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

If churches are prone to vandalism and theft wouldn't the presence of praying people be a deterent? Perhaps the locked churches are a symptom of our spiritual coldness...
On the other hand I generally have been allowed into churches that were locked when I knock on the door and ask. Usually the secretaries or the priest or the priest's wife are only too happy to let me in.

Dear iconophile,

Christ is Risen!

What an idea you have about people being in church as a deterrent to crime.

When our parish has Eucharistic devotions on First Fridays the church is open until midnight. Parishioneers are invited to visit with our Lord during that time.

I understand that some monasteries and parishes have perpetual (24/7) adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Parishioners sign a schedule to pray at the church.

My point is. as is yours, is that we need more people praying in church. A great way to decrease vandalism and to grow in the spiritual life.

Paul

DEar Paul,

Last week, I stopped into an RC Church.

There were two girls, obviously high on something, screaming "prayers" into the microphone near the altar.

I had to report on them, none of those present seemed to care.

There should be a guard of some sort on duty . . .

Alex

Of course one should pray everywhere and at all times, but often a church that is an artistic treasure, provides a setting that just makes deep fervent prayer come so much easier. It would be wonderful if I could pray that way all the time, but realistically speaking I know how helpful the visual aspects are for myself and others.

I hate to see us surrender in yet another area, and adopt the view that "we just can't keep the church open anymore because it isn't safe". Don't we already have enough fear in our lives ? We easily except things our parents and grandparents never would have. Keeping churches open and encouraging the faithful to pray early and pray often can only help to strengthen our churches.

The idea that a church just exists for the purpose of holding Divine Liturgies or Mass, is of Protestant origin.

Dear Friends,
Christ is Risen!
I like the Idea of building a vandal/robbery resistant chapel near or attached to one of our Churches. It is laudable to have a place to pray in a holy place.

Since the Byzantine Church traditionally does not have an extra-liturgical cultus to the Reserved Eucharist, it would not be neccessary to Reserve the Holy Mysteries in such a Chapel. But if one would choose to have the Reserved Sacrament, there is an ancient practice of Reserving the Holy Mysteries in a niche above the High Place. With an appropriate "Wall-safe" style Tabernacle, the Holy Mysteries could be properly and saely reserved.
Christ is Risen!

Dear Alex,

Christ is risen!

It's good that you reported the disrespectful behavior.

Once in a blue moon I've seen weird people do weird things in Catholic churches (maybe Protestant churches experience the same thing).

It seems like weird and mentally ill people are attracted to churches. For example, sometimes a homeless guy hangs out in the front of our parish church.

My theory is that God wants us to see these people who are loved by him regardless of their behavior/hygeine. And could they be the least of our brothers and sisters?

Of course, order must be kept in the assembly. One job of ushers is to remove disruptive persons from the church.

I hope you had a peaceful and joyous Pascha.

Paul

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Father Vladimir:
Dear Friends,
Christ is Risen!
I like the Idea of building a vandal/robbery resistant chapel near or attached to one of our Churches. It is laudable to have a place to pray in a holy place.

Since the Byzantine Church traditionally does not have an extra-liturgical cultus to the Reserved Eucharist, it would not be neccessary to Reserve the Holy Mysteries in such a Chapel. But if one would choose to have the Reserved Sacrament, there is an ancient practice of Reserving the Holy Mysteries in a niche above the High Place. With an appropriate "Wall-safe" style Tabernacle, the Holy Mysteries could be properly and saely reserved.
Christ is Risen! [/QUOTE

Fr Vladimir

We do have such Tabernacles - that in my own Parish is not quite like that - but it is still considered reasonably safe - but this is only because of the Alarm system on th Altar. The photo of the Altar can be seen on https://www.byzcath.org/bboard/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=001095;p=2

Our Second Tabernacle, used during the Triduum ,is the wall safe type but it is not 'alarmed' and an attack was made on that one one year

It is sad but I think we have to accept that if they are determined to access a Tabernacle - they will manage it somehow.

Anhelyna

An usher caught a homeless guy peeing into the holy water fonts in the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Philadelphia. The usher tried to "usher" the guy out. Now he is being sued.

Dear Anhelyna,

Thanks for the photo link.

What a positively BEAUTIFUL church!

You are very lucky! How prevalent is the modern RC style of churches in your country?

Curiously,
Alice

Mike C.,
Most upsetting.
Is there a chance this story might not be true?
Where did you read or hear of it?
Communion of Saints

In the Richmond VA area, we've had 6 churches of various denominations arsoned over the last 5 months.
Most churches are locked during the day if there is no service scheduled. Some churches downtown are open from about 10:00am -4:00pm; St. Peter's RC, St. Paul's Episcopal, and Centenary UMC. You have to wade through a sea of "street people" to get into any of them.
There is a monastery in the burbs w/ an adoration chapel that is open 5am-midnight; after 9pm you have to know the code for the keypad to get in. People praying isn't enough, if an elderly lady is there alone, she could assaulted and harmed.
I know of 24/7 chapel, an Episcopal church in the burbs has a 24/7 Lady chapel; the wall is glass so you can see the high altar and the tabernacle w/ the presence lamp.

Dear David,

Dear David,

In Virginia??? I would have never imagined....Why???

In Christ,
Alice

The article about the homeless person peeing in the holy water fonts was in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I will try to find the article.

Indeed we are lucky Alice - and we know it well Our beautiful Church is a 'Listed building' so there is no chance of pulling it down and rebuilding.

It's pretty typical of the older Glasgow Churches - they are all in similar style to this - known as Pugin and Pugin Churches.

The ghastly modern ones were put up when there was a massive expansion of housing and these are all giving problems - to the extent that many are not repairable

Out daughter Church is modern - red brick and to my mind very ugly all angles and it has a large Cry Chapel and I'm not a fan of those

Still we still have lots of the older ones - thank goodness. Even better - many have managed to retain their Altar Rails .

Anhelyna

I don't know, Alex, maybe those girls screaming prayers into the microphone was just a bad Novus Ordo Mass...I stumbled onto a Teen Life music practice at our local Neo-Gothic Roman Catholic church and it sounded about like what you found.
RC churches with Eucharistic adoration generally schedule two people at a time for safety's sake.
Hey, why don't we just rope off the tabernacles with barbed wire? We could gold plate it....