Solid tips.
I recall reading about a time when Hilaire Belloc, the great English writer, was attending Mass in America. Noting that he was kneeling when the rest of the congregation was standing, an usher came up to him and advised him that at this part of the Mass people normally stood. Belloc remained kneeling and told him to go to Hell. The usher apologized and said that he did not realize Belloc was Catholic!
“Belloc remained kneeling and told him to go to Hell. The usher apologized and said that he did not realize Belloc was Catholic!“
Argh Ushers.. pesky church ladies most often trans.. (if I need a missal I’ll take one!.. if I need a seat I’ll find one!.. I like Kneeling on carpet!!)
The ushers in parishes I’ve attended are nearly all male and do not bother me. The trouble is, they don’t bother anyone else, either, and it’s common for congregations to have a family here or there which needs…counsel.
The church was packed, The mother stood holding her infant in her arms. Not a one “Catholic” surrendered their seat to her.
Where were the ushers? Bothering a man in prayer.
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In defense of Catholic parish ushers:
I have found the ushers are among the very best men in the parish. At my parish, they not only greet and recognize people at the door (don’t sneer – many parishioners and visitors find this very welcoming – we wouldn’t let visitors come to our homes without greeting them), but they make sure those who enter are offered a missalette (if you don’t want it – say so), they answer questions (“What time does Mass start?”, “Are there Confessions before Mass?”, and so on), they assist those in need (showing where the restroom is, where the cry room is, holding crying babies, offering an arm to help the unsure to a pew, etc.) and far more, including collecting and safely locking the offertory collection,
Once, an unhinged street person walked in while Communion was being offered. He attempted to attack an elderly retired priest. One of our fine ushers immediately put himself between the priest and his attacker and talked quietly to him until the police – who arrived shortly after another usher called 911 – took charge. The same thing happened when a street person started to take a swing at our pastor as he was greeting parishioners in the vestibule.
Our ushers are the first to step up to help parishioners and priests in need of assistance at Mass, and do so in order to prevent disruptions and keep peace before, during, and after Mass. They are devout, kind, and reverent, and I love them.