Applause after recessional hymn

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At an ordination what are you to do if the Bishop starts the applause?
 
JimG said:
Instead of applauding after Mass, maybe it would be more appropriate to shout a hearty “Amen!” at key moments during the homily.
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I do this, but not “hearty.” It’s just a softly-spoken “Amen,” but people in front of me and right next to me can hear it.

No apologies. If the priest says something of note, I believe in acknowledging it.
 
Sequence of events:
“The Mass has ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord!”
“Thanks be to God!”
Recessional Hymn begins
Crucifix revered by Mass participants, as celebrant walks behind
Recessional Hymn Ends
Applause breaks out briefly, (key word, briefly)

At this point, in the sanctuary, idle chit-chat is more of a disturbance for those of us who want a few moments for personal prayer.

As I have always said, one has to pick the hills they think are worth dying on. This probably is not worth it…and if this is the worst thing encountered at the Mass you attended, I’d say it was a pretty good Mass…another favorite and worn expression of mine, is “Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?”

Be at peace and Rejoice!
 
I usually refrain from it. People can be clapping, I just stay focused on the tabernacle in those cases. Our attention during liturgy is supposed to be on the Lord alone.
 
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snarflemike said:
“Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment.”
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Ita missa est. The Mass is over. The recessional hymn is not part of any prescribed liturgy. The last chant in the propers of the Graduale Romanum, is the communion hymn.
 
Socrates92 said:
If I had ever were part of a youth choir, I think the clapping alone would have been enough to make me quit. It’s patronizing at best, even if the parish doesn’t care about reverence.
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Have you ever been part of a choir, or provided any music for Mass?

No matter how much we claim to be presenting music “for God’s Glory alone,” it is discouraging when week after week, no one says, “I liked your music. It touched my heart. THANK YOU!”

Although you might think that it’s self-centered and even wrong for musicians to want some kind of show of appreciation, think about it–the pastor stands in a receiving line and hundreds of members of the congregation stop to shake his hand and tell him thank you. Do the Mass musicians do that? No, they are busy picking up their music, perhaps expressing relief that they made it through the choir anthem, or beating themselves up over a missed passage. And there’s a good possibility that the keyboardists are taking a brief break because they still have three more Masses to accompany, or even heading out the door to drive across town to one of the two or three (or more) churches that they will provide music for that Sunday (church organists and pianists are hard to find these days).

Even though we play and sing with apparent lack of nerves, don’t believe it! I have played piano in church for more than 50 years, and I STILL get nervous before I play.

And as I play, I second-guess my own playing, wondering if I’m offending someone.

And when I accompany a cantor or choir or even the congregation, I am on HIGH ALERT, all body systems fully charged, because it can all go wrong so quickly and often the singers look to the accompanist to repair the damage and get the piece back on track again!

Yes, I love playing, but it’s very stressful, and there are times when I consider chucking it all and just sitting out in the congregation like all the sane people. I especially think about it when threads like this, or the “pianos are banned in Mass” threads are posted.

Or I think about not playing for Mass anymore, and accepting more of the offers to play in Protestant churches on Sunday mornings because most of them love any kind of music played by any level of accompanist.

So for me, applause is a big collective “thank you.” It is not a response to entertainment, it’s a convenient way for a group to all say “Thank you., we liked that music.” It’s a way the congregation tells me, “Please continue making music for us and for the Lord.”

Yes, they could all line up and personally thank Mass musicians, but honestly, do you think that’s ever going to happen, or even should happen, after Mass?
 
It has happened in our parish a few times over the years.

I. Do. Not. Like. It.
 
The liturgy was over, so this does not apply.

And, in the US, applause is used often used after the Baptism rite, after the Nuptial rite, and during Ordination when some affirmation of the people is desired.
 
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Peeps said:
Or I think about not playing for Mass anymore, and accepting more of the offers to play in Protestant churches on Sunday mornings because most of them love any kind of music played by any level of accompanist.
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One comment about this, that I add with fear and trembling–most Protestant churches also PAY their musicians, or at least pay the ones that are not members of their congregation. And many Protestant congregations have some kind of fellowship after their worship service, a fellowship that provides FOOD, and often the people in charge of the fellowship urge the musicians to “take some of this food HOME with you!”

😋

In fairness, I am paid when I play for Masses at Catholic parishes that are not my own parish.

I am willing to play for Masses for no pay, and I do so at my own parish as an act of service to the Lord and His people. I am hesitant to play for other churches for no pay because there are full-time musicians who depend on these church gigs for their income, and if I give the church the idea that church music should be free, then these musicians can’t earn a living. That’s not right.
 
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People are not praying; people pray after the organist plays the piece.
It’s just our community’s way of recognizing the hardworking volunteer organists.
 
Growing up Catholic I never saw applause before, during or after Mass but over the last 20 years I have definitely seen it happening. My personal opinion is this is happening because our culture has developed into an entertainment world. I, also believe it to be because we are trying to keep up with the protestant churches, who have almost all become about entertainment, (with a few exceptions).

I do not participate, even if everyone else is clapping for the birthdays and anniversaries announced at Mass, or the announcement that Krispy Kreme donuts will be sold after Mass or whatever announcement is being made. One parish I visited applauded after every Sunday Mass as they were walking out.

As far as the choir, I truly appreciate the work they put in. I know it must be difficult. Even if I was a great singer I would be extremely nervous to be up there in front of everyone. I do like to think that they are leading us in praise rather than entertaining us, which is why I do not applaud them.

Last thought, I think that we have forgotten where we are and what is happening at the Mass. This is why I believe it wrong to applaud and turn the Mass into entertainment.
 
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Like I said that is fine.
I don’t take part in it. I will not acknowledge human achievement during the Liturgy which is Christ centered.
 
pulchraesamicamea said:
It’s just our community’s way of recognizing the hardworking volunteer organists.
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Thank you for this comment.

If an organist is a volunteer–then he/she receives no pay. And people on this thread are also saying that the organist should receive no thanks, either?

Many organists are playing up in a balcony somewhere, and it’s not likely that most of the congregation will traipse up the balcony staircase into the organ loft to offer a personal thank you.

Our parish organ is in the front of the nave, and again, most people do not feel comfortable walking against the stream of Mass attendees to go to the front and thank the organist in person.

Some people actually go home and write/mail thank you notes to an organist. I like this idea, but how many parishioners will actually follow through on this? For that matter, how many of them even know the name and address of their organist on any given day, especially if the organist is up in the organ loft?

So no pay and no thanks. It seems to me that the sanity of organists should be held in question. 🤔
 
Peeps said:
And when I accompany a cantor or choir or even the congregation, I am on HIGH ALERT, all body systems fully charged, because it can all go wrong so quickly and often the singers look to the accompanist to repair the damage and get the piece back on track again!
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Thank you so much!!! Being an accompaniest is hard work. You always have to be ready to adjust for people getting off track.
In regards to salary, A family member who accompanies has offered this as part of a tithe, rather than ask for pay.
A local Lutheran church is currently looking for an accompaniest and offering $25 per service. A non-Catholic friend of mine played for years at her church, all donated as her gift to God and community.
It is tough to make a living as a church musician.
May God bless you and your good work.
Amen.
 
Yes I have. Thankfully no one applauded. That would have been annoying and embarassing.
 
Does anyone actually depend on such “gigs” as a substantial portion of their full-time income? I was alsays under the impression that Church services would be purely supplemental. How many hours of playing in services can one realistically do per week? 5 or 10 max?
 
Yet another reason I love SSPX. After recessional, the entire congregation kneels in silence for 10 minutes. Nobody is talking. Nobody is moving to exits. Just total silence.
 
Aquinas11 said:
After recessional, the entire congregation kneels in silence for 10 minutes. Nobody is talking. Nobody is moving to exits. Just total silence.
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That is how it should be. I even heard a couple of priests on EWTN mention how they felt that there was no time after Mass for anyone to pray quietly and give thanks to God anymore for what they have just received. They mentioned that they felt that was definitely a disservice.

It used to be that inside the Church was quiet and considered a “house of prayer” as Jesus said it should be but when people start applauding that gets lost. And then we wonder why so many Catholics no longer believe in the True Presence.
 
Aquinas11 said:
Yet another reason I love SSPX. After recessional, the entire congregation kneels in silence for 10 minutes. Nobody is talking. Nobody is moving to exits. Just total silence.
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That is the way it was done in my previous parish with the Ordinary Form. After the final recessional hymn, everyone in the congregation knelt in silence until the altar servers returned and extinguished the candles. After that, everyone left in silence while some stayed to pray.
 
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