To think this woman had some cheek?

[SantanaLopez]

Took DH's granny to mass this morning and this woman was waiting at the back at the end.

She wanted the priest to give her a reference and he said no, he didn't recognise her and as such, he couldn't give her one.

She offered to come to church every week for a month and would he change his mind?

My flabber was gasted!

Don't see anything wrong with it myself. Don't a lot of churches require you attend for a few week if you want to have a dc christened or get married? Isn't this kind of similar only she'd be getting a reference after the couple of weeks instead?

*weeks

Ridiculous that half the parishioners probably don't even believe in God but go every week just to get that school reference, too.

Such is life .

She wanted a reference to teach in a school, actually! We don't need to do school entry references up here.

Agree it seems bizarre but maybe she was desperate for a character reference to get some work but was trapped in the cycle of 'can't get work without experience but can't get experience without a work reference' and looking for a creative solution. So I can kind of understand why she would reach out to a community figure - shows quite good initiative, although admittedly not much sense in approaching this particular figure if she didn't actually know them (yet?).

YANBU.

Of course it's cheeky to ask someone for a reference when they don't even know you.

Agree with Hipotle.

To be fair though at least she has been honest and up front with the priest, instead of going for a few weeks, asking for and getting a reference then never being seen again.

Maybe she was desperate for a character reference to get some work but was trapped in the cycle of 'can't get work without experience but can't get experience without a work reference' and looking for a creative solution

I suppose so, but you wouldn't ask your priest for a reference on your faith if you didn't even bother going to church!

To be fair though at least she has been honest and up front with the priest, instead of going for a few weeks, asking for and getting a reference then never being seen again.

That's true.

I see what you mean Santana if she was asking for a faith reference! Clearly she couldn't / shouldn't get one of those based on four weeks! I assumed she was looking for a more general character reference, which a priest could in theory give in these circumstances, even if it was a very simple objective one....

You don't ask someone you don't know and doesn't know you to give you a reference ffs.
Yanbu

It is something to do with Catholic schools in Scotland. All teachers in them have to be approved by the church.

All teachers who seek approval must provide a reference from a suitable person who can testify to the teacher’s personal “religious belief and character”. The reference for a Catholic teacher must be provided by the teacher’s parish priest who should be able to testify to the teacher’s personal “religious belief and character”.

www.sces.uk.com/approval.html

Some catholic schools demand a third reference from your priest. Hard if you are not catholic

Sure, he'd give a really meaningful reference after seeing her face in his church once a week for a whole month!

Actually, it does make sense: in Scotland you need a reference to teach in RC schools - preferably from your parish priest. Non RC candidates have to find someone who is prepared to attest to their "good character" - again preferably someone who holds a formal religious position within their own faith. The local Diocese must approve the person before they can take up a permanent position - and can (and do) refuse this at times.

Sure, he'd give a really meaningful reference after seeing her face in his church once a week for a whole month

I know!

Yabu for ear wigging