EDITED: Inappropriate announcement and applause

[pnewton]

I do not see where the problem is. Announcements are rather informal by their very nature. At least the Clipper fans were in Mass and not watching ball.

 

[Irishgal49]

I’ve had priests mention things about local sports teams during the announcements or using them as part of a homily to get a point across. I am not offended by that, then again I enjoy viewing sports on tv anyways. As long as they are not mentioned at other times of the mass then I have no issue with it.

Our parish does the announcements before mass starts, that way if there are things that people want to applaud it’s not done during the mass itself. I like that our priest keeps those things outside of mass. We pray the prayer of St Michael after Mass has ended. I appreciate his way of handling things. I think doing it during Mass is terrible.

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

Our parish does the announcements before mass starts, that way if there are things that people want to applaud it’s not done during the mass itself. I like that our priest keeps those things outside of mass. We pray the prayer of St Michael after Mass has ended. I appreciate his way of handling things. I think doing it during Mass is terrible.

 

[Georgia]

A neighboring parish has applause far more often than in any other parish I have visited. Though it seems odd to me, most times it is after the conclusion of the Mass when people applaud the choir before leaving.

There was one time, though. The choir was singing a beautiful piece of music while we were receiving. The song ran past the time it took the priest to return to his chair after clearing the altar. When the song ended, the people applauded. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems just about the worst time to applaud.

 

[bmadamsberry]

A neighboring parish has applause far more often than in any other parish I have visited. Though it seems odd to me, most times it is after the conclusion of the Mass when people applaud the choir before leaving.

There was one time, though. The choir was singing a beautiful piece of music while we were receiving. The song ran past the time it took the priest to return to his chair after clearing the altar. When the song ended, the people applauded. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems just about the worst time to applaud.

I think some of it depends on why they are applauding. At the Ascension Thursday/Sunday Mass, the Psalm tells us “all you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness, For the L-rd, the Most High, the awesome,is the great king over all the earth.”

When I heard it, I had a very strong urge just to clap at that point. Not because the choir was beautiful (though it was), or because the church looks beautiful (though it does), but instead because it’s true and the Psalms commands us to!

But, of course, there are inappropriate times to clap. I don’t think that means that at all times, applause is wrong. I also don’t think that means that at all times, applause is appropriate. It depends on the reason for it.

 

[Georgia]

As I recall, it was not one of those special times. That parish has applause far more often than in any other church I have visited. If there is a children’s choir, the priest often invites applause before the final blessing. Even so, the remaining people always applaud the choir or the organist and cantor before leaving. Though it was unusual for a normal choral arrangement, applause at some point is pretty much the norm there.