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Has anyone else observed the strange habit that seems to transcend East and West, where parishoners feel the need to begin filling up a church from back to front ? I've never understood the reasoning behind this. It was really a problem in the beginning when I occasionally attended Liturgy on a Saturday and sat in the 3rd row, and then noticed that everyone else was seated in the back 4. You stand out like a sore thumb constantly looking over your shoulder to see when you're supposed to sit and stand.

When I occasionally go to a noon Mass during the week at a RC Church, it's the same thing again. 40 people in a church that holds 1000, and wouldn't you know, people sitting in the last few rows.

I remember going to the 100th anniversary of a RC Church in Chicago in the 90's, and hearing an elderly woman suggest to another elderly woman that they should sit up the front, and the woman angrily replied "I'm not sitting way up front".

According to the book Growing Up Catholic, I though the last rows were reserved for smokers, hoods and late arrivals.

That is not the case in my church.

I know that I don't like being in the front row because I don't know when to sit and when to stand..but priests in Greek Orthodox churches are sensitive to this and will often motion when it is time to sit and when it is time to stand.

If not for that, I think the front row is awesome. In Greek churches, the front row is usually reserved for those having a memorial service that day for their loved one. I have been in that situation, and really did like being in front...because there are no distractions...but then again, I am one of those who also liked to sit right up front in college classes for that very reason.


--Alice

But the sitting at the back in RC Churches has been a very longstanding habit - well it lets everyone see those who are late

Seriously, I'm sure that's how it originated

Front row? What's that?

Fr David. the pewless pseudo-Russian

Don't think I've ever seen a Greek Orthodox Church that didn't have pews.

I have only seen pewless Greek churches on Mount Athos. Even the Old Calendar churches in Astoria have pews or rows of seating.

Fr David Straut

Well Father, our church has no pews, but we do have folding chairs, which are now set up in several rows at the front, but are often all against the wall. They're there for the elderly parishioners, so I suppose we do fill up from middle to back, with the older parishioners taking up the spaces in front of the seats as they arrive. It isn't a "sitting" congregation, however, with the exception of the homily. Otherwise, everyone (except for a few very old and frail parishioners) stands throughout.

Lawrence, my friend,

I think it's the same principle that applies to filling the last rows in classrooms first -

"'He' might call on me and I'm not sure I'm prepared"

Many years,

Neil

Don't forget the president of the youth group, who is supposed to sit with the hoods!


I warned my classes that that was a bad strategy. As I'm far-sited, it's much easier to hide in the front row . . .



Besides, my role sheet had a "hit list"--those who had acquired the least points in class were flagged with an "x" next to their name . . .
hawk

Back in the days when the women wore hats you could view and critique them all.....and hardly anyone would see yours.

I've been seeing this tradition change over the decades..there don't seem to be as many arguments over who gets the last pew.
Unfortunately that may be because there are fewer people...a sign of the times.

Neil

Back in 1966, when I was starting the 1st grade, my Dad took me to the classroom for my first day of school. I went in and immediately took a seat in the last row. My Dad then came over and told me to get up and then walked me over to the first row and said "Sit here, You won't learn anything in the back of the classroom"

Greetings from Florida...
About 25 years ago, I saw a sign outside a Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh that read: "Come Early -- Get a Back Seat!" The problem seems to be a by-product of our modern hurry up attitudes -- we rush to a football game early for tailgate parties, but then leave before the game is over if the home team is losing, because we want to beat the traffic, or whatever other excuse there is.
One nice thing about a smaller church building -- at our parish we only have 7 roww of pews on each side, so even in the back rows you still can be part of the Liturgy!
Andy Kovaly

Andy,

Amen to that!