Applause during Mass?

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Panis_Angelicas

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Does your pastor encourage the faithful to applaud various persons during the Mass, for whatever reasons?

Is this acceptable to do?
 
I feel it in inappropriate except as a welcoming of a newly Baptized or Confirmed. I wish there was a better way to show public welcome.
 
Our Priest rarely does this. We new it only for new members of the faith or occasionally for the music group in our church. This does not interfere with the mass, and occurs when our Priest is telling us announcements, before the benediction. We applaud to show pride in our community and our friends. I feel it is acceptable.
 
I think it causes us to remove our focus from Christ and applaud a fellow sinner.

I just don’t like being told to clap for people during Mass. :nope:

It seems so irreverent. 😦

Do ya think some folks were clapping at the foot of the Cross? :crying:

Is there any “official word” on this, or is it all up to the discretion of the celebrant?
 
I hate it, hate it, hate it. We are there to praise the Lord, not each other, not the kids, not the wedding anniversaries, not the choir or the musicians and not the homily.
 
I read in Adoremus last year that Cardinal Arinze (head of the Congregation for the Liturgy), in answering a similar question, said clearly that there should never be applause at Mass.

He stated that this should be reserved for events outside the Church.

I have never liked applause at Mass. It makes me feel most uncomfortable - probably because it is only done when we are focussing on ourselves and not on God.
 
As a piece of ancient history, one never applauded in church. Applause, as a sign of approval or assent, is a secular gesture. Even (supposing one to be so lucky), eg, if a choir and orchestra perform a Haydn mass as part of the service, one simply never applauds. Thanks and approval of the performers’ job in glorifying God are reserved for after mass, preferably over coffee or sherry.
 
Yes he does.

No it isn’t. This drives me NUTS! We’re not an “audience” at a performance. We are participating in holy worship and, as such, should be reverent.
 
Hi Church

Doesn’t bother me at all. Especially when the applause is for Jesus as one Priest use to do right after the last blessing.

He would say folks will yell and scream and clap like mad for their favorite team or music group. He wondered if we could be just as enthusiastic for Jesus.

I happened to like it. :clapping:
 
Cardinal Ratzinger answers thus: “Whenever 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.”

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger - The Spirit of the Liturgy (page 198)
 
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robertaf:
Hi Church

Doesn’t bother me at all. Especially when the applause is for Jesus as one Priest use to do right after the last blessing.

He would say folks will yell and scream and clap like mad for their favorite team or music group. He wondered if we could be just as enthusiastic for Jesus.

I happened to like it. :clapping:
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But, we’re not at a sports arena or stadium or a rock concert. Different circumstances warrant different actions.

We should show enthusiasm for Jesus in showing reverence, obeying God’s commandments and serving others. Not clapping at the end of the Sacrifice of the Mass.
 
Thank you so much for your helpful responses. I tried to leave y’all reputation remarks, but it said I couldn’t leave any more for the next 24 hours! Sorry! :rolleyes: :whacky:

I sure do appreciate all that responded. :yup: :tiphat:

And, of course (since we are outside of Mass: ) :clapping: :clapping: 😃

Pax Christi <><
 
I was going to post a question about this tonight because I have definitely noticed an increase in applause in our church recently. I was pleased to read this is also being addressed by some of the faithful here. We applaude for every baptism and applaude for the youth choir.
I read the comment about what Cardinal Ratzinger stated about going in the direction of being entertaining and that’s just what I feel when everyone is told to applaude. It seems to go in the “need to feel good” category. So I smile and quietly hold my hands still.
 
I am not a fan of clapping during Mass but will join in after baptisms or if someone is celebrating their 50th anniversary.

Our priest is pretty orthodox so I am kind of surprised he suggests we clap.

It doesn’t happen often so I can live with it.
 
Wouldn’t it be so much nicer if the celebrant asked all faithful gathered to bow their heads in a silent prayer for this special “person” or “persons,” rather than applauding them? (If extra attention needs to be given them at all!) In the long run, applause doesn’t get you any graces, but probably your entire parish will never again pray for you like that until your funeral!

I do really love my pastor. He’s a very loveable and loving priest. But I hate seeing all the laxness in the liturgy.

I will be meeting with him soon to address some other concerns, and hopefully, I will have the opportunity to bring this up in a positive manner. I’m glad that I’ve got strongmen like Cardinals Arinze and Ratzinger to back me up. I feel applauding in Church is rowdy, irreverent, and improper. I feel “damned if I do” and “damned if I don’t.”

Yesterday, I truly did get a little sneezing attack just as he instructed us all to applaud, and I spend the “clapping time” blowing my nose! 👍
 
I noticed it becoming more popular around here several years ago, & while I was surprised & somewhat annoyed at first, I have now gotten to the point where I can’t stand it. It’s completely disrespectful whether it’s well-intentioned or not. The children’s choir performed well? Someone’s been married for 50 years? The lector just got his master’s degree? All well and good, but the Mass is not the occasion to congratulate these people.

By the way, last week I was at a first mass for a newly ordained priest - a wonderful and very touching occasion - but I still thought applause was inappropriate.
 
Our priest will occasionally ask us to applaud when, for example, the catechumenates come up for one of their rituals of passage, or there is a parishoner couple with an anniversary that is big (40 years, etc). He also asks us to applaud whenever we have a Baptism during Mass, about once a month. I have also seen a newly married couple receive applause DURING their wedding Mass, not afterwards. It always bothers me. Can’t we just congratulate them from the pulpit and go on with the rest of Mass?

Luckily he does not ask us to applaud for our musicians, which I have seen other pastors do. That drives me totally nuts, and as a musician, makes me want to fall through the floor and disappear. We do not serve as musicians at Mass for human applause!

I think applause is inappropriate during Mass, period. JMHO.
 
i suppose like everything else it depends… we have had recognition for newly graduated students in the congregation, or couples celebrating a golden anniversary, and it’s always right after the homily and right before offertory… never has been an issue… i can understand (given some examples in this forum) how some might take umberence to certain situations… I suggest a mention to one or more on the parish counsel, or mention it directly to your priest…
 
I haven’t seen a priest request applause, but I have seen spontainious applause… not sure how you would stop that and not be MORE disruptive then the applause itself.

-D
 
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