Does your priest like to walk around during the homily?

[Caesar]

I wonder who had the bright idea to give Father a clip-on microphone

Maybe its just me, but I find it really annoying when during the homily I look down for a minute, or maybe even blink, and then redirect my gaze to the pulpit and find that Father is gone. I can still hear him fine, but I cant see him- oh wait, he’s over in the east transept- wait, no, he’s up by the Cathedra now- never mind, Father has gone to the Lady Chapel- oh, he’s in the nave now- nope, he’s in the narthex- on the steps- he’s out the door and gone shopping!

Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating just a little, but I still get irritated or at least lose my focus on the homily when I have to scan over the Cathedral to look for Father.

 

[Joysong]

Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating just a little, [well, it seems so ]

Since you attend the TLM, why would you bring up this subject? Do your priests not remain at the lectern? There is nothing more annoying to me when a priest stays at the lectern with pages of written homilies, and rarely lifts his eyes from the page to address the people … or worse, he forgets where he left off and spends a few seconds looking for his place.

I would much rather hear a homily from a priest who has his subject matter well prepared in his heart and delivers it as Jesus might have done on the Mount. I would think the Lord moved about in order to give due attention to all who were listening to Him.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

I cannot abide the “wandering preacher” style of homily delivery and have often fantasized about tacking their shoes to the floor behind the ambo.

 

[Joysong]

Interesting, John. Two opposite opinions from two different people. Does either method make the priest wrong, other than some do, some don’t? I guess it depends upon how the church is built, for I realize some of the pie-shaped or round buildings would necessitate his effort to accomodate all people within the congregation with eye contact, etc. Obviously, he would not be doing a relay race. [hee-hee]

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Well, the guidelines from the GIRM seem to indicate that the priest should remain in the sanctuary at least for Sunday Mass in most church settings. One of the changes our new Bishop has written for parishes to implement addressed just that, and why–the ‘entertainer’ priest who ambles all through the church gladhanding, backslapping, and interactive with lots and lots of jokes (a situation which was extremely common in most of our parishes on Sunday Mass). This was not done to be repressive or irritating, or to make our priests robotic, or even as a punishment, but simply to ‘go back’ or more accurately to ‘reinstill’ the overall purpose of the homily, which is for the priest to speak to us (not with us like a lounge entertainer) about the gospel (not about an Irish wake, a joke about a priest, a minister and a rabbi, etc).

Was this necessary to do for all the priests? No, a few had pretty much ‘always’ adhered to the purpose. More needed to be more aware that their role as priests was not to be the life of the party but the shepherd of souls and that how they handled themselves in their speaking and movement really does affect others. Father Z could be the most thoughtful and caring of men but if everytime you heard him he was constantly telling jokes, would you think of him as your shepherd or guide? Most often you would not. When things are tough, do most of us want somebody who only tells us funny stories, or instead of addressing what we say, only seems to speak of a few ‘topics’, always from one rigid standpoint, and always seeming to find everything either funny or absurd?

I’m not by any means saying that all priests who walk around the church are not good priests, are not loving shepherds. But a very sizeable number of priests (and people) have become very confused in the last few decades about all sorts of things, including the use of the sacred. The focus has shifted from sacred to community; not that we are NOT community, but we are sacred as well, and that fact seems to not be so well perceived. So maybe now it will seem as strange at first to see priests ‘at the lecturn’ instead of like a ‘regular person’ (i.e. entertainer working the crowd)–but remember, it seemed just as strange to those of us who remember the pre-Vatican II Mass watch as overnight the communion rail departed, the priest spoke English, the prayers changed, etc. etc. We handled it then and, over times, things are slowly settling. We’ll handle this gladly received reinstillation of priests remaining in the sacred space too.

 

[Kendy]

Are there not more important things to give our attention to?

 

[water]

My church is huge, and the priest walk to the center and a bit to each side. No, he does not want people to get attention to him, but to his homily. That is the purpose, and I learn a lot from his homily.

 

[Joysong]

So maybe now it will seem as strange at first to see priests ‘at the lecturn’ instead of like a ‘regular person’ (i.e. entertainer working the crowd) We’ll handle this gladly received reinstillation of priests remaining in the sacred space too

Excuse me? How disrespectful your wording is, Tantum. I believe today’s first reading about David’s absolute reverence for his enemy King Saul might come into light here, for no matter how evil Saul was, David refused to touch “God’s anointed.”

Those whose pastors do move slightly about in order to embrace the entire congregation, I will bet do so within the confines of the sanctuary, and not strolling about in the aisles! It is also a well-known practice that movement facilitates attentiveness, rather than an idle stance.

It is well and good to state your preference, which you have done, but quite another thing to impute these labels to a holy priest as though they are pompous and abusing the liturgy. Please.

 

[WanderAimlessly]

Most at the parish do not and there is there is one who does somes. It does not really bother me.

 

[WenckebachCath]

I agree with Joysong. Also, I think that parishioners should try to be charitable with their priests, not so critical.

Public speaking is often a very difficult thing for many people, and if anyone here has taken a oral arts class, one technique to deal with nervousness is through movement. Why don’t you cut your priests a break and while you are at it, thank God you still have one! They are practically an endangered species these days.

Really, this forum is so full of condemnation it’s getting tiresome! Who do you people think you are?

 

[Kevin42]

Hmm. Two of our priests stand in one place. Usually behind the altar, or behind the stand where they give the readings.

However, one of them does walk around a little bit. It’s not huge or anything, he stays near the altar, but he does have this 10ftx10ft imaginary box that he seems to walk around in. I actually prefer some movement.

I think this just depends on learning style though-as to if you like movement or not. For the most part, men supposedly tend to learn better when whoever is presenting is more active and moving around a little bit. On the other hand women are supposed to learn better when the speaker stays in one spot.

Who cares if they walk or not though…all we need to be doing is listening…you don’t even have to look at them really.

 

[LRThunder]

The priests at my parish always stand behind the ambo during their homilies, no matter which particular priest is celebrating Mass.

 

[Sandtigress]

Our associate pastor walks around in front of the altar in the sanctuary when he gives his homilies. He’s a wonderful, orthodox priest, and I love listening to him, but I’m always afraid he’s going to set himself on fire when he stands in front of candles and moves his arm!

 

[Tantum_ergo]

“Entertainer working the crowd” was not addressed to any specific priest as a charge or indictment, you know. The phrase was a simile, with the use of the word “like”, not an indictment of priests per se. Further, the decision and the rationale for what the bishop addressed in our diocese were not mine, but my bishop’s, though I’m sure he phrased it better.

Thank you for your (name removed by moderator)ut though I’d have appreciated hearing your feeling in a p.m. I really don’t care to be called disrespectful to priests in my wording, which I most certainly am not.

Perhaps you missed this part of my post???

I’m not by any means saying that all priests who walk around the church are not good priests, are not loving shepherds

And did I even address the quantity of movement etc? I do not believe that I did, or that I made a personal judgment against any individual. . .

I understand that feelings can get high on message boards and meanings be wrongly construed. Certainly I have no wish to present even my bishop’s take on thisissue as an indictment on anyone who holds a contrasting opinion. If anyone has taken this somehow from what I said, be assured it was by no means what I intended to convey.

 

[mary_bobo]

Our associate pastor stays behind the lecturn. Pastor sometimes comes down into the center aisle. He is Italian and talks a lot with his hands. Both give short but very good homilies.

 

[mystified]

Considering some of the homilies, maybe it is better that they are moving targets. I was never able to see the relationship between a discussion of deodorants and the Gospel reading given by one wandering priest . My old parish did have a priest who generally moved from the ambo to in front of the altar, but at least he stayed put within the sanctuary.

The TLM Masses I’ve attended did not include strolling sacerdotes, and there have been excellent homilies by priests and deacons in NO Masses, in either English of Spanish, and these clergymen stood still, usually at the ambo.

I don’t recall reading that Jesús kept moving while preaching. In one biblical account, he would have been a sensation, though. While preaching from the offshore fishing boat, a walk on the water would have certainly awakened anyone dozing .

 

[juno24]

I didn’t vote because we have 2 priests at our parish, one of our whom stands in front of the ambo (not at it, but in front of it, rarely moving) and the other who walks all around-- around the altar, up and down the aisles, crossing back and forth in front of the altar and tabernacle. I cannot possibly follow him without getting whiplash, so I focus my sight on the altar or the crucifix while he gives the homily.

While I dislike it when a priest wanders amongsth the congregation to deliver a homily, I get the distinct impression with the one at my parish that he simply thinks and focuses better if he is moving. He is newly ordained (this past summer) and is very orthodox in his preaching and the way he celebrates the Mass. His homilies are getting better the more he celebrates, so if walking about is the worst of it, I am not complaining.

 

[Joysong]

Tantum Ergo,

If you did not mean the words which are fairly obvious also in paragraphs one and two, I would be glad to apologize. But I ask you to read them again through the eyes of a casual reader and see how they come across? I did not get the impression your bishop said them, for he would not be using this terminology.

Sincerely…

 

[a_priori]

I’ve been listening to homilies for many years and the two priests we have now are just about the best I can remember. They both move but their orbits are generally confined to about a 15 foot circle. (diameter)

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Joysong, I do know how hard it is for words and tone to come across accurately. I agree that if something causes concern, even if it wasn’t meant to do so, that apologies for the concern should be uppermost. Don’t want to hijack so 'nuff said for that, and I hope that we all agree that no matter what we ourselves may prefer, think, or believe, our love and concern for all priests and our respect for them should be paramount.