transcendent Fr. Louis's really are.
Reminds me of an old "Bless Me, Father" episode where a disgruntled next door neighbor allowed his black lab to invade St. Jude's while the Bishop was visiting...
There's a priest in my parish who brings his dog every Mass. The dog walks in the processional and sits by his master's side on the altar. The only one who seems upset by is me.
Okay, I'm the Protestant heretic here, I think it's nice. Those dogs are probably better mannered than a lot of people there. And who has a more pure and loving heart than a dog? And yes I DO believe that dogs go to Heaven!
Andrew, I think you SHOULD be allowed to bring your dogs to church. When was the last time a dog started a jihad or firebombed a clinic?
Kasia: The very term I sought. I have four cats, and have only ever regretted once not bringing them to a service (which actually took place at the Humane Society, on the feast of St. Francis) in which a brother assisting in our parish blessed the animals. I regretted this because a couple of my cats are very evil, and perhaps this would have helped them reform. However, let's face it--it's not likely. They're cats, after all.
And, yes, I like animals, and can see where Panda Rose is coming from. But, I mean, we're talking about dogs by the _altar_ here. I can see, especially in maybe a very small parish, small rural community, etc., having a dog in the church, maybe remaining at the back or something, if everyone really wanted that--but really, this is just inappropriate. Although I did giggle at the thought of the dogs growling at late-comers . . . .
Uh, if I brought my dogs to church, they would poop and pee everywhere. They're outside dogs because our potty training efforts failed.
It seems like this a really old problem not quite come back. Nevertheless, Sebastian Brant, in his satire Das Narrenschiff (Ship of Fools) from 1494 has a chapter criticizing people who bring their dogs and other animals to church. I can't find an English translation but here's the link, complete with woodcut, too: http://www.fh-augsburg.de/~harsc...t/
bra_n044.html
Panda Rosa,
Holy Mass is about the worship of God. It is not about worshiping him through other people or things. Those are simply distractions. People have gotten so busy that many don't bother to come to mass. The many who do, find it difficult as it is to wind down and recollect before, during, and after Mass.
That's the problem today. Too many people have been led to believe that Mass is some kind of celebration in which we just get together. Not!
Mass is the one time that we should be giving our entire being to God, and not an ounce of it should be going to anyone else present, not even the priest, and most especially to the dogs.
This is why I favor the Mass of Vatican II celebrated ad orientem as is done at my parish - Assumption Grotto in Detroit. Ad orientem removes the person of the priest as he puts on Christ. I didn't "get it" the first couple times. After I realized that I kept shifting in my pew to try to see the face of the priest, it occured to me that I was suppose to be seeking the face of God!!!
Then I got it: Mass is not about me, my comfort level, my feelings, or any of that. It's about giving myself to God regardless of how uncomfortable I am, and regardless of my feelings or mood at the moment.
Having dogs in church just panders to those who haven't figured out that its not about them. This includes an ever shrinking number of priests who believe it is their job to keep us from being bored.
The less dynamic and flamboyant our priests become, the better chance we have of discovering God in the Mass.
No update yet for the 9/13/2006??
I want my American Papist Fix!
I cannot take any more withdrawl...
~awesome sean
The priest at the campus parish brings his dog with him to church, but keeps him in his (the priest's, not the dog's) office from about 15 minutes before Mass to about 3 minutes after. (His office is directly off the sanctuary.)
I think if you gotta bring your dog, that's the way to do it, but I'm still curious about what would happen if the dog started howling or something during Mass.
Geeze, how stupid.
I mean about the priest bringing his dogs to Mass not about the last comment.
Ah, _Das Narrenschiff_--proof of the saying "Plus que ça change`. . . .
I'm waiting for the feminists to figure out the innate sexism in this priest's behavior. After all, a DOG is allowed on the altar, but because I am not a man, I am not. So, the obvious conclusion is that "The Church" (or, even better, "The Vatican") thinks that women are less than dogs.
Anyone else see this possible train of thought spiralling out of control?
(BTW, before anyone flips, I had my tongue firmly in my cheek the whole time. It was a general observation about the way 1 priest's behavior can be twisted around by various special-interest groups to represent the entire Church.)
Were any of the dogs female? There's a word for those....
Mary is QUITE right. (I'm glad she's on our side.)
Awww...shucks! (blushes) Thanks, Ed!
"I am so smart, I am so smart, S-M-R-T... I mean S-M-A-R-T..."
Stuff like what I posted above just grinds my gears soooooooo much. You have no idea!
I hear we're neighbors, so to speak! Is this an official Detroit blog?
I teach at SHMS.
Did someone say Detroit?
(hehehehehe....)
Mary - excellent example of the tongue shuffle so often seen.
All kidding aside, there is a detroit blog called:
Detroit Blog
Hey - I've hooked you up to one of my favorite archives there - June 2006.
Here's another
You gotta love them roof-top trees.
When I was in college,(secular school, BTW) Sunday Mass was celebrated on campus, in one of the auditoriums. A huge black Standard Poodle, which belonged to one of the professors in the building, would hang around , trying to cadge doughnuts from people at the little gathering after Mass. Unfortunately for him, his owner had a cardboard sign attached to his collar. "Hi ! My name is Balzac. Please do not feed me, as I will eat too much and then get sick. "
Balzac actually came to Mass a few times, but I think he was just over-anxious to try for doughnuts ! When he did come into the auditorium, he was firmly escorted out by a student.
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