There is a line through the carnival mass in Grave. The church board and carnival association Pothuusburg have been squabbling for weeks about the costs of the playful mass. Due to the constant bickering, the preparation time has become shorter and shorter. That is why the organization has pulled the plug for the upcoming carnival.
The carnivalesque mass on Sunday in the fortified town is a tradition. The event is very popular and attracts many carnival people. The celebration in the Sint-Elisabeth Church is not just a Sunday service. The parish priest and the Prince of the town address the inhabitants in a manner that is more like talking tones than officiating at a mass.
“The church compares the carnival mass with a funeral or marriage, but that is not fair.”
Carnival mass has been held without any problems for over thirty years, until this year. The special mass is always in the joint hands of the carnival club and the church board. The money that is raised with the collection is then for the church. “Now the church board suddenly wants us to pay 350 euros as a carnival association. Because of the decline in churchgoers and the rising energy costs,” says chairman Menno ter Horst of carnival association Pothuusburg.
He thinks that the account should not lie with the carnival association. “The church compares the carnival mass with a funeral or marriage, but that is not fair.”
Pastor Herman Schaepman of the Elisabeth parish says that he has no choice but to charge the 350 euros: “We already communicated to everyone last year that we will charge an amount for special celebrations such as weddings and funerals. The carnival mass also falls there. under. We would rather not. But otherwise we can no longer afford our costs.”
“We have to bear the burden together to keep this going.”
“There are fewer and fewer churchgoers. The heating costs are getting higher,” the pastor continues. “The building must be maintained. That all plays a role.”
“But we also want to send a message to the community,” says Schaepman. “A lot of people like the Sint-Elisabeth church. But the collections are decreasing, there are fewer subsidies. So we have to bear the burden together to maintain this.”
The board of the carnival association and the church are still talking to each other, but for this year there can be a line through the special mass, the chairman of Pothuusburg foresees. Ter Horst: “We are still trying to figure it out. A carnival mass is part of carnival. We don’t want this tradition to be lost in Grave.”
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