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In January, many Polish families open their homes to the clergy who come to visit. During the carol, parishioners and priests have the opportunity to get to know each other and talk about issues important to them. For years, the elements of pastoral visits have remained unchanged. On the table covered with a white tablecloth, the inhabitants of the house must put holy water and sprinkler, and put a cross. First, the priest consecrates the flat and recites the prayer of blessing the house, then he moves on to everyday matters and talks with the household members, and finally he can accept the donation. One of our readers confessed in a letter to the editor that in her parish for years the parish priest has required two envelopes from tenants.
The priest asked for two envelopes during the Christmas carol
At the beginning of the letter, Mrs. Ewa emphasized that Christmas carols are a custom that from an early age aroused mixed feelings in her.
Caroling is a custom that has never been associated with me in a positive way. When I was a child, the priest would take me on his lap and meticulously go through the religion notebook. To this day, I don’t understand why a stranger puts someone else’s children on his lap
– we read in the letter. However, the greatest surprise in her was the notebook with the table that the priest took out during his visit.
The biggest surprise for me, however, was a large notebook with a table. And in it, the division into fees for the Church and donations to the priest. I remember that the parish priest opened both envelopes and entered specific amounts next to the names in the table. Interestingly, such a ‘tradition’ still exists in my town. Just after Christmas, when the priest spoke about the carol in the announcements after the mass, he clearly indicated that two envelopes should be prepared
– we read. Finally, a resident of Pomorskie emphasized that although donations are not compulsory, the Church is still a significant institution in small towns in Poland and many people will feel that it is not appropriate to accept a priest empty-handed.
Many people will surely be stupid not to hand over the envelope and thus not be on the “table of glory”
she added.
Source: Gazeta
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
