EF Mass Observation

[GangGreen]

I’ve been to sung masses at a couple different parishes and low masses at a couple different parishes.

In one, the people really don’t make a peep throughout the entire Mass. Many people say/sing the words quietly and only sing out loud only at certain points “et cum spirito tuo” “sed libera nos a malo” etc. However, when it comes to the rest of the stuff, they don’t sing at all and leave that to the choir even if they know the tunes. In the low mass, same idea, very quiet, very few people saying things along with the server.

On the other hand, others I’ve been to where the people sing along with all of the regular songs (kyrie, gloria, sanctus, etc). In the low mass people say the parts along with the servers (along with the gloria, credo, sanctus, agnus dei, pater noster, etc).

It really depends on the church and the group of people who attend that Mass.

 

[Bakuryokuso]

It also tends to vary by country. I attended a low Mass in the Extraordinary Form on a Sunday and the entire congregation was silent the entire time until the prayers after low Mass. But in francophone countries, the congregation will sometimes do a “dialogue Mass” where they audibly do the server’s replies - which means they end up doing more replies than at an Ordinary Form Mass. At High Masses I attend in the Extraordinary Form I can hear people around me chanting the Credo and whatnot.