The premise behind offering Mass on Saturday at 5pm was to accommodate those who work in the service industries - doctors, nurses, pilots, stewardesses, et al - whose jobs prevent them from attending liturgy on Sunday. It was never intended to replace Sunday worship. A natural outgrowth of this Saturday Mass has been the increase in attendance of other workers who wish to sleep in on Sunday morning. None of the above deserve to be labeled as "Episcopalian Jews".
"None of the above deserve to be labeled as "Episcopalian Jews"."
Too late. I'd pass on your comment, but Dad's been gone 7 years, NYer. In any event, what do you expect from an old Irishman who could recite the ENTIRE MASS in Latin from memory until the day he died! :)
I don't like going to Mass on Saturday unless you absolutely positively will be traveling or something.
The average age at my previous Parish for the 5:00 PM Mass on Saturday was about 78. It was largely an oldsters "klatch" at which hearing-impaired elderly began to gather as early as 4:20 PM and then spoke about 50 decibels too loud about their various "procedures" up to the very moment Mass physically began (they knew because the priest coughed loudly into his microphone!). They then left early to go to the local diner where the conversations continued.
I left and found my new home 5 years ago. Sunday Mass at 10:00 is so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Nobody would think of speaking aloud unless it was to tell an usher the Church was on fire and that would be done in a hushed whisper.
Which is the same reason my church has services on Thursday nights. Shift workers are often working on Sunday morning. When I was working shifts, I was very thankful for that service. Otherwise I would not have been able to go to Communion.