One of my parishioners asked, "Father couldn't we have a donkey for Palm Sunday next year?""Why?" I asked,
"For the children", she replied.
"Can't you teach them to be content with the ass God has sent them and is here every Sunday, rather than coveting their neighbour's donkey.
....
Whilst we are on the subject, for the North American who read here last year the word is pronounced 'ass' as in 'ass-embly' or 'lass' not as in 'farce'.
While I'm rambling, another of my parishioners said, "You know, Father up until the Council we all used to say 'Mass' as in 'pass', then suddenly we had to say 'Mass' as in 'crass'. Off-guard, I still occasionally find myself saying 'Holy Mass", as my American friend pronounces 'ass'.
13 comments:
Isn't this partly a North-South thing? Southerners say "pass" to rhyme with "jars", while northerners rhyme it with "gas".
However, at the Oratory, there are definitely people who attend "Mars".
Bruvver E is right. "Mars" is Knightsbridge Catholic speak.
A holy Easter to you Father.
Surely one pronunciation is the Irish long A and the other the English short A?
'Marse' used to be a sign of rather upper-class Catholics - as a long 'a' (even in 'ass') still tends to be a 'U' indicator.
Oh Bruvver - do their spouses attend Venus?
I pronounce crass in exactly the same way as I pronounce Mass but there's an "r" there so it is krass and has nothing to do with arse. An "a" for me has always been pronounced as in apple, or about, or anchor. The Italians have the same pronunciation! Adio.
Now now, Father. You might have more properly compared your priestly ministry with the donkey's colt. John 12:15
Have a blessed Easter.
We have EF Marss and OF Mass. Very useful and quick way of knowing which form.
PS - the anti robot text is almost unreadable. I had to pass about eight times.
This discussion of how to pronounce the word 'Mass' just shows how middle class and irrelevant the church has become. Where are the poor the maginalised in your well heeled congregations? Where are your big families? They have been contracepted out of existence. But you can waste energy discussing how to pronounce Mass while the marginalised Catholic feels out of place in your posh church.
Tut, tut, Father. You know very well that the 'children' must be entertained . . . . .
Don't be silly Bradisma, it shows how narrow and excluding it has become, though maybe that is the same thing.
@Brandsma
Anyone who has attended Mass at St. Mary Magdalen in Brighton will know it is anything but a "posh church"
The congregation are poor - it is an inner city parish in the "most Godless city in England".
Here in Greater Glasgow the words Mass, crass, pass and ass all rhyme.
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