[maryz]

The litigious and legalistic mentality of keeping track of who is attending Mass and how much they are contributing is a sorry statement regarding the condition of the Novus Ordo Church.

You recall things as better in this way pre-NO? I know of people who left the church long before VII because of the constant harping on money. And in my own high school parish (ok, this was in the mid-60s, but it was long-standing practice), the girls in the secretarial course in the high school got credits for a one hour a week course in Office Practice, during which they recorded the weekly offerings by parishioner.

I do recall hearing back then, too, that if you wanted to get your kids into Catholic school (they were crowded then), your chances were infinitely better if the parish could see a good record of contributions.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

You have misunderstood the emphasis. However, the farce of the neo-modernist AmChurch spectacle is...what it is. We do need to get rid of ALL sadistic, anal-rententive, obsessive-compulsive, and control freak tendencies and personnel plaguing the contemporary church. You can't FORCE people to attend a mockery or parody of their religion - which is what a lot of contemporary parishes offer.

The tactics in this case sound heavy-handed and STUPID! Closet case projection of aggression most likely.