Pious Ushers and Protecting the Eucharist

I don’t want to get into the debate surrounding Archbishop Niederauer debate. You can read about that elsewhere in the blogosphere. However, I found a wonderful comment over at Mark Shea’s blog for the need for pious, holy, and determined ushers in our Catholic churches. Here’s the quote by “trespinos”:

Some years ago, I was attending a noon weekday Mass at a downtown parish where I used to live. Father was well into the Eucharistic Prayer when suddenly a man, who had been sitting quietly in a pew halfway up the nave, stood up and began shouting. In this huge gothic church, his words weren’t intelligible to me, but they were very angry words, that’s certain. He walked back and forth across the nave while yelling and then began walking toward the sanctuary. The small congregation of retirees and office workers turned to watch him, but all of us seemed frozen by this so-unexpected outburst of hate.

Before the shouter could move farther forward, a parish usher spoke out. He didn’t move toward the man; he didn’t even stand up from his kneeler. He just gestured toward the man and said in a loud, steady voice: “I adjure you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to keep silent.” The words hit me like a blow; I can only imagine how they hit the shouter. He may have repeated that phrase or said another sentence–I don’t remember. I only know that as soon as the shouter heard the words, he fell silent. I believe he couldn’t have spoken at that point, if he wanted to. Within a minute, he turned and exited from the church’s side door. Father had not had to miss a beat.

I assume that usher had been taught, in his training in years past, how to react as he did. I know for a fact he was a prayerful man. I wish not only Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, San Francisco, but all parishes had ushers like him.
trespinos | 10.12.07 – 7:17 pm |