'Judas left early too'

Father Michael Cooney, pastor of St. Peter Church in the Detroit suburb of Mount Clemens, has engaged in “a bit of Irish diplomacy,” as he calls it, to send a message to parishioners about a source of frustration for him and many other priests: people who leave Mass early and don’t stay for the dismissal. He has posted a sign at each of the church’s exits reading, “Judas left early too.”

The effort has had a positive effect, he tells The Michigan Catholic, newspaper of the Detroit Archdiocese. The reason, he feels, is that he introduced the signs with humor, rather than scolding the congregation.