Incense, Catholic Mass, and Fainting

[Christine]

We are a non-Catholic family but our children attend the local Catholic school. Once a week, they are required to attend mass. Whenever there is a special mass, as there was today, they fling the incense thing around. EVERYTIME they do this, I hear that one or two children have fainted in the chapel. This is my son's first year at the school and his first exposure to the fainting. He is very freaked out about it and keeps asking me about fainting and will it happen to him next time and so on...He though this one girl had died in her seat.

So, is this fainting normal? Why does it happen?

 

[helenabear]

Honestly I cannot recall the last time I saw anyone pass out at church, and trust me when they did it was because they had a heart attack and nothing else. I cannot think of why this would be a normal thing, unless some other health factors cause certain individuals to faint.

I personally do not like the incense... awful on my sinuses (due to allergies). Anytime I am around it, I have to take a Benadryl. So nope, this is not something I would say is normal at all. I might call the school and find out if it is a big concern for y'all. I can imagine how frightful it would be to see someone faint that often though.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

The only thing I remember about Mass with my Grandma was the stinky incense. PU!

I have never heard of fainting because of incense. Maybe ask the school about it?

 

[Cebhfhionn]

I LOVE incense and was raised Catholic. I used to pass out in church occassionally because it was too crowded. I can't explain it, it doesn't happen any more and only happened then. Maybe its the whole church thing.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I went to a Catholic elementary school, and we went to Mass the first Friday of every month, and then on special occasions. It seems to me that there was frequently someone fainting in church. I can still remember the clanking of the rosary beads as an angry nun went and hauled the kid outside. (Or so it seemed to me.) And I believe that the incense made it worse...I think if I were in a church now with incense, I'd have to leave. The very thought of it makes me cringe.

 

[RadioNate]

Insence makes me faint. I don't know why. It's the smell, then my sinus start to kill and then I get all light headed and out I go.

I stopped attending the church closest to me in Memphis because they used insence at every mass.

 

[septbride2002]

I can't recall anyone fainting but I can remember become extremely light headed due to it being hard to breathe because of the incense. I hate incense - even the kind people light in their house that is suppose to smell like Vanillia or something. It all stinks!

~Amanda

 

[Christine]

Hmmmm....according to my kids, it is only the children that are fainting. My DD has been in the school for 3 years and she would often tell me of someone fainting. It was never a big deal to her--she's kind of laid back. Not my son though, he worries to death about this stuff. My DD told him tonight that this was a "normal occurrence" so my guess is that they must use a lot of the stuff.

 

[Parkhopper]

I was raised Catholic and remember fainting MANY times in Chuch during long services. Usually the services involved either incense (I used to call it smells and bells - LOL) or candles. It seemed that every Easter, we would have a mass with everyone holding a lighted candle. I almost *always* passed out due to the heat.

Suzi

PS Hunger from fasting didn't help the situation!

 

[Christine]

So, I guess everyone thinks this is acceptable? And I mean "everyone" in the general sense. Not just this thread.

 

[helenabear]

Honestly I don't.... that might be just me, but I swear it was not the norm for me... and I did go to Catholic school and had Mass weekly. I did only go 3.5 years, but I really cannot remember that happening. But if your DD says it is normal and others have lived through it, then I guess it could be. Maybe our church was big enough/ventilated enough for it to be a non-issue.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

HA! I had to attend Mass everyday & on Sunday. I also sang at the funerals.

Lots 'O incense.

Never heard of anyone fainting from it though.

 

[poohbear1029]

People can faint from standing too long with their knees locked straight....it reduces blood flow or something and causes fainting. This may be causing the kids to faint. You may have seen clips on TV of band members, military, etc standing at attention and then fainting. It may have nothing too do with the incense, although the odor may not help!

Been a Catholic for 33 years, never seen anyone faint...except maybe a nervous bride or groom. Mom was a teacher at a Catholic school for a while and she never mentioned fainters at mass.

 

[Jasminesmommy]

All I can think about are those phony church shows were the guy touches people and they all fall down in convulsions. I would voice my concern. If this happens alot i would ask why.

 

[CamColt]

Yikes! That is so strange. The poor kids!
I went to Catholic school and attended the first Friday mass each month and we went on special occassions too. I remember the incense, but not anyone passing out. Ive also been to 2 funerals in the past 5 months where they have used incense. No one, including kids, have passed out.

 

[goofy4tink]

Not a Catholic but an Episcopalian here. My younger brother used to pass out as an acolyte during the service. The air didn't circulate too great around the altar and he usually hadn't eaten anything for breakfast. Low blood sugar. But, that's probably not the same thing as what's happening here.

Most churches now use 'choke-less' incense. It isn't supposed to clog you up or make you sneeze or any thing else. BUT, it still bothers me!! Every EAster our processional goes like this....crucifer with the cross, acolytes with the torches/candles, then the thurifer, carrying and swinging the 'dreaded' thurible with the incense in it burning away. THen comes the poor choir, sopranos first, right behind the smoke. Try singing, with the smoke pouring out in front of you, the heated air of a full church and then add in the smell of all those lilies!!! I'm always right behind the incense and I do get all 'choked' up, don't care what the box says. And as the Altar Guild Directress, I know what the box says. But, as far as the kids passing out, I wouldn't think it would be from the incense unless they are using a huge amount of it and the kids are in the direct path...it does rise pretty quickly. I would think that the kids are either tired, or hungry or their circulation is just messed up from kneeling/standing...or a combination of them.

I would speak to the 'powers that be'. YOu don't want a whole group of kids traumatized and worrying about passing out in school.

 

[Regina]

It happened to me. I was in second grade, we were kneeling, and I was wondering why everything was spinning. Next thing I know, I was being carried out of the church.

For years I had a problem with the kneeling, and when you add the incense, it doesn't help. I fainted at my sister's wedding. Now she's the one who wishes she was carried out instead of me, LOL.

Parkhopper mentioned something that I had forgotten. Back then, you couldn't eat that morning until after you received communion. It probably contributed to my fainting spells.

 

[ChiTownZee]

I attended 8 years of Catholic school, so that was 8 years of mass twice a week, and I don't remember anyone passing out even once, incense or not, kids or adults. Now I have passed out at church, I think I was like 13 or14, at my brothers baptism, but it wasn't a Catholic church and there wasn't incense. My parents made me go to the Dr. and after my blood was fine, he said it can be common, particularly in women, to pass out because of the standing, and kneeling, (the kneeling especially) because the little flaps on your veins lock down or something and it reduces the oxygen. He recommended rising on the balls of my feet occasionaly to get things flowing. Never happened again.

 

[geetey]

Fainter here.
We attended Mass every day and on Sundays, and I was a frequent fainter growing up. I would start to get too hot and down I would go.

My children attend Catholic School as well, and don't have the problems with fainting at their school. That being said, we recently moved from TN where all of the school and church was air conditioned and their new school here keeps the church VERY cool.

It could be that the children are being packed in to a specific number of pews per class (very common) and your church isn't air conditioned. That could cause a child to faint, in my opinion. I know as a substitute teacher, I was instructed to place 3-4 children per kneeler, and that's a tight fit in some grades! The children should be eating breakfast on Mass days because there will still be an hour before they receive communion.

I would ask the teacher or principal as well. It may seem like it is happening a lot to the children when it may not be the case. It could be that someone is feeling *like* they are going to faint. Just a thought!

 

[NotUrsula]

I've been a practicing RC for 40 yrs., and spent 12 of that in parochial school. We had daily mass.

The ONLY person I ever saw really pass out during Mass was a Baptist bridesmaid. She had been dieting to get into her dress, and the length of the nuptial mass and the lights on the altar just got to her. The fun part was that she did it during the ring exchange, and the groom was the first to notice she was keeling backward. As they were at the top of a flight of marble stairs, he dove to catch her--right OVER the bride. He caught the bridesmaid, but knocked over the bride, who was in turn caught by the best man. It was pure farce, but there were luckily no skull fractures.

If this is supposedly common at your kids' school, either the A/C in the church is inadequate, or the kids might be faking it to get out of Mass. The latter would not surprise me. DS' school has student mass every Monday at 8 am; they don't wait for the heat of the day.