An Italian news source has reported that a parish priest recently placed a TV set on the altar during Mass and smashed it with a hammer. The priest said the demonstration was supposed to remind parishioners not become slaves to technology: “The technologies serve us and are useful, but should be used with a critical spirit.” Here’s the original story in Italian, and here’s a translation from the blog Catholic Conclave:
The parish priest of the village of Villa San Carlo, Valgreghentino (Lecco), Don Enrico Spreafico, during Mass on Sunday put his television on the altar and destroyed it using a mason’s hammer. The striking gesture was explained by the desire to make parishioners understand they should never, for any reason, become slaves to technology and in this case television. The initiative took place in the period of Lent, for the faithful to reflect on an issue in the judgment of the priest ever more pressing.
SHOCKING MESSAGE – “It is not the first time I have tried to shock my own parishioners to communicate to them the most important messages – said Don Enrico – so please be understanding.” The pastor had asked for the TV to br placed on the altar, he covered with a plastic film to prevent anyone from being hurt by the splinters. Then, with a mason’s hammer, Don Enrico smashed the device and after the sermon following the ritual. “I just wanted to make it clear that we should not be slaves of technology, we must not take for good everything that we are shown – says the priest -. The technologies serve and are useful, but should be used with a critical spirit. “
In 1984 we had moved to a rural community with one teen son and one infant daughter. TV reception was marginal. One evening at supper time I called the teen to dinner, and he would not leave the TV. I unplugged the set and cut the cord. I took it to town the next day and sold it. Now we have a TV set that if fine for DVD and tape but has no other input. The rest of our children were not deprived but actually enriched by the lack of TV.
Hey Fr Bill. We also do not have a TV by choice. We have laptops for work, which we also use to watch movies sometimes. Not having a TV seems to have had a very positive impact on our family life, dynamics, etc. It even changes the layout of our house, since many homes have a room that is built around a TV, and we do not.