www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Is Your Church Always Locked ?

This caused me alot of frustration on both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday when I like to visit as many churches as possible. I can remember a time when I was little, (and I still don't have gray hair) when Churches kept their doors open every day until well into the evening, usually 9pm. My Mom insists that when she was little, that some churches had their doors open 24 hours. Nowdays it seems like churches are kept locked up as often as possible. On Maundy Thursday I tried to visit St Nicholas Ukrainian Rite Cathedral in Chicago and it is was locked, as were a few RC Churches as well. On Good Friday though, I was positively shocked at how many RC Churches in Chicago were locked during the afternoon. At St Barbara in the Bridgeport area (I love to name names) I watched astonished parishoners as they attempted to get in the front doors at 2:30 pm ! Another nearby parish, St Mary of Perpetual Help actually had it's doors closed 15 minutes before mass time on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception last year.

If priests do not understand that their are still people who want to go into churches to pray at various times of the day and night, then sadly it is a good indication of how out of touch with reality they are.

Hi Lawrence,

I think that the reason behind locking church doors is the fear of theft.

However, atleast in G.O. churches, the priest and/or the church secretary is usually in the church office, which is usually adjacent to the church, so there is usually always a back door, or church hall door open somewhere which can take you to the main sanctuary to pray. It isn't ideal, I agree, but atleast it is something.

In Christ,
Alice

Sadly, this is the way things are now in most places. Insurance companies have much to do with this now, as they don't like it when churches are left unattended. Many times, though, the church will be open during business hours, if the rectory or parish offices are nearby. Here, in central Missouri, as well as in other rural parts of the state, many of the churches are always open, as most folks are honest and don't bother anything, and anti-Catholic hostilities have abated for the time being. I do not know if the Lutheran churches here are open regularly as well

At one time, there was a minor order, that of porter or sextant, which was responsible for guarding the church building when there were no services. It would be good to restore this order.

In Austria, in the urban centers, there is a program whereby the big cathedral parishes are trying to stay open 24/7 by having parishioners voluteer to kkep watch over the church. As it turns out, people are coming back or converting to the Church because of the safety, and the experience of God's presence in the darkest hours of night.

I don't believe that fear of crime is the real reason so many churches are kept closed, because I know of several churches in low crime areas that are on regular lockdown. At one parish I attended in the 90's, their was either a Brother or trusted parishoner in the church at all times, and the church was kept open for the faithful during business hours. And as someone who's seen it himself, people still do want to stop in and pray throughout the day, even if it's for only 10 minutes.

Having grown up Roman Catholic a highlight of our Holy Week was when we took turns staying after the service on Holy Thursday in order to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. I remember that parishoners took turns signing up to keep the vigil. I think it went on even past mid-night and probably well into Good Friday. We would sit there in the quiet sometimes for an hour or longer and I used to think of the words of Jesus, "Won't you stay one hour with me?"

This Holy Thursday at the local Catholic church at the close of the service we were told we could stay until 8:00 p.m. while the priest and servers moved some things out of the sanctuary, but then we needed to leave so they could close the church. That left us about about twenty minutes....to keep the vigil.

It is certainly true that churches are the targets of vandals, robbers, and those with hatred in their hearts. This has brought us to the locking of the doors. Several years ago in a Roman Catholic Church in Washington State a maintenace man was murdered while trying to guard a large church. The old marble communion rail was pock marked with bullets which flew when the police killed the perpetrator some time later. The killer was a drug addict gone beserk. In a cathredral in Alaska in the 80's one of the stone carved stations of the cross was removed from the wall and never was found again. Only the outline on the wall until something like it could be imported from Italy. I am sure there are more tales of loss and destruction.

It is so sad that we, as a society, have come to this. As a college student at a Jesuit University in the 50's I loved just popping in any old time to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament or make the Stations of the Cross in the large, city church next to our campus. Students often stopped for a visit after supper and sometimes after spending an evening studying in the campus library. A few years later my husband and I were married in that church. Twenty years later the maintenance man mentioned above was killed in that very church and, as I recall, it was in the daytime.

It seems that with the shortage of priests there is seldom anyone available to guard the church so that it can be left open. Besides, some priests must cover two or three parishes. I had never thought of insurance company policies before reading about that requirement on this forum, but that seems to be an important factor.

We need to make the best of the time in our churches when they are open. These days the House of God, like our own house, has to be locked when we are away and when we sleep, but surely you would think 'open' on Good Friday afternoon....? Sad-- but another sign of these difficult times and reason to pray for God's Mercy on us all.

Porter, a sinner in need of Mercy but looking up.

This is the same over here too

Many many Churches are locked . We have Perpetual Adoration so the Church is normally open from after 9.30 Mass till 6pm. However we do have CCTV installed - there is an Alarm system for the Altar and we have those awful electric votive lights [ on the Fire Brigades insistence ]

We even lost one bank of those And even worse last year we lost our Paschal Candle

There is a Rota for Adoration - which should mean that the Church is never empty - but sadly there can be gaps - and incidents can still happen.

Anhelyna

It is very sad to hear how so many churches are frequently locked.

Back home, my parish recently constructed a priest's office in the rear of the church, so the church is open on most days in the morning and afternoon if Father is in his office. Parishioners will occasionally stop by and pray, and a lot of Russian immigrants in the area tend to come by and light candles. On Great Friday, the church was open from 8:00 AM or so until 9 or 10:00 PM, and from 8:00 AM until the midnight service on Holy Saturday.

The worry of crime and vandalism is a big issue these days, and I don't think it is wise to leave a church unattended. However, provision could be made for most churches to be open at some non-service times for the benefit of the community.

Dave

It is the same thing down here, lots of churches are closed throughout the day. Lots are closed from 2 to 4 pm and close around 8 pm, but many of them are only opened for Mass, one or two times a day on weekdays. Last saturday, around 7 pm I was near the Orthodox Cathedral of St. George, but it was closed; on Monday the Priest told me they only opened on Sundays at 11 am for the Divine Liturgy and sometimes on Saturdays when there is any special event, the rest of the time they are closed It is very sad, but it is also true that lots of thefts are ocurring in churches...

God bless you all

Dear Friends,

Certainly property crime is an issue with keeping churches locked. There is another serious reason.

Desecration of the Holy Eucharist. It has happened at my parish more than once. The Holy Eucharist is stolen from the tabernacle. This may be done by Satan worshippers who desecrate the Eucharist in their evil ceremonies.

I hate to say this but, a couple was found having sex in a confessional.

Nonetheless our parish does remain open during business hours and into the evening when Mass or other meetings are held.

It is a difficult balance between allowing people to visit our Lord in His temple and protecting church property and sacred things from evildoers.

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

Paul

Is there a problem with going to one's room and praying? Will God not listen? It is a nice pious practice to pray in the temple. But such prayers can be done anywhere, especially if they are just private prayers. The temple is where the community gathers. It is where the liturgies of the Church takes place.

Suggestion: one local Latin parish has a 24/7 chapel open which is annexed to the main church building. One cannot access the main church during off hours, but can spend as much time in the chapel. Can't our own temples have a traditional chapel in the front like monasteries do that can remain open for those who prefer to be near or in the temple building during off hours? Maybe an icon-chapel where the icon can be bolted to the wall? Just wondering.

Joe

One of the reasons why orthodox parishes are often closed is that they do not offer so many services because of the minority status, the lack of clergy and the particular aspects of the easter rite.

Catholics tend to offer several Eucharistic Liturgies everyday no matter if the mass is often breve and badly celebrated as long as the people can have the chance to attend the Holy Sacrifice and benefit from its graces.

Orthodox think it's enough to have a very high Divine Liturgy on sunday when there's a sufficient number of people to start the service. The three Cathedrals here offer a Divine Liturgy on sunday and a Wednesday Vespers.

There's also one thing, the lack of clergy and money. You cannot keep personal there working and taking care of the building because the priests have to go and celebrate elsewhere.

The Ascension Cathedral (Exarchate) is also am monastery but the priests also work as teachers, painters, etc and they're all the week touring chapels celebrating mass for their missions.

The next thing is insecurity. I read in the newspapers that an armed gang irrupted during a Catholic mass in Mex City and assaulted the faithful. Now they recomend people not to bring car at church because of robbery danger. These are hard times in all the countries.

Our church is locked when not in use, and I have no problem with that. We are on a busy main road. The church is close to the street, and the rectory is several hundred yards out back. No way you can see the front door from there. We'e had attempted break-ins, and now sport a security system.

Folks, if you want to visit a church, and you aren't sure if it's open, why not call first? Most pastors & church folks are pretty accommodating of people who want to come pray.

Sharon

Hi Joe,

Christ is risen!

You have good ideas on separate chapels less vulnerable to vandalism.

Our parish converted a meeting room inside the church to a chapel. It is locked from the nave and sanctuary. It isn't open 24/7, but does have extended hours.

I agree with you that one can pray anywhere, any time, and that should be our goal as St. Paul says "to pray unceasingly."

Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are a special grace because our Risen Lord is present physically: body, soul and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist. I consider these visits an audience with the King of heaven and earth. Quite awesome!

Of course visits to the Blessed Sacrament are not always possible with our busy schedules and locked churches. Then prayer can be done in our own temple of the indwelling Trinity,
and in our prayer closet.

Would someone please tell me about the Eastern theology and practice of Eucharistic adoration?

God bless you,

Paul

Here, in New England, if the church is locked it depends on the town and the type of area.

Where I live (the town) while some of the major church get locked, there are at least three places I may go (up to 10pm). A small chapel built into rectory up the hill (25 chairs), a major seminar close by (pretty neat to be sitting there and have seminaries file in every hour on the hour), and a chapel at the local Catholic book story.

All within a 5 minute ride.

Uh-oh! now I have given myself - no excuse!

-ray

If the prishinor is a familiar face - and they go to the rectory (RC) and ask, it may be that the church would be opened to them with directions to make sure it is locked upon leaving.

Maybe. Sometimes.

-ray