re: Speaking in Church
            QUESTION from Charles on March 8, 2004

Mr. Slavek, Just to add my thoughts in regard to Maria 1-28-04 about speaking in Church. Do you think that the reason there is so much chattering in Churches these days is because the Blessed Sacrament has been shoved to some secluded place away from the main church building? I was under the impression that the Tabernacle was to be in a prominent place where it could be easily seen upon entering the church. I recently went to a newly built church and had trouble finding the Tabernacle. It was down the hall with just a small sign that indicated it was the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The main church was just a large open room that with an elevation where the altar was, and the main choir right behind it. NO CRUCIFIX. A small crucifix was brought in during the procession and placed next to the altar. Of course people would come into the church and with no tabernacle in sight, people just walked in and sat in the pews and had conversations going like it was just a party. People are walking all over the place, laughing and carrying on, kids running around, the priest walks in and is joking with the people, the pianist (since there is no organ) was warming up. There are no statues of saints or the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph or anything. The Bishop referred to it as a “beautiful” church. It was more like a dance hall. Isn’t it any wonder that people have lost respect and do not believe in the true presence of our Lord in the Eucharist? I was told that those are the instructions from the Vatican; to remove all statues and the Tabernacle should have its own chapel. Is that correct? Just as an FYI, the parish that I attend, our pastor came into the Church from the Anglican Church. We have an altar rail, a side Chapel dedicated to our Blessed Mother, a small chapel in the back where we have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, several statues and beautiful paintings of some saints and when you first walk into the building you get the aroma of incense since we use it every Sunday. Oh, and everybody, even the tiniest of tots genuflects before sitting in the pews since the Tabernacle is in the Sanctuary.