UNITED STATES
Waiting for Godot to Leave

Kevin O’Brien

It was one of the worst Masses I’ve ever attended. It was almost sacrilegious.

To begin with, the tabernacle was off to the side, and in front of it were the backs of several chairs; for the focus on this church is not Jesus, but the priest. The priest, who looked resplendent in his green gown, was clearly on stage, clearly performing. He would joke with the deacon and the altar boys. While preparing for the Eucharist, for example (during the “hymn for preparation”), he was ribbing an altar boy, who was carrying a paten, making the kid smile broadly and laugh, and making me sick to my stomach.

When I got there, before the Mass began, I knelt on the floor to pray (for the pews had no kneelers). The church was packed with middle-aged to elderly people who…