Changes to Mass

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I am afraid that it seems to me that respect for sacred spaces, the Church’s liturgy and the Eucharist have decreased. I know some people will criticise me for that statement but it is the experience I have had.

Two days ago I was reading a parish’s brochure written for couples preparing for marriage. One of its guidelines was that there was no to absolutely no clapping at the end of the liturgy.

It does seem at times that the modern trend of “me, me, me!” leads us to forget that when in church we are in the house of God.
 
To be honest, you either need to find a parish where these things that bother you do not go on, or you need to find a way to ignore these things.

If you allow them to eat away at you, you will be miserable.
 
There seems to be a tight window of confession opportunity at my parish. Confessions begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, but afternoon weddings often overlap and then Saturday evening Mass begins at 5 p.m.
So get there early or make an appointment earlier in the week.
 
TomH1 said:
Two days ago I was reading a parish’s brochure written for couples preparing for marriage. One of its guidelines was that there was no to absolutely no clapping at the end of the liturgy.
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That doesn’t reflect a decline in reverence or a self centeredness. It reflects that weddings draw people of different faiths and different levels of familiarity with our ways.
 
That sounds nice, but how is one person going to change all these things in their parish at every Mass?
I recommend going to EF Mass if you can. Maybe try it once, and ask the FSSP priest about the EF Mass?

Where are we? – FSSP

www.fssp.org www.fssp.org
 
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TomH1 said:
I am afraid that it seems to me that respect for sacred spaces, the Church’s liturgy and the Eucharist have decreased. I know some people will criticise me for that statement but it is the experience I have had.

Two days ago I was reading a parish’s brochure written for couples preparing for marriage. One of its guidelines was that there was no to absolutely no clapping at the end of the liturgy.

It does seem at times that the modern trend of “me, me, me!” leads us to forget that when in church we are in the house of God.
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Yes, “me me me” attitude permeates throughout our Catholic Church today. I see it most prevalent for those who demand (be it progressives, traditionalists or conservatives) that the Mass is celebrated in the manner they see fitting. If not, they’ll often complain incessantly about it.

This goes hand-in-hand with the decline of the respect given to the local pastors of the parishes and the bishops of the dioceses in regards to the things that the Church gives them authority and discretion over.

Too many Catholics nowadays want it THEIR WAY and aren’t happy when they don’t get it (in regards how the Mass is celebrated or other matters of the Church).
 
Ultimately, we are at Mass to give God praise and glory through our prayers and songs.
It is not so much about what we want. It is all about what God wants.
 
Look into an Eastern Catholic Church, if one is near you, as well as Anglican ordinariate Mass or Diocesan approved TLM.
 
CurtisHouse said:
I am slowly converting to the Catholic Church.
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That is great. Give thanks and praise to God!

Two bits of advice: First of all, keep moving on the Way. If you encounter an obstacle, find a path around it. It sounds like a different Mass might be more conducive to your faith. Second, don’t spend a lot of time judging (and whining about) parishes and Masses that trouble you. Jesus is present at those Masses too, and you may leave them confidently in his ever-capable hands.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
I go to confession every 2 weeks for the last 2 years. There has been a line everyplace I go, and the most happy-clappy parishes near me, which are also very large with attached elementary schools, always have a line
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Tis_Bearself said:
I’m not sure what causes confession to be more or less popular at some churches
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I think that is it, each parish is different. One parish in our city will always have a line and then others sometimes have a line and some rarely do.

I think it also depends on who the priest is in the confessional, unfortunately and also how often the parish offers confession.

The lines are no where what they were in times past.
 
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I have been looking into Latin Masses and, praise God, there is one in my town. Are there Missals in Latin that the Church provides or is that pretty much just on a parish-by-parish basis? Might have to get another Missal that has the English and Latin text laid out so I know what is going on.
 
That’s really the strange thing. There was no choir or anything like that singing. Maybe one lady singing and that was it. It was just the first time I ever experienced that so it just seemed unusual all around. I could see how that quote from Pope Benedict XVI wouldn’t exactly apply here but I consider that as long as you’re still in the sanctuary, clapping just seems strange. Makes as much sense as clapping before the Mass officially starts. Our minds should fully be on Christ. I’m trying not to nitpick things but also questioned the practices that are going on. Still learning as I go along as I learn more and more about the faith.
 
That is a good way to look at it. On the plus side, I didn’t see anybody doing the Judas Shuffle as people seem to call it. It was still packed after the Priest and everybody else doing the Mass processions left the sanctuary.
 
I most definitely am and please pray for me as well as I continue to learn.
 
Many have those red missallettes you can follow in Latin and English with description of what’s going on. Best thing is to get there early so you can familiarize yourself with the prayers because once the Mass starts it moves at a good pace.
 
I live in Fresno so I’m sure we’re not that different. I haven’t been able to check out how many come into confession as of yet. I would be able to see that that more once I am confirmed and start going to confession myself.
 
I could even see if there was some announcement about the clapping after Mass. Nothing big like a marriage or something like that. Just clapping out of the blue. Wouldn’t even be because of the appreciation of a choir. The choir wasn’t there. Just left me confused more than anything. Hopefully I can talk to a Priest soon to figure things out. Pray for me so God’s Plan can be revealed in my walk of faith.
 
I’ve started reading the GIRM. I need to look into it thoroughly and see what is permitted during Mass. Thanks for the link too.
 
I try to make them not get to me. Getting to Mass about a half hour early this week really made a lot of difference so I could just kneel and pray to God just about constantly that whole time. I try not to let things get to me and focus on God, His Holy Mother, the Saints, etc. but the clapping really surprised me. Until I figure this out, I think I will remain going to this parish but I’m praying about it. Hopefully and prayerfully God will reveal where I really should be when it comes to parishes. Keep me in your prayers.
 
When I do my first confession, I’ll probably need to make an appointment. I got baptized in a church of Christ back in 2004. There has been so many ups and downs since then and a lot I need to get off my chest asap.
 
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