Announcements: before Mass or after Communion?

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Seems like some priests just make an announcement when they think of it.
 
When the announcements are given at mass, many [most?] assume the rest is unimportant; so don’t read the bulletin.
 
We have brief announcements between the closing prayer and the final blessing.
 
Vocal announcements can be helpful. Many people don’t read the bulletin. Not because they’re not interest in parish activities but because sorting through the bulletin with all its ads, weekly collection reports, daily Mass intentions, lector credits, and “fun facts” can be a chore.

There really is no ideal place for announcements during Mass. And yet it’s much less effective outside of Mass. So I guess right before the final blessing is the best.
 
johnmann said:
Vocal announcements can be helpful. Many people don’t read the bulletin. Not because they’re not interest in parish activities but because sorting through the bulletin with all its ads, weekly collection reports, daily Mass intentions, lector credits, and “fun facts” can be a chore.

There really is no ideal place for announcements during Mass. And yet it’s much less effective outside of Mass. So I guess right before the final blessing is the best.
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I think that is all a matter of opinion. Our previous pastor insisted that announcements (and they were given before the final blessing) were to be kept short usually one or two, seldom over three. Our present pastor loves to have the bulletin filled with fliers and the announcements are long, too long in my opinion. For that reason, I’m glad that he has decided to read them before Mass begins while we are still seated. I tend to agree with those who think that more people will not read the bulletin if so many things are announced at Mass. The bulletin is just a reference to keep on hand for reminders of dates and times. But maybe there are those who would not read the bulletin anyway and hearing things announced may get their interest. And our present pastor seems to be more interested in going after the lost sheep. I don’t think either practice is wrong. I think we should adapt to each new pastor’s way of doing things and not look at every change as being wrong.
 
I don’t mind announcements just before the final blessing as long as they’re kept short and not an entire recreation of what’s in the bulletin.
 
What annoys me is extremely long, drawn out announcements that take considerably longer than the distribution of Holy Communion. Church law is very clear that EMHC can only be employed when the distribution of communion will be “unnecessarily” prolonged due to a large crowd. In several parishes I’ve been to, it seems EMHCs are used to keep holy communion very quick so as to allow abundant time for announcements. I’m literally talking 15-20 minutes in some cases. The announcements include birthday wishes, anniversary announcements, and sometimes spontaneous sharing. This may be partly cultural as I have only experienced this in certain Latin American parishes. I spend a lot of time abroad.
It is very disruptive, as I am attempting to meditate on the great gift of receiving my Lord in holy communion, to listen to a long, loud, chorus of the equivalent of “happy birthday” with loud clapping and cheering…and not every once in a while but on a regular basis.
 
I’ve been to parishes that have minutes of announcements after communion (the longest recitation I’ve been to had 20 minutes of announcements, each of which was in the bulletin), and parishes that have none. I prefer “none.” I think announcements derail the flow of the service.

Congratulating a priest on his single announcement (Mass schedule for Holy Day of Obligation, which had not made it into the bulletin), he said the Pastor was aware of and concerned about the number and length of announcements. He said, in their parish, the key to short announcements was removing that responsibility from the lectors, and returning it to the clergy.
 
johnmann said:
Vocal announcements can be helpful. Many people don’t read the bulletin. Not because they’re not interest in parish activities but because sorting through the bulletin with all its ads, weekly collection reports, daily Mass intentions, lector credits, and “fun facts” can be a chore.

There really is no ideal place for announcements during Mass. And yet it’s much less effective outside of Mass. So I guess right before the final blessing is the best.
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Moreover the bulletin at our parish is printed quite some time in advance, so it’s not possible to cover everything.

I honestly don’t understand these types of questions. It’s allowed in the rubrics, I believe. Rome has spoken… I have better fights to pick.
 
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