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Someone near and dear to me and her 10 year old son were denied entrance at their family church in Larchmont because they didn't have a ticket for Christmas mass.
I've never heard of such a practice. Vatican City or St. Patrick's Cathedral sure, but Larchmont?
Does anyone else's church require tickets for Christmas mass, is this a new trend?
In the Jewish religion, it is a common practice for services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to have you require a ticket you pay for. I had been told the reason churches don't do this on say Good Friday or Christmas is because they assume the practice of tithing supposedly eliminates the need for this or something. Maybe there is less people giving to the collection plate so they felt they had to do this.
Just a logical guess, no flames/arguments/accusations of religious discrimination here, I'm personally against the idea of "pay to pray" and "tickets for services" in any religion.
It's not an uncommon practice for services that are going to be over capacity, since the churches can get in trouble with the fire marshal, and in the event of a disaster, it would be horrific. Not every congregation has such measures, but many do, especially for children's services that tend to be a bit more popular. I say the generic term services because I know of a couple of different faiths where this practice is utilized, not just at a Catholic Church.
And, it's not just a New York issue, as I know of places in several states that have such measures. Some will, however, offer spill-over services at the same time if they have a separate venue, such as a school gymnasium, and if they have the clergy to staff it.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
If it was their 'Family Church', how did they not know beforehand? I would assume it would have been announced weeks in advance and obviously others had tickets or they would have been allowed to pay at the door.
Most churches do not charge admission prices for such tickets, rather they are distributed to registered members on first-come-first-served basis. Some congregations have to pay, but for Christmas services, I have never heard of that, and the tickets are used as a means of crowd control.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
If it was their 'Family Church', how did they not know beforehand? I would assume it would have been announced weeks in advance and obviously others had tickets or they would have been allowed to pay at the door.
ABQConvict
Turns out it was just for the 4 PM Christmas Eve mass. But it's my church too and I didn't know tickets were required either. Worse, the Christmas mass schedule mailed out to the congregation makes no mention of the need for tickets, and my friend was not offered the opportunity to obtain a ticket at the door.
I don't know where communication between church and parishioners broke down, but it's a pretty dismal thing to turn down a mother and her 10 yr old son trying to go to mass.
If it was their 'Family Church', how did they not know beforehand? I would assume it would have been announced weeks in advance and obviously others had tickets or they would have been allowed to pay at the door.
ABQConvict
I agree: most churches that give tickets do so because the mass is particularly popular & they want to make sure their church-going members get in. Most places do not make ppl pay for tickets.
I am a parishioner of the church you are referring to in Larchmont- it is a mass intended for families w children and tickets have always been required because it would be disastrous without. Regular Sunday mass there is extremely crowded. If they were regular parishioners they would have known about tickets. It is only fair that regular parishioners get tickets first. But I can see how it would be frustrating if one didnt know! Especially w a young child. Also- there are no fees for the ticket and there are plenty of other masses- just that one requires tickets.
To answer my own question, yes, there is a growing trend to issue tickets for crowded services on Christmas, and not just in this country. And it makes sense, I've seen holiday masses so crowded people faint.
Thank you all for your responses. I love the things I learn on C-D Forum.
Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year to everyone in 2010.
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