Mass Held in Italian Slots Arcade - 04-28-08

April 28 - As attendance at religious services falls across the board and around the globe, more and more pastors, rabbis and other leaders are scratching their heads to come up with innovative ways to bring their flock back home. The lack of interest in religion, especially among the world's younger generation, has left many wondering just how to reach them.

A priest from the Italian area of Trasacco wins hands down for his ingenuity. To borrow a statement from another religion, the priest felt that if Mohammed would not come to the mountain, the mountain would simply need to go to Mohammed.

Don Duilio Testa decided to pinpoint exactly where local youths spend their days and discovered that they were having fun at one of their favorite haunts - a popular Italian slots arcade.

Without hesitating Testa made his way to the slots arcade and decided to have a mass service there and then.

"The idea came to me as the youth are estranged from the church," he explained. "The young people choose another way of life, other place for meetings and communication. This can be discos or gambling halls where they are without their parents and feel themselves comfortable."

The local youth had no problem with the fact that a priest had made his way into an Italian slots arcade. On the contrary, it seems! As players saw the priest approach and set up 'shop', many youngsters actually took time out from their slots fun to help him prepare for mass, with some of them offering to do the readings.

A visibly moved Testa said after the service, "The Holy Mass was held in unusual silence and was heard with great attention." The priest does not rule out holding similar services in Italian slots arcades in the future.