The Stations

We just have orgies around here, develops a great sense of community.

Mass in your own house? :cool:

Somebody has been looking after the priest I'd say :pac:

Haven't seen it done or heard of it be done locally in about 20 years. Been to many in my youth. Good way to (a) snoop around neighbours house (b) massive amounts of sandwiches and biscuits (as already said), think Mrs Doyle times ten (c) always got a slug of wine at a station that you wouldn't get at mass - probably turned me in to the raging non-practicing catholic alcoholic I am now.

I remember one station in our house, confessions were usually heard before the mass. An uncle of mine was last in the queue. After he went 15/20 minutes past and no sign of him to come back out. There were nervous looks from my aunt wondering was his soul that damned it was taking him that long to confess. 30 minutes in, still no sign and this is 10 minutes after the mass was due to start, all the neighbours had gathered. The gossip mill started, "Paddy is in there confessing for over half an hour now". 40 minutes in, my mother sensing my aunts mortification, sent me down to the room to tell the priest the time. I knocked on the door and went in and the lads were deep in discussion about the local GAA club, how bad they were doing that year and had forgotten about the time.

They were oblivious to the commotion when they went out. Even though I knew it was just general chat, I never told anyone that and the fact I came back looking stunned, close to tears and shaking my head only added fuel to the fire. Paddy was bundled out the door by his wife as soon as the station was over without so much as a "drop of tay or a sangich".

i have never heard of this tradition.

44leto wrote: »

I remember it as a Good Friday thing, the priest would take us the congregation around each pictorial or sculptured representation of the passage taken by Jaabus before he got nailed, to save us all.

Sometimes this ceremony was taken outside the holy catholic church and some weird loon would carry a cross. It was fun for all the family.

Thats the stations of the cross. "The stations" is a very different thing.

It still goes on in a lot of rural areas, I know parts of west cork and north cork where I have relations still do it anyhow. Basically a parish seems to be sub-divided into different areas whereby each house in that area takes turns hosting a mass every know and then. Id imagine its one or two houses a year. Everyone in that area will attend and have a piss up afterwards.

Its used as the impetus for all home improvements / painting etc to get ready for it. It really only happens these days where there is a strong sense of community. If two many were to drop out it would be too much of a job for the remaining households so its died out in a lot of areas.

The religous aspect seems to take a back seat to the social gathering . Oh and one other thing it seems the expected norm to invite all those in your staion to family weddings.

I know of younger people who do it too that arent even religous, the socially acceptable neighbourhood piss up seems popular enough. Good way of binding different generations I suppose.

To be fair anywhere I know that does it seems to be a great place to live with regards community spirit, volunteerism etc thats lacking in the city.

mikemac1 wrote: »

Doesn't sound all that strange OP
Not uncommon in rural areas to have the priest out to bless a new build house or even bless the premises of a new start-up business

If business owners did this more maybe we wouldn't have such huge unemployment

*insert piccard facepalm meme here*