Just Back From A First Communion ...

[velvetpie]

My nephew had his first communion today in Catholic church. The ceremony was beautiful, although I got pretty tired of the stand-up-sit-down-kneel stuff that y'all Catholic types seem to like.

The problem ... I kinda got weirded out by seeing all the beautiful little girls done up in veils and dresses like they were brides of God. Not being a Catholic, I understand that this is part of the ritual of first communion, but why do they have to look like a pedophile's dream?

Someone, enlighten me!

 

[ABSTRUSE]

My nephew had his first communion today in Catholic church. The ceremony was beautiful, although I got pretty tired of the stand-up-sit-down-kneel stuff that y'all Catholic types seem to like.

The problem ... I kinda got weirded out by seeing all the beautiful little girls done up in veils and dresses like they were brides of God. Not being a Catholic, I understand that this is part of the ritual of first communion, but why do they have to look like a pedophile's dream?

Someone, enlighten me!

In ancient times we threw them in volcanos, but they cut that out.

 

[mlady_france]

My hubby's family is catholic, though most don't practice. But over the past year I have been to a couple of different ceremonies. They are all very interesting in general, but very long. I grew up in church but even I found myself almost falling asleep during the weddings I've been to. It made me glad that we eloped.

 

[velvetpie]

I went to one wedding several years ago in a beautiful Roman Catholic church in Cleveland for a friend of mine who was getting married. I was eight months pregnant with my son (who is now 18) and with no air conditioning in July, the service was LOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!

My hubby and I got married by a French lady in a gazebo in her backyard and went to the grocery store afterward. I have to agree, it was much better than wasting money on a huge shin-dig!

 

[impressive]

We had a Catholic wedding. My mother really, really wanted it -- and we didn't give a shit about the ceremony itself. Our priority was a kick ass reception.

The priest that married us sounded a LOT like Snagglepuss -- and we giggled through the entire ceremony. So much so that he scolded us during one of the songs. Of course, he sounded like Snagglepuss when he scolded us -- which didn't help the giggles.

That was 20 years ago. The humor has been the only thing holding it together for much of that time.

 

[mlady_france]

We had a Catholic wedding. My mother really, really wanted it -- and we didn't give a shit about the ceremony itself. Our priority was a kick ass reception.

The priest that married us sounded a LOT like Snagglepuss -- and we giggled through the entire ceremony. So much so that he scolded us during one of the songs. Of course, he sounded like Snagglepuss when he scolded us -- which didn't help the giggles.

That was 20 years ago. The humor has been the only thing holding it together for much of that time.

We had more of a fly by night wedding. He called at 11:00 am and asked if I wanted to get married that day, we'd been planing on getting married for a couple of years. By 5:00pm we were joined and had a reception that consited of my mom and his dad, plus us, at one of the local china buffets. Something tells me now that it might not have been such a good idea.

 

[kendo1]

I was married in a hotel.
Just had to walk into the next room for the reception- shows where my priorities lie.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Someone, enlighten me!

It's an important, happy, festive day, so the clothes are festive. It's customary to wear white as a symbol of purity, but it's not in any way a requirement.

As for the veils, bells and whistles, the truth is that it has much more to do with the very unCatholic predisposition of parents to show off than with anything symbolic or religious.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

It's an important, happy, festive day, so the clothes are festive. It's customary to wear white as a symbol of purity, but it's not in any way a requirement.

As for the veils, bells and whistles, the truth is that it has much more to do with the very unCatholic predisposition of parents to show off than with anything symbolic or religious.

I knew you would have an answer to this.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I knew you would have an answer to this.

Been there.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

Been there.

Me too, I had tar in my hair for my pic, my mom was beside herself...LOL.

 

[LadyJeanne]

It's an important, happy, festive day, so the clothes are festive. It's customary to wear white as a symbol of purity, but it's not in any way a requirement.

As for the veils, bells and whistles, the truth is that it has much more to do with the very unCatholic predisposition of parents to show off than with anything symbolic or religious.

The little girls really like it too - they get to play dress up and feel pretty and very special. It's so exciting for them.

If you really want to see mini-brides, you should go to a quinsenera (sp?). It's a party to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday in Mexican culture. I went to a lot of those while growing up, and wow, you'd swear those girls were about to walk down the aisle. I haven't been to one in years; I wonder if they're still bridal type dresses or have evolved into the more slinky, sexy variety these days.

 

[velvetpie]

It's an important, happy, festive day, so the clothes are festive. It's customary to wear white as a symbol of purity, but it's not in any way a requirement.

As for the veils, bells and whistles, the truth is that it has much more to do with the very unCatholic predisposition of parents to show off than with anything symbolic or religious.

I understand that, Lauren, but it was pretty damned unnerving. Why can't they wear acolyte robes or just white dresses? Why the veil?

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I understand that, Lauren, but it was pretty damned unnerving. Why can't they wear acolyte robes or just white dresses? Why the veil?

I don't know. I never wore a veil, and neither did most of the girls at my first communion, so my best guess would be to blame the parents.

 

[cloudy]

The little girls really like it too - they get to play dress up and feel pretty and very special. It's so exciting for them.

If you really want to see mini-brides, you should go to a quinsenera (sp?). It's a party to celebrate a girl's 15th birthday in Mexican culture. I went to a lot of those while growing up, and wow, you'd swear those girls were about to walk down the aisle. I haven't been to one in years; I wonder if they're still bridal type dresses or have evolved into the more slinky, sexy variety these days.

I wish I could remember how many of those things I went to growing up. Santa Barbara - old, old Spanish town.

 

[JamesSD]

Haha!

The priest that married us sounded a LOT like Snagglepuss -- and we giggled through the entire ceremony. So much so that he scolded us during one of the songs. Of course, he sounded like Snagglepuss when he scolded us -- which didn't help the giggles.

I can totally hear Snagglepuss in my mind as a priest! Thanks for the hilarious image.

 

[Kirk482002]

My first wife and I didn't want a church wedding so we were married in my parents house in the living room. Just as the pastor was getting into the vows, the kuku clock went off, causing a raft of laughter from the guests. Both of us should have listened.

The second wife and I were wed in her parents house and as we stood in front of a lit fireplace, the pastor reached the part about the vows and the chiminey caught fire, smoking everyone out into the cold December night.

She's gone too.

Well, HE did try to warn us....

 

[oggbashan]

Best Man at a Catholic Wedding

Many years ago (everything Og did is many years ago except the South AH meet) I was asked to be the Best Man at my friend's wedding. I had never been to a Catholic wedding even just as a hanger-on so I was worried. I was right to be worried. The wedding was in Bethnal Green in the East End of London.

The Catholic Church in England had just changed from the Latin service to English. The parish priest was new to that church but the bride's uncle would conduct the actual service. The uncle and the bride were from South America and they knew the service in Latin and Spanish but NOT English. The parish priest had never conducted the marriage service in English.

I got the bridegroom to the church in plenty of time and we stood on the church steps waiting. He dropped his cigarette lighter, bent down, and split his trousers at the back. I produced a needle, thread and safety pins (Og is usually well prepared) and was about to start sewing when an acolyte came out from the church. He had a message from the bride. The bridal limousine had broken down. Please would I collect her, the bride's father and the bridesmaids?

I handed over the needle and thread to the only other person outside the church - the bridegroom's ex-fianceé who calmly sewed his trousers up with him bent across her knees on the church steps.

I collected the bride and escort, returned to the church, rushed up the aisle to stand beside the groom as the bride entered. The service began with the organist playing the bridal march the bride DIDN'T want. That march is usually parodied as 'Here comes the bride, short, fat and wide...". The groom was over six foot and slightly built, the bride was five foot tall and well-built, wearing her mother's wedding dress with a full skirt over a six hooped petticoat.

The organist, another of the bride's uncles, switched to the correct tune after 5 bars.

During the service the parish priest signalled to me when to stand, sit or kneel and I followed. The rest of the congregation followed me - when they could see me. If they were standing when I knelt, only those immediately behind me could see so the congregation knelt in a wave running from the front to the back of the church. The bride's father was sometimes nonplussed because in his part of South America they stand and kneel at different places. He put it down to the mad English until after the service when the parish priest admitted that he had no idea when people should stand or kneel in the new service and was making it up as he went.

After the service I might have had to leave the bride and groom standing in the church door way while I went for my car. I had a quick word with them and suggested that since it was a Saturday afternoon and the local market was in full swing between the church and reception using a car might be slower than walking. We processed through Bethnal Green market to cheers and other comments from the stallholders. We acquired at least a dozen presents from the stallholders.

The intention was that the family would have a formal reception on the first floor of the bride's former flat (which she had shared with three men, none of them her new husband, but that's another story) while the friends spent the rest of the afternoon in the large pub across the road. I, as best man, stayed for the formal reception. After an hour the relations decided that the formal reception was too boring since they all knew each other too well. They went across to the pub, dragging the bride, groom and me with them.

The friends had taken over one bar of the pub and were singing Christmas Carols to the next bar which only had a six-foot high divider. In the next bar was the staff Christmas Party for the local supermarket. They sang back. By the time the relations arrived both groups were inextricably mixed. The relations demonstrated South American dancing to everyone and the locals taught Cockney songs until the pub closed at 11 pm.

The whole group then went back to the flat after buying much of the stock of the nearest off-licence. The reception was still going strong on Monday morning when I had to return to work.

One incident sticks in my mind. About 5am on the Sunday morning I was sitting on the stairs between the first and second floors. I had the two bridesmaids sitting on my knees with their heads on my shoulders. I had a cigar in one hand and an empty beer glass in the other. The bridesmaids' father passed and offered to refill my beer. He did and the bridesmaids continued to sleep until he took them away a few hours later. They were twin girls aged 11.

Og

 

[impressive]

During the service the parish priest signalled to me when to stand, sit or kneel and I followed. The rest of the congregation followed me - when they could see me. If they were standing when I knelt, only those immediately behind me could see so the congregation knelt in a wave running from the front to the back of the church.

It's a little known fact that Og originated "the wave" so common now in sports stadia all over the world. Well done!

 

[elfin_odalisque]

I understand that, Lauren, but it was pretty damned unnerving. Why can't they wear acolyte robes or just white dresses? Why the veil?

Same reason as for most religions. Not to excite the rampant male population.

Not far removed from the burqa and Muslim tradition.

Religion isn't covered by discrimination legislation yet.

 

[Guest]

In ancient times we threw them in volcanos, but they cut that out.

But I have this long list of candidates for the volcano? Not children, adults.

 

[snooper]

... They are all very interesting in general, but very long. ...

Try a wedding at the Sciety of Friends (Quakers to you).
The one I attended, we sat for almost an hour in silence until 'the spirit moved' the bride and the ceremony started.