Chatting in Church

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pnewton said:
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LilyM:
It’s interesting - the same people who insist that ‘we are family and therefore should be able to chat at Mass’ would probably not dream of saying the same in other settings - a courtroom, library, museum or a movie theatre, for example.
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None of those places are places where we gather with our brothers and sister to worship together. Without exception, those are places where random strangers gather. Perhaps that is the problem. I would never dream of comparing those places to church.

However, in all of those places, talking is allowed, the volume depending on a bunch of variables.

My greatest concern is not with the level of sound as it is with the disassociation we have with other people. Maybe it is just my culture that I take for granted where I am more likely to interact with strangers, and ignoring acquaintances is unthinkable. If so, then I can see why I am in the minority here. I wouldn’t trade if for the world though. I will though, as always, try and be reasonably quiet.
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Im a lawyer in a small town. I go to court and see very few strangers, and on the contrary sone of my closest associates and dearest friends. And we still respect the place and, without coldness or rudeness, save all but a few brief pleasantries for the many opportunities we have to be sociable outside the courtroom.
 
LilyM said:
Im a lawyer in a small town. I go to court and see very few strangers, and on the contrary sone of my closest associates and dearest friends.
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I see. So you know what I mean. Before the judge enters, isn’t there a time where people may have quiet conferences with clients, clerks, etc.? Our courtrooms are that way, but I am in a middle to large county. Isn’t that kind of why they announce the judge and call the court to order?
 
pnewton said:
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LilyM:
Im a lawyer in a small town. I go to court and see very few strangers, and on the contrary sone of my closest associates and dearest friends.
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I see. So you know what I mean. Before the judge enters, isn’t there a time where people may have quiet conferences with clients, clerks, etc.? Our courtrooms are that way, but I am in a middle to large county. Isn’t that kind of why they announce the judge and call the court to order?
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In the coutroom? Who would really want to have confidential - privileged - discussions wirh clients or colleagues in a public courtroom where everything is audio recorded and easily overheard?

We have interview/conference rooms for that, and a registry office where you can talk to the clerks. Or the corridor outside if nowhere else is available.

Yes, people are in court beforehand setting up at the bar table and whatnot. Order is called as a way of letting them know that they now need to be ready to proceed with their matters.
 
Xystus said:
Nope, nothing wrong… unless you think providing a place and opportunity for people to break the communion fast is nothing wrong.
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The communion fast is ONE HOUR. Nothing at all wrong with serving coffee before Mass – many drink something before Mass anyway.
 
right, and communion is 35-40 minutes into a typical mass so serving coffee before is an invitation for people to break the fast.
 
Xystus said:
right, and communion is 35-40 minutes into a typical mass so serving coffee before is an invitation for people to break the fast.
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No. Communion is near the end of Mass.

Makes no difference if they received the coffee from home, from Starbucks or at church. They would still have plenty of time to uphold the fast.
 
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yes, it is at the end of mass and that is sooner than one hour before the end. rarely does mass in its entirety go longer than one hour in my experience.

Sure people can and maybe do drink a coffee on their own before mass. the church should not be participating in or enabling them breaking that fast though.
 
I suppose one could make a case that if Mass, in its entirety, routinely went for 1:15, then from the beginning to distribution of Communion is likely at the 1:00 mark, and thus, one drinking coffee then going in for Mass would not break the fast. If it is shorter, that becomes more problematic.

In our parish, Mass can run from 0:55 to 1:10, so going to fellowship ahead of Mass could present a problem. Some of the repeat cantor etc, who attend one Mass, then go over to fellowship for a while, then serve in one function or another at the next or later Masses. Usually they are careful of the one hour observance. It’s not clear that Sally average churchgoer would necessarily be that careful, or even think twice about it.
 
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The courtroom is a decent analogy, demonstrating how we show respect with our silence when the judge is on the bench. The difference with a Catholic Church, however, is that the “Judge never leaves the bench…” Christ is in the tabernacle before, during, and after Holy Mass. We should reverence His presence with silence (that is, eliminating non-essential conversation) before, during, and after Holy Mass. We remove the Eucharist from the tabernacle during a concert or non-religious event out of respect for Christ in the Eucharist. When he is in the tabernacle we should show Him at least as much respect as a judge sitting on the bench in the courtroom.
 
Xystus said:
yes, it is at the end of mass and that is sooner than one hour before the end. rarely does mass in its entirety go longer than one hour in my experience.

Sure people can and maybe do drink a coffee on their own before mass. the church should not be participating in or enabling them breaking that fast though.
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There are clocks and watches. A parish could have a sign reminding people of the fast and stop serving coffee XY minutes before Mass begins. It’s not a huge situation to overcome. Some will continue to attack the idea but it’s a good one. It’s the sort of thing that builds community.
 
anon64350612 said:
The courtroom is a decent analogy, demonstrating how we show respect with our silence when the judge is on the bench.
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Yet people routinely take sips of water in courtrooms – something some people feel is wrong in a Catholic church.
 
Xystus said:
yes, it is at the end of mass and that is sooner than one hour before the end. rarely does mass in its entirety go longer than one hour in my experience.

Sure people can and maybe do drink a coffee on their own before mass. the church should not be participating in or enabling them breaking that fast though.
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I think that grown adults can figure it out for themselves.

The church would not be participating or enabling them. It is not coffee drinking that breaks the fast, it is receiving Communion within an hour. A reminder to keep the fast in mind if they are planning to receive seems like a good idea, but I can’t see how the parish would bear the responsibility for the decision of the communicant. The 1-hour fast is so minimal as to be practically meaningless. In my parish it basically means “Don’t eat during the Liturgy.” Perhaps this will make people think about it more.
 
I went to Mass on the East Coast once while on vacation. The parish had an “Early Morning Tea” before the 07:00 Mass. It also had a coffee social after Mass. Both seemed to work out very well.

My beloved late EC pastor once said to me during a coffee social “this isn’t the Divine Liturgy, but it’s a critical part of our parish.” He was right.
 
choose_to_love said:
I don’t think black coffee breaks the fast, actually.
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Anything except water and medicine breaks the fast before Holy Communion.

Are you perhaps getting it confused with the fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?
 
At the Church I go to now we have an older woman who talks very loud during the service. She is 94. A truly wonderful human being. I talk with her and people shush us because we are apparently being disrespectful. She does it for like a minute or two every few services. Is it disrespectful to shush a 94 year old woman? Guess not.
 
FollowChrist34 said:
At the Church I go to now we have an older woman who talks very loud during the service. She is 94. A truly wonderful human being. I talk with her and people shush us because we are apparently being disrespectful. She does it for like a minute or two every few services. Is it disrespectful to shush a 94 year old woman? Guess not.
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She’s probably hard of hearing and has absolutely no idea how loud she’s talking.
 
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