*Today, I'll continue. Jackie was telling a story about a Monsignor & an Altar. Well, I'll add to it with my little contribution. A long time ago, there was a Station (where Mass would be said in various houses in their turn, about every 3 months or so, with all the neighbours gathering around, and contributions would be made after Mass to the Priest). Well, anyhow, when the Station came for this particular place, the woman of the house set out the table beautifully for the saying of the Mass on it. But, it so happened that the Parish Priest and the Curate weren't getting on at all previously. In fact, at another Station in another townland, the man of the house had to come between them to seperate them from a more robust difference of opinion. Now, back to the first place. When the Mass was about to be said, the Parish Priest and the Curate started pulling the table from one another, because each of them wanted to say the Mass first !!! There was a Mission in the nearby Church one time, and, as was always the case, a Missioner from outside came to preach to the people. Often times it was a sermon about the evils of the Devil. Well, this Missioner was a very robust man in his exhortations. He was up on the Altar shouting about the devil and the destruction brought about for anybody following in his paths by doing bad things which he shouldn't be doing. He worked up the crowd so much that one man jumped out in aisle and was prepared to flake the daylights out of the devil. When the Mission for that night was over, some people remained outside the Church talking about the affairs of the night and about the Missioner himself. One old man standing outside, near the fence, smoking a pipe, said to his neighbour. "Yerra, I don't know why do the Missioner be above on the Altar shouting and roaring about the devil. Isn't the devil the best friend he have. Sure, only for the devil, wouldn't the Missioner be out of a job !!! * ----- Riobard.