Baptism During Mass?

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PJR:
If infant baptisms are normally done during regular masses at this parish, then wouldn’t they be done as OFTEN as a baby arrived? I don’t think people can schedule to have their babies only certain times of the year, or not as often. I don’t understand your point here. I guess if they are having lots of bapisms then they are having lots of babies. Sounds like a vibrant and growing parish to me. Much better than old and dying out. Gosh do you even have some families with 6-7 kids? Sounds great to me. You hardly see that anymore.

You stated earlier that there was an abundance of groups and lots of active participation in them. But I still get the idea that you don’t like the level of involvement. What kind of explanation do you think would be appropriate to ease your mind? Do you want the priest to specifically explain why it is an active parish? I’m not trying to be dense, I just don’t get where you are headed with this.
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Well, baptisms were rarely if ever done as part of Sunday masses where I came from. So, this is a change for me. I don’t know why it is done this way here. All the other things I mentioned are also changes for me, at least as part of the mass. To me mass has always been a special and very familiar thing. It has always been a joy to participate in mass. These days I find myself asking whether I should do the Orans possition, or whether I should climb over the poor lady next to me with a walker just to do the Offeratory procession. These things have become distractions. When I go to mass at this new church, I never know what to expect.
The many ministries are a very good thing to me. As I see it, the more participation, the better.
Baptisms never required people to schedule births. Where did you come up with that one? They may not be able to schedule births but they sure can schedule baptisms however and whenever they like. I have no idea how many kids these people have. I do know that there were 10 sets of parents, children, and godparents standing on the altar at the start of the mass. It was quite a conglomeration up there.
The confusion lies in how very differently the mass in done in one parish compared to another. Which is right? Are they both right? If so then I would once again feel comfortable at mass. I just don’t know. Have you never been to a parish say, when you were on vacation, where the mass was quite different than what you are used to?
 
I came up with that in response to a comment that maybe there shouldn’t be so MANY baptisms during Mass. Maybe it wasn’t you who made the comment. I just thought that if it is the common practice then it will be as often as a baby arrives in need of baptism. It sounds like you have lots of baptisms. I was just trying to see the positive side of that.

I can see where you are confused by being in a parish where things are quite different from your old one. We are all more comfortable with things familiar for sure. Some of the things that are different to you may not be annoying once you get used to them and feel more at home. Some things you may never learn to like. I personally have never seen the offertory procession you speak of so I couldn’t comment on how that works. Is it a new practice you say? If it is as cumbersome as you describe it, it will probably fizzle out on it’s own.

I’m sure you’ve read the threads here about postures at Mass. There are many opinions on that subject. I personally don’t like the parishes that have removed the kneelers and feel strange standing the whole time. I try not to get too worked up over it when I visit one of those parishes. I know what is in my heart and so does Jesus. On the other hand, my parish introduced the practice of everyone standing for the distribution of Communion. This was introduced by the Bishop as one option for a unified posture. At first, it seemed really weird and I hated it. Now it is no big deal and I have to admit that it flows quite nicely and there’s no tripping over kneeling people who do not go to communion and tripping back to your place in the pew. Then as soon as the last person has recieved and the priest returns to the altar we all kneel until he sits.

It has it’s good points and is now comfortable to all of us. It is also catching on a little better that we are to stand with “pray brethren,…” I agree with a poster above. We Catholics hate change, but so does everyone I think. We like to feel at home when at Mass. I guess it is the same for non-catholics who feel so out of place because they don’t know what to expect. We are creatures of habit. I wouldn’t say there are many serious abuse issues at my parish. Do you think some practices at your church are abuses of the liturgy, or just unfamiliar to you?
 
Oh, and BTW, I get your point about things being easier to accept when they are explained. We got a really good explanation from the pastor and a letter from the Bishop explaining why they were beginning the practice. It was in response to the GIRM coming out. Maybe if your priest could explain why they have chosen to have this offertory procession-what it symbolizes, whether it is approved, etc, you might feel better about it.

As to the people you won’t see in Church again until their next Baptism…well, I get aggravated about that too sometimes, but I think we should always welcome them and pray that one of those special occasions that gets their butt in a pew might open them up to conversion and spiritual growth.

I hope you can get to know the people and will soon feel more a part of your parish.
 
I am just musing about the situation in your parish and comparing it to those I have attended so some of what I say may apply to you and some may not.

It seems to me you have more than one issue with your parish. The fact that there are baptisms during Mass is fairly minor aspect. What I see is that you have a pastor who likes everything to be very dramatic. And since you’ve mentioned liturgical dancers perhaps he is not so concerned when the drama wanders outside the bounds of liturgical law or what I like to call ‘liturgical taste’.

We frequently have baptisms during Mass but most of them are held after the last Sunday Mass of the day. We generally try to limit the number of baptisms during Mass to two and usually this will be done no more than twice a month at our 9:00am Mass. Other baptisms are done after the 11:00am Mass. Families are incouraged to come to that Mass with their children. (You can usually tell who those families are because they are the especially well dressed ones who are tending their well dressed older children in the vestibule.)

When you have sacraments during Mass it is generally a good idea to balance the extra pomp and circumstance with a need for reverence. A baptism should be a day for a bit more rejoicing and ceremony. (And babies have a way of naturally creating drama and sentimentality from those who are in attendance.) It seems that perhaps your pastor isn’t very good at balancing the excitement with some low key Sundays. How else are the special days going to stand out?

It also seems that a bit of common sense is necessary. If you are going to regularly schedule events that lengthen the Mass, you either need to schedule them for a Mass at the end of the day or you need to increase the length of time between Masses. Perhaps you and other parishioners should suggest to the pastor that he indroduce some drama by changing the Mass schedule.
 
PJR, the only reference to the Offeratory procession that I have heard from him was made a few weeks ago. Hed was talking about the new directives for how we will do things at mass starting next year. He said something to the effect that the way he read it (the part about the Offeratory), it was talking about the Offeratory procession that he has been having us do at our church. I wish I had taken notes but he talked about presenting of the gifts being exactly what we have been doing. Frankly, it sounded nothing like that to me but, I haven’t read the new directives myself (wouldn’t know where to even find them). This seems to be a major part of the problem. He interprets things the way he wants to and everyone else be damned. He said he was part of the liltugical literature committee or something like that and it was their job to interpret and implement these new instructions. So, how much hope would there really be about changing his mind on anything?

SMHW, I think you hit the nail on the head. He really does want to do everything his way. He seems like a very nice man and I do talk to him briefly after most masses. I really have no qualms about accepting his ways of doing things if only I could assure myself that these things are not wrong. I really had the feeling yesterday that I hadn’t attended mass at all, even though I knew I did. That probably make little sense but it’s the truth.

Anyway, thanks for both of your (name removed by moderator)uts, I do appreciate it.
 
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