The Stations

podgemonster

I have to take a half day from work today on my mothers request to drive for 5 hours to West Cork and attend our "Stations", where the priest and neighbours come to our house and mass is held and the house is blessed.

It is suppose to occur every 6 years. There are some positives to it, plenty of sandwiches, cakes, cups of tea and cans of Heineken to be had afterwards. My Dad said he like getting the neighbours round.

Does anywhere else in the country still carry on with this Catholic tradition? Is it pointless or does it help develop a sense of community?

Seachmall

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

xzanti

Seachmall wrote: »

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

Kumbaya :pac:

mconigol

Mass in your own house? :cool:

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

El Guapo!

Money making racket. I bet you have to slip the priest a few bob.

But if it makes your Ma happy then do it. Plus as you said, you'll get off work and get free sambos. Win-win

Plazaman

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".

CardBordWindow

Plazaman wrote: »

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".

The worst penance to ever result from a confession!

FatherLen

i have never heard of this tradition.

mikom

podgemonster wrote: »

I have to take a half day from work today on my mothers request to drive for 5 hours to West Cork and attend our "Stations", where the priest and neighbours come to our house and mass is held and the house is blessed.

"The power of Christ compels you"

mikom

FatherLen wrote: »

i have never heard of this tradition.

Used to be a regular thing in the West anyway.
My ould wan had them about 6 years ago.

I read about this in a paper a while back, some very rural places take turns doing it. It does seem to be a big community gathering

podgemonster

Dean09 wrote: »

Money making racket. I bet you have to slip the priest a few bob.

But if it makes your Ma happy then do it. Plus as you said, you'll get off work and get free sambos. Win-win

You do have to pay the Priest. I'm not sure how much it is or if the figure is disclosed but there probably a rule of thumb same as wedding or christening.

There's another element to it is that for the last three months my mother has wore herself out redoing the house. She has repainted the kitchen, hung new curtains, weeded the driveway, had my father powerhose the entire house etc....

The sing song after a few beers is usually good fun.

mikom

bluewolf wrote: »

It does seem to be a big community gathering

Not at my ould wans last one.
She could have held it in a phone box.
It'll be the last one I reckon.

RobbieTheRobber

bluewolf wrote: »

I read about this in a paper a while back, some very rural places take turns doing it. It does seem to be a big community gathering

A girl from the somewhere in the country once told me about this and she said it was used by the local women folk to have a nose around someone else's house and then later make bitchy comments about what was seen.

Ah good old community spirit!

Well obviously the article I read was doing a favourable take on it

I don't know anything else about it

mikom

RobbieTheRobber wrote: »

A girl from the somewhere in the country once told me about this and she said it was used by the local women folk to have a nose around someone else's house and then later make bitchy comments about what was seen.

And thus was born "Come dine with me".

44leto

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.

Balmed Out

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.

podgemonster

Balmed Out wrote: »

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.

That is pretty much bang on what it is. Many people in my "townland" are quite elderly farming families thus the Stations is still going for now.

Balmed Out

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.

LordSutch

podgemonster wrote: »

I have to take a half day from work today on my mothers request to drive for 5 hours to West Cork and attend our "Stations", where the priest and neighbours come to our house and mass is held and the house is blessed.

It is suppose to occur every 6 years. There are some positives to it, plenty of sandwiches, cakes, cups of tea and cans of Heineken to be had afterwards. My Dad said he like getting the neighbours round.

Does anywhere else in the country still carry on with this Catholic tradition? Is it pointless or does it help develop a sense of community?

Fascinating, never heard of this before, then again I'm not a Roman Catholic.
Maybe this topic should be in the Christian forum?

44leto

I never heard of it in Dublin, but it sounds nice, a communal gathering and bonding around worship.

JupiterKid

I remember mass being said in our house a couple of times back in the 80s when I was a kid. But this was suburban Dublin and not down the country. I also remember going to a neighbour's house about a block away to hear mass. Funny thing was that the priest who said mass (who was the brother of our neighbour) was married.

Once, again back in the 1980s, a priest said mass on our boat on the Shannon!

mikom

JupiterKid wrote: »

But this was suburban Dublin and not down the country.

JupiterKid wrote: »

I also remember going to a neighbour's house about a block away to hear mass.
!

Dublin, USA ?

grindle

Never heard of it.

Can the religious stuff be avoided for extra eating/drinking time, or do you have to pretend to care for the parents' sake?

Having to take holiday hours, drive for five hours... There'd want to be a banquet of whores included for me to go.

JupiterKid

mikom wrote: »

JupiterKid wrote: »

But this was suburban Dublin and not down the country.

JupiterKid wrote: »

I also remember going to a neighbour's house about a block away to hear mass.
!

Dublin, USA ?

No, Dublin Ireland. Our estate was in the shape of a letter P with a few cul de sacs off it and anywhere on the opposite side of that "P" was referred to by everyone as "round the block."

rgmmg

JupiterKid wrote: »

I remember mass being said in our house a couple of times back in the 80s when I was a kid. But this was suburban Dublin and not down the country. I also remember going to a neighbour's house about a block away to hear mass. Funny thing was that the priest who said mass (who was the brother of our neighbour) was married.

Once, again back in the 1980s, a priest said mass on our boat on the Shannon!

No he wasn't Dougal :rolleyes:

mikemac1

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

4zn76tysfajdxp

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

Now we're in for it.

FatherLen

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*

podgemonster

grindle wrote: »

Never heard of it.

Can the religious stuff be avoided for extra eating/drinking time, or do you have to pretend to care for the parents' sake?

Having to take holiday hours, drive for five hours... There'd want to be a banquet of whores included for me to go.

In fairness this is the hourses 3rd Stations so from what I remember mass is about 20-30mins including communion followed by the tae, followed by a few drinks with the last guest leaving around 2am. Its also been seen in other stations that women and men socialise in seperate rooms though I've never seen that.

I guess i was a little cranky about it this morning as I had to drive into work at 7am to get a parking space and while it'l be 6pm or after before i reach home the lads in work will be on the 3rd or 4th pay-day pints. I am slightly looking forward to it, though i will have to put aside my atheist views and do a reading for my parents sake at least.

Immaculate Pasta

Never been to them but it seems pretty much like a house party which sounds top :cool:

Seachmall

Immaculate Pasta wrote: »

Never been to them but it seems pretty much like a house party which sounds top :cool:

Exactly my thoughts.

When are the Facebook invites going up, OP?

hondasam

It still happens where I live, all the neighbours get together, plenty of food,drink and a sing song. Everyone would bring something either drink or food or both.
The men usually go to the pub after the dinner while the women sit around and chat.
When the men get back the real party starts, usually goes on into the small hours.
Invites to wedding are based on the station area, this is dying out now with more people moving to the country and not keeping up the traditions.

ejmaztec

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

One of our neighbours has her new car blessed each year, though I don't know whether it's cheaper than joining the AA, or any more effective than relying on a plastic Padre Pio glued to the dashboard..

IM0

FatherLen wrote: »

i have never heard of this tradition.

and if FatherLen hasnt heard of it then its probably a scam!

Satts

podgemonster wrote: »

You do have to pay the Priest. I'm not sure how much it is or if the figure is disclosed but there probably a rule of thumb same as wedding or christening.

There's another element to it is that for the last three months my mother has wore herself out redoing the house. She has repainted the kitchen, hung new curtains, weeded the driveway, had my father powerhose the entire house etc....

The sing song after a few beers is usually good fun.

Each family that attends has to give the priest an envelope as well. Very good social event to attend if you are new to the area.

podgemonster

Satts wrote: »

Each family that attends has to give the priest an envelope as well. Very good social event to attend if you are new to the area.

Rights its 3am and i have been up 21 hours. Everyone turned up including non-catholic neighbors, Mass was at 8, said a reading about the apsotles, sister played guitar, there was a collection of envelopes from each household, then everyone had a mini salad & tea follow by apple tart thanks to my mom calling in a few favours from her sisters.

Then i spent the night playing bartender, one attendee had to move his car slightly and ended up knocking off a wing mirror, the whiskeys he was on didn't help. The sitting room turned into almost a story telling scenario of past visitors and locals to the parish. Overall the experience was quite pleasant. Conversations varied from hydroelectricity to fishing quotas to the Olympics.

The whole getting the neighbors together was fantastic however without the obligation to attend from the church, many would not have attended.

Just hope is 6 years time it falls on a Saturday.

Zebra3

podgemonster wrote: »

I have to take a half day from work

No, you don't.

You're an adult now (I assume).

LH Pathe

podgemonster wrote: »

I have to take a half day from work today on my mothers request to drive for 5 hours to West Cork and attend our "Stations", where the priest and neighbours come to our house and mass is held and the house is blessed.

It is suppose to occur every 6 years. There are some positives to it, plenty of sandwiches, cakes, cups of tea and cans of Heineken to be had afterwards. My Dad said he like getting the neighbours round.

Does anywhere else in the country still carry on with this Catholic tradition? Is it pointless or does it help develop a sense of community?

it's blessed because he turned up is it.. the white collar of charisma where do these guys get off. Then he cracks open a can of heineken and parks the bus; has everyone around?! "Building community spirit". Drinking the communities spirits, rather..

Do not buy into it. Once every six years because that's how long it takes the bum to work his way around the entire neighborhood

padd b1975

podgemonster wrote: »

Rights its 3am and i have been up 21 hours. Everyone turned up including non-catholic neighbors, Mass was at 8, said a reading about the apsotles, sister played guitar, there was a collection of envelopes from each household, then everyone had a mini salad & tea follow by apple tart thanks to my mom calling in a few favours from her sisters.

Then i spent the night playing bartender, one attendee had to move his car slightly and ended up knocking off a wing mirror, the whiskeys he was on didn't help. The sitting room turned into almost a story telling scenario of past visitors and locals to the parish. Overall the experience was quite pleasant. Conversations varied from hydroelectricity to fishing quotas to the Olympics.

The whole getting the neighbors together was fantastic however without the obligation to attend from the church, many would not have attended.

Just hope is 6 years time it falls on a Saturday.

Mom.
Bartender.

Anyone else read those words with an American accent?

sardonic

Just wondering whats the average people give in station dues. We used to give €60 split between spring and autumn stations. Our priest is very snippy about the amount of houses not holding them and hardly anyone attending them. Less money for him and less money spent on holding them.

pragmatic1

Yeah they still do it where I live. Sounds more pagan than Christian to me though.

Doyler92

When I saw the thread title and saw you would have to drive for 5 hours, I thought we would be discussing petrol stations.

podgemonster

sardonic wrote: »

Just wondering whats the average people give in station dues. We used to give €60 split between spring and autumn stations. Our priest is very snippy about the amount of houses not holding them and hardly anyone attending them. Less money for him and less money spent on holding them.

He got about 10-15 sealed envelopes from the attending families. I didn't ask how much was in them, guess it depends on the household really.

Pandora2

I inherited the "equipment" for the Stations from my Aunt, several pieces of silver (for the consecration) and a large cross, assorted linens for the priest to use in setting up an altar. This would have been a big tradition in my area of NW Donegal, together with wakes......now, the wakes are in a chapel of rest, very few "townlands" are populated and so its on its way out.

I always had the idea that the Stations were in lieu of services in churches when attendance at these was dangerous if such services were available at all. As a child I remember being taken every year to the local mass rock...all dressed up in my Sunday best to trudge through a mile of bog to get to a lump of rock in the middle of nowhere.....and got mass up to me knees in mud!!

I suppose these events would have become social, given that there was very little in the way of entertainment available in those times.


In our area, during the war years, there was even a good time girl ( a couple of them actually) who plied her trade behind the turf stack at such occasions!!! Suitable topic for AH after all!! ;-)

mikemac1

Pandora2 wrote: »

In our area, during the war years, there was even a good time girl ( a couple of them actually) who plied her trade behind the turf stack at such occasions!!! Suitable topic for AH after all!! ;-)

Lies :mad:

Such things never happened in Dev's Ireland

Pandora2

mikemac1 wrote: »

Lies :mad:

Such things never happened in Dev's Ireland

Oh but they did, and with a frequency and a vigour that would terrify you......No Coppers in those days but I imagine the baser insticts were still indulged even in the Wild West!!

hondasam

podgemonster wrote: »

He got about 10-15 sealed envelopes from the attending families. I didn't ask how much was in them, guess it depends on the household really.

I have never heard of other families giving an envelope, thought it was just the family who were having the stations.
Did you enjoy it after all ?

podgemonster

hondasam wrote: »

I have never heard of other families giving an envelope, thought it was just the family who were having the stations.
Did you enjoy it after all ?

I did enjoy it just for the mixing with the neighbours and the food was decent. There were plenty of laugh and stories passed around later on. A few debates on the state of the country etc...

Someone said previously in the thread that I didn't have to go that I was an adult, that is true but it was my parents request that I be there and they have always been there for me so i made the effort and came home and I'm glad i did.

Have to drive back up now today though.

hondasam

podgemonster wrote: »

I did enjoy it just for the mixing with the neighbours and the food was decent. There were plenty of laugh and stories passed around later on. A few debates on the state of the country etc...

Someone said previously in the thread that I didn't have to go that I was an adult, that is true but it was my parents request that I be there and they have always been there for me so i made the effort and came home and I'm glad i did.

Have to drive back up now today though.

I'm glad you went it's something to look back on have a laugh about in years to come.These neighbours will always be there when things go wrong, it's the great thing about country living imo.
I think we forget when we leave home it's out neighbours who look out for our parents while we are of working,travelling or what ever, it's good to catch up with them sometimes and the stations is in a way a thank you for the neighbours as well.