Applause after recessional hymn

[pnewton]

“Sacred” means “set aside,” not “silent.” At my parish, we even run vacuums. I would think that offering thanks and encouragement, along with any other fruit of the Holy Spirit, would be appropriate there. Obviously respect for those there praying would be equally critical.

 

[Brendan]

well… technically speaking, the recissional (like the processional) are part of the liturgy, but not part of the mass.

No they are not part of the Liturgy. The Mass is a union of two distinct Liturgies, the Liturgy of the Word, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Eucharist ends with the “Ite Missae est”. There is no third Liturgy for the recessional to be a part of.

 

[Gorgias]

Usually it is not “discouraged” because

1. it’s after the Mass has ended;

Sometimes, it happens at the end of the priest’s homily. (Bleh. We might as well just get up and do ‘the wave’ all around the church. )

 

[CatholicELATeacher]

“Sacred:”

1. exclusively devoted to a deity or to some religious ceremony or use; holy; consecrated

2. worthy of or regarded with reverence, awe, or respect

3. protected by superstition or piety from irreligious actions

4. connected with or intended for religious use: sacred music.

5. dedicated to; in honour of

from the Collins English Dictionary

Nothing about simply meaning “set apart,” That could describe a Starbucks—“set apart” for bad coffee,

 

[MagdalenaRita]

But I think that even if they act embarrassed or uncomfortable, they appreciate a “thank-you.”

I think a thank you to the choir from members of the parish is good. I do not think they should be applauded after Mass though. It rarely happens at our parish but I have seen it happen. There have been times it has extended to “let’s applaud the altar servers”, and once “give yourself an applaus for saying the rosary today”. It can just go a little too far.

A thank you is appropriate.

“Sacred” means “set aside,” not “silent.” At my parish, we even run vacuums.

I’m sure you don’t run vacuums right after Mass while people are still praying. We have vacuums also but they are used during the week when no one is around.

 

[pnewton]

Definition of SACRED

dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; devoted exclusively to one service or use (as of a person or purpose); worthy of religious veneration : holy… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

Sacred - Etymology, Origin & Meaning

"hallowed, consecrated, or made holy by association with divinity or divine things or by… See origin and meaning of sacred.

www.etymonline.com

I’m sure you don’t run vacuums right after Mass while people are still praying. We have vacuums also but they are used during the week when no one is around.

No, but they do run during that 24/7 part that is the rest of the week.

 

[CatholicELATeacher]

Thank you for putting “set apart” in its complete context.
Yes, the nave is set apart-for prayer and worship. It is not also set apart for profane chatter.

 

[pnewton]

Oh yes, I would find that offensive as well. I was referring to words of kindness and thanks though, fellowship and love.

 

[CelticWarlord]

Does anyone else notice the same thing?

I haven’t seen any of this at any of the parishes I’ve been to. But in my old denomination there was sometimes applause at, what I felt, were most inappropriate times. It adds nothing to the church experience as far as I can see. At the same time I can see where something within the liturgy may be felt as so out of the ordinary in a positive way that some may spontaneously applaud. But I’d sooner see someone spontaneously burst into song at the grocery store. lol

 

[snarflemike]

According to the GIRM, the Mass consists of the following elements:

III - The Individual Parts of the Mass (46 - 90)
A) The Introductory Rites (46 - 54)
- The Entrance

*- Greeting of the Altar and of the People *

• Gathered Together*

- Act of Penitence

- The Kyrie eleison

*- The Gloria *

- The Collect
B) The Liturgy of the Word (55 - 71)
- Silence

- The Biblical Readings

- The Responsorial Psalm

- The Acclamation Before the Gospel

- The Homily

- The Profession of Faith

- The Prayer of Faithful
C) The Liturgy of the Eucharist (72 - 89)
- The Preparation of the Gifts

- The Prayer Over the Offerings

- The Eucharistic Prayer

- The Communion Rite

- The Lord’s Prayer

- The Rite of Peace

- The Fraction

- Communion
D) The Concluding Rites (90)

The last part of the Concluding Rites is

The kissing of the altar by the priest and the deacon, followed by a profound bow to the altar by the priest, the deacon, and the other ministers.

So, does anybody that that applause at the moment the profound bow is completed would be appropriate? Would it feel appropriate? The Mass is, after all, ended.

 

[phil19034]

phil19034:

well… technically speaking, the recissional (like the processional) are part of the liturgy, but not part of the mass.

No they are not part of the Liturgy. The Mass is a union of two distinct Liturgies, the Liturgy of the Word, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Eucharist ends with the “Ite Missae est”. There is no third Liturgy for the recessional to be a part of.

Brendan - that is not what I said. I said the recissional is NOT part of the Mass. It is NOT part of the Liturgy of the Mass.

But a recessional - just like a Corpus Christi procession through town, the Liturgy of the Hours, a Public Recitation of the Rosary, public Recitation of Divine Mercy Chaplet, Public Stations of the Cross, etc) are all liturgy.

Liturgy is not a synonym for Mass.

The Mass is ONE of the several liturgies of the Church (and yes, the Mass is made up of the Liturgy of the Word and Liturgy of the Eucharist).

But again - I did NOT say the processional and recessional are part of the Liturgy of the Mass. Because they are not. But the processional and recessional are part of the Liturgy of the Church.

Anytime a priest is in vestments or choir dress, he’s doing something liturgical. The recessional is just as much liturgy as the Stations of the Cross.

That’s what I meant. I hope this clears up what I’m saying.

God Bless

 

[phil19034]

Sacred | Definition of Sacred by Merriam-Webster

sacred | Origin and meaning of sacred by Online Etymology Dictionary

MagdalenaRita:

I’m sure you don’t run vacuums right after Mass while people are still praying. We have vacuums also but they are used during the week when no one is around.

No, but they do run during that 24/7 part that is the rest of the week.

Yes, but that’s usually a scheduled time. While the schedule may or may not be posted for the Laity to see, the vacuuming is happening at a scheduled time to avoid as much disruption as possible.

 

[CatholicELATeacher]

Not to mention there’s a big difference between routine cleaning and maintenance vs. the eruption into hoopla that occurs immediately following Mass in some parishes.

 

[Trishie]

But nobody is clapping all the other hardworking volunteers, some of whose contributions are sometimes more radically necessary, and all of whose generosity and work are also valuable.
That may be why some see clapping the musicians is more about clapping their talent and performance?

 

[phil19034]

But nobody is clapping all the other hardworking volunteers, some of whose contributions are sometimes more radically necessary, and all of whose generosity and work are also valuable.
That may be why some see clapping the musicians is more about clapping their talent and performance?

I agree. If a parish would like to thank all their volunteers, then they should have a volunteer appreciation night where ALL volunteers get recognized by the parish. The religious education teachers, the volunteer cleaners/gardners, ushers, money counters, EMHC to the homebound, soup kitchen workers, evangelization team members, altar servers, altar linen cleaners, etc.

As much as I love good Church music, the people who do the above are far more important than the music. A parish can function without music. But it can’t function without CCD teachers, etc.

 

[CRV]

It’s possible that if your church has created an atmosphere of disapproval for applause, …

Peeps:

If applause is strongly denounced in your parish

We just don’t do it. There hasn’t been any denouncement or frowning upon or discouragement forced upon the parish, applause just isn’t done either at the OF Masses or the EF Mass.

There is no need for it really - which is as others apart from myself have also said.

The overall impression I get from them is that they are using the gifts they’ve been given by God to give glory to him, and they feel they are only doing as they should. Using these gifts to serve Him and His Church with their time and talents.

Whilst I do not know, perhaps another reason they are not comfortable with being personally thanked is along the lines as we find in the CCC under Merit - “so that the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful. Man’s merit, moreover, itself is due to God, for his good actions proceed in Christ, from the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit.” and “The merits of our good works are gifts of the divine goodness.” and “Our merits are God’s gifts.”. So my own thoughts/guess is that they aren’t comfortable in being thanked because the thanks belong to God.

Otherwise I have no idea.

“I praise God for the talent that He has given to you, and for the beautiful music that helps me to glorify God more fully!” Or perhaps you could say, “I am so grateful to God that He has chosen to put you and the choir in this parish!

Now those are great suggestions! Thank you.

 

[PeterT]

Not to mention there’s a big difference between routine cleaning and maintenance vs. the eruption into hoopla that occurs immediately following Mass in some parishes.

Eruption into hoopla???

A bit of hyperbole, eh?

I’ve never ever seen that happen at any Mass I’ve been to. Yes, there’s at times a small round of applause at the end of the recessional, but the emphasis is on “small”. No standing ovations, no cheering or shots of encore, just a polite smattering of applause.

Why some people get overly bent on this, I don’t really understand. I’d rather not have any applause after the recessional (for reasons I’ve already stated in another post on this thread), but if some people do applause after the choir has finished singing, oh well, it really isn’t a big deal.

What’s really annoying and totally uncalled for is when there’s a large round of applause after a song DURING Mass, as it sometimes unfortunately occurs after the meditation song after Holy Communion.

But if some parishioners want to show a token of their appreciation for the choir with a small round of applause after the choir has finished with the recessional, I really don’t see what people really get bent out of shape by this. It’s just a small gesture of showing the choir they’re appreciated.

 

[PeterT]

Trishie:

But nobody is clapping all the other hardworking volunteers, some of whose contributions are sometimes more radically necessary, and all of whose generosity and work are also valuable.
That may be why some see clapping the musicians is more about clapping their talent and performance?

I agree. If a parish would like to thank all their volunteers, then they should have a volunteer appreciation night where ALL volunteers get recognized by the parish. The religious education teachers, the volunteer cleaners/gardners, ushers, money counters, EMHC to the homebound, soup kitchen workers, evangelization team members, altar servers, altar linen cleaners, etc.

As much as I love good Church music, the people who do the above are far more important than the music. A parish can function without music. But it can’t function without CCD teachers, etc.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

It’s not about the “parish” thanking its volunteers in some official gathering, luncheon or banquet. It’s about individual members of their church — in their own volition — thanking other members of the church for a task well done.

Believe it or not, many parishioners actually do that. Parents at our parish do thank catechists for instructing their children about God and his church. Individuals at my parish will thank lectors after Mass who proclaimed the readings eloquently. Others will take the time to thank the altar servers after the Mass. I personally thank those who help put the missalettes away after Mass and lift the kneelers that were left in the down position.

Thanking people is a nice gesture that’s appreciated by those who one thanks. It’s a bit cold-hearted to think that it should reserved for only a once-a-year event put on by the parish staff.

 

[St.Bede]

With my previous church, the parish priest would sometimes say “Let’s give GOD a round of applause” prior to him bestowing the blessing. That’s fine by me, I see it as giving all the glory and honour to GOD, which is but right and just.

 

[pulchraesamicamea]

Hello! Thank you for this comment.

This differs from church to church, of course- and your comment is understandable.
But please allow me to provide some context to Korea’s 100-year-long persecution of the Catholic faith.

My great-grandmother’s generation was not free to practice the Catholic faith. People were tortured and killed. When the Joseon Dynasty government approved this faith, then the Japanese Occupation era saw the persecution of thousands of Catholics for practicing the faith because their faith was considered “going against the Imperial regime”. Then, the Korean War broke out and people weren’t able to celebrate Mass. We had a long history of silence, persecution, executions. We have about 8,000 martyrs who refused to give up their faith.

In this time and age when Catholics in South Korea are free to celebrate Mass and more Catholics are coming back to our holy Church again, it’s nothing but joy for us. I didn’t realize how precious the Catholic faith is to my grandmother, who is a survivor of the Korean War and a convert after my grandfather’s death.

In our church in the Diocese of Suwon, we have times when we celebrate the hard work done by our parish volunteers- such as catechism teachers, EMHC, etc. Their hard work does not go silent. Sometimes it is done when the priest comes to the catechism office and personally praise them. Sometimes, it is done in children’s Mass, when all catechism teachers are present. Sometimes, it is done after our 11am Mass on Sunday.

However, I understand when you said that applause cannot be acceptable for just the organists when others are not celebrated for their work. We do have moments (after Mass, of course) when we celebrate the hard work of our volunteers. We announce this beforehand, so people don’t leave by accident. The applause is done only after Mass is finished.

I hope this answers your question.

Pax Christi!