Handheld Devices at Mass & Adoration

[Fae76]

I use my iphone in church. I put it on Flight Mode, so it’s disconnected fully. I never use it during mass, but I have to come by buss and amoften in church lomg before mass starts. If I’ve already done my rosary, I like reading in iPieta - right now I read Montford.

The church has a “cell phone free zone” sign at the door. I wasn’t sure if that just meant avoiding ringsignals, so I just used my phone when I was alone in church.

I asked Father, however, who was very impressed with the program and thought usage in church (though not during mass) was most appropriate I was afraid of other people thinking I was playing (though it’s very obvious I hardly tap the screen but just hold the phone, since I’m reading) but he thought that other peoples’ quick judgements weren’t my problem.

 

[LilyM]

I use my iphone in church. I put it on Flight Mode, so it’s disconnected fully. I never use it during mass, but I have to come by buss and amoften in church lomg before mass starts. If I’ve already done my rosary, I like reading in iPieta - right now I read Montford.

The church has a “cell phone free zone” sign at the door. I wasn’t sure if that just meant avoiding ringsignals, so I just used my phone when I was alone in church.

I asked Father, however, who was very impressed with the program and thought usage in church (though not during mass) was most appropriate I was afraid of other people thinking I was playing (though it’s very obvious I hardly tap the screen but just hold the phone, since I’m reading) but he thought that other peoples’ quick judgements weren’t my problem.

The problem as I see it here is that people might well see that you are reading - they don’t, however, see WHAT you are reading. Not unless they’re rude enough to peep over your shoulder.

Could you be checking your emails? Reading something on TMZ (gossip website)? Reading a page of the novel Anna Karenina? A blog about car repair? It all looks the same to the casual observer.

An awful lot of folks don’t even know that there ARE iphone apps to do with prayer and the Mass - I didn’t until very recently, and I’m not a technophobe by any means. So they are more likely to jump to the conclusion that you are doing some secular reading than not.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

The problem as I see it here is that people might well see that you are reading - they don’t, however, see WHAT you are reading. Not unless they’re rude enough to peep over your shoulder.

Could you be checking your emails? Reading something on TMZ (gossip website)? Reading a page of the novel Anna Karenina? A blog about car repair? It all looks the same to the casual observer.

An awful lot of folks don’t even know that there ARE iphone apps to do with prayer and the Mass - I didn’t until very recently, and I’m not a technophobe by any means. So they are more likely to jump to the conclusion that you are doing some secular reading than not.

And that would be their problem and quite possiblly their sin (passing judgement on another with out either the right to do so or the proper knowledge to do so).

 

[Melchior_1]

I just thought of something else; photographers (video and still) at weddings. Cameras at weddings as a whole, actually.

Banning those would save a lot of people money, that’s for sure!

 

[choy]

I just thought of something else; photographers (video and still) at weddings. Cameras at weddings as a whole, actually.

Banning those would save a lot of people money, that’s for sure!

LOL, true
and i would have to say sometimes its not money well spent
i had friends who had better shots at our wedding than the professional we hired

 

[Sarabande]

It’s 2010 and now we have a plethora of handheld devices. Sometimes these cause great distractions during Mass and Adoration. However, I wanted to offer the following for people’s opinions and start a dialogue;

1. Rather than follow along on a paperback missal, my wife follows the Mass using an application on her iPod Touch. In addition to the usual missal stuff, she also has several Bibles on there so she can look up different translations when the Priest quotes Scriptures during the homily (or if there’s a reading that week that she wants to look into more). It also lets her take notes and things like that. And, because there’s no Internet in the Church, there’s no online activity. It’s essentially a digital book.

Personally, so long as it’s be used as a digital book and it doesn’t distract people (which is quite easy, we usually sit behind everyone) I have no problem with this. With tablets (iPad) becoming more popular we might even see more of this.

1. After visiting my favorite Priest for Reconciliation, I was given an interesting penance; three hours of Adoration a week for three months. For someone with ADHD and doesn’t have the Spiritual Gift of Intercessory Prayer (the gift to pray for hours on end), this is one difficult penance. What I have started doing while being at the Adoration chapel is bringing an mp3 player with me which has the musical version of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I pray along with it which allows me to go at a nice slow pace without being distracted by something shiny (happens often). I’m also considering adding some audio books as well, perhaps even an audio Bible.

Personally, so long as it isn’t distracting towards others, I see no problem with this.

Interesting dialogue. This is relatively new technology, that it’s hard to say. In one regard, I can see how using an ipad or something similar could be helpful for some people especially for those of us in the younger generations where they are encouraged to do most of their work, reading and research on electronic instruments. In another regard, as others have mentioned, I can also see problems arising from it. It might depend on the individual person. Some people might have the self-control to not do things like Facebook, email, texting, etc. But there are also people who don’t have that self-control, so the temptation would be great. In a society where many people have low attention spans, I can see, as one person put it, the floodgates opening and a plethora of problems coming from it. It’s already hard enough for many to keep their focus. It might become more difficult if you add one more thing to the mix.

For you and your wife, if it really is helpful - including for during your adoration chapel - and if you are good at not making it a distraction, I don’t see the problem with it. Of course, if the Church puts something official out on it to ban the usage, that’s a different story. But I don’t know of any such bans at the moment.

I will say, for myself those things seem to be more of a distraction for me than seeing people flip through pages of a missalette, hearing kids act up, etc. I think it’s because of the light on the screen - especially the blue lighted ones.

 

[Melchior_1]

LOL, true
and i would have to say sometimes its not money well spent
i had friends who had better shots at our wedding than the professional we hired

The fact is it’s distracting and takes away from the Liturgy…right?

Banned. No seriously, they should be banned from Church. Video cameras and still photography at weddings should be banned accordingly (I’m actually serious, someone tell me why these aren’t banned).

What else should be banned? SINGING. Nothing is more distracting than someone who can’t sing well in a congregation. They should just leave their voices at home. If they show up, they should shut up. Every time some people open their mouths it’s so much more distracting than any screen could ever be.

Cameras and singing banned. I should write my Bishop about this. And ban watches too. Watches are distracting. I mean, really! Who needs to look at their watch while at Church? If you can’t take the time out of your day to go to a whole Mass then you shouldn’t be there. Don’t check your watch to check the time, you have no need to.
(Of the above post I’m actually serious about watches and cameras. Some of the reasons people have gave in other posts can be used to justify not wearing a watch to keep track of time, nor should there be any photos taken at weddings. I wish I was serious about singing. Man, some people just need to keep quiet…but we can’t force them to).*

 

[Melchior_1]

For you and your wife, if it really is helpful - including for during your adoration chapel - and if you are good at not making it a distraction, I don’t see the problem with it. Of course, if the Church puts something official out on it to ban the usage, that’s a different story. But I don’t know of any such bans at the moment.

Your whole post is very sensible, I just wanted comment on this specifically. I’d go crazy if I couldn’t follow along with the Divine Mercy Chaplet on my MP3 player. It goes for about 20 minutes, which is 1/3 of the time I spend there a week (I’ve decided to try three 1 Hour installments). Keep in mind a minute to me feels is like an hour for others, so 20 minutes is a good chunk of change.

And I agree, if they ban devices from the Adoration Chapel that’s a different story. But they haven’t so I’m unlikely going to stop. Because I don’t wan to go crazy. I’m barely sane as it is!

 

[Sarabande]

The fact is it’s distracting and takes away from the Liturgy…right?

Banned. No seriously, they should be banned from Church. Video cameras and still photography at weddings should be banned accordingly (I’m actually serious, someone tell me why these aren’t banned).

Actually some of the parishes and Protestant churches I’ve freelanced in for weddings do ban photography and videography. Some also are not as stringent and will just ban flash photography. In addition there are many who do have guidelines as to where photographers and videographers are allowed to be during the mass so as to avoid distractions. The photographers/videographers hate it because they can’t get the perfect picture, but some of them can and have been really obnoxious where they situate themselves for the perfect shot - like being practically on top of the altar during the consecration, or climbing onto the organ bench while the organist is playing and almost knocking their hands or feet out of position.

 

[choy]

The fact is it’s distracting and takes away from the Liturgy…right?

Banned. No seriously, they should be banned from Church. Video cameras and still photography at weddings should be banned accordingly (I’m actually serious, someone tell me why these aren’t banned).

What else should be banned? SINGING. Nothing is more distracting than someone who can’t sing well in a congregation. They should just leave their voices at home. If they show up, they should shut up. Every time some people open their mouths it’s so much more distracting than any screen could ever be.

Cameras and singing banned. I should write my Bishop about this. And ban watches too. Watches are distracting. I mean, really! Who needs to look at their watch while at Church? If you can’t take the time out of your day to go to a whole Mass then you shouldn’t be there. Don’t check your watch to check the time, you have no need to.
(Of the above post I’m actually serious about watches and cameras. Some of the reasons people have gave in other posts can be used to justify not wearing a watch to keep track of time, nor should there be any photos taken at weddings. I wish I was serious about singing. Man, some people just need to keep quiet…but we can’t force them to).*

i’ve been to weddings where the priest instructs the photographers and “videographers” to turn the lights off during Consecration. and if they want to keep shooting, they better stay in place and not move abouts near the altar.

i wouldn’t say ban them, weddings are once in a lifetime occasion and we would like to keep a vivid memory of that through photos and video

 

[pnewton]

Indeed, we are adults. That’s why it’s important to interpret the catechism in the eyes of faith, fidelity, and in the spirit of prayer. If we’re on call, we are working. Period.

No it is not. Period. (as you say). You do not get hourly wages. You are not at your place of employment. You are not doing any activity job related. Two of us here have spent time on call and understand the difference. As to “interpreting” the Catechism, I just read it. I do not add to it or interpret it.
It is a requirement of our job, at that time/moment, for us to be 'available" to our employer and/or to our clients/customers/the general public (such as someone who works Emergency Services – a police officer, an EMT, etc.); therefore we are working and therefore we are not fully available to God. It is not your place to judge what others do. If you think you want to skip Mass when you are on call, that is your business. I have never heard such a thing. My priest does not expect such a thing.

Sunday Mass is a big deal, no question. Not only do I not disagree with that – if I am sick or otherwise unable to attend on a weekend, it is distressing to me personally, as weekdays do not adequately replace. That said, if my job literally required me to be on High Alert non-stop from late Saturday afternnon through late Sunday evening, every single weekend, I would see how I could negotiate possibly some variance for that permanent availability, for religious reasons. People in other religions do so.

The if you choose not to go, that is your business. I would be wrong to judge you for it, if that is how you understand your Sunday obligation. That is not my understanding. Since a pager or phone on silent is not banned, I have no issue with it. Perhaps you know of some document from the Church on this that I am unaware of?

In any case, a lifting of an oblilgation is a far cry from a ban from Mass attendence for those on call. Also, to say one can not be “fully available to God” while on call is not true. Location has nothing to do with availablity and openness to God. It is a matter of internal spirituality.

 

[pnewton]

And that would be their problem and quite possiblly their sin (passing judgement on another with out either the right to do so or the proper knowledge to do so).

That seems to be a common theme. As I said earlier, let us ask what the Church has said about this. Is there any encyclical, and document of any kind that addresses this issue. If not, it is a matter between that individual and the priest that is in charge of that parish. We must never go beyond what the Church teaches in our judgement of each other.

 

[Fae76]

And that would be their problem and quite possiblly their sin (passing judgement on another with out either the right to do so or the proper knowledge to do so).

Exactly, that’s what my priest meant. If someone is reading a book in adoration or before mass I assume it’s something concerning faith, but someone could have stuck Anna Karenina into a leather cover and be reading that

 

[Elizabeth502]

I would never, ever be interested in what anyone else is reading in church, inside or outside of an actual liturgy, unless it was distracting to others. And btw, I have never found something distracting to myself that was not also distracting to others – judging by the obvious redirection of attention and other body language evident in the pews. I could care less if someone is reading some text without viewable secular images, noiselessly inside a missal. Particularly if not right in front of my face. The issue rather is the qualitative difference between paper media and electronic media – the ability of the latter to project to a broader circle of viewers on account of the fact that it is an electronically lit device with moving images.

I agree that it is up to the pastor to decide church policy. I am so glad and relieved that all the parishes in my area have the good sense to put God first and to refuse to replace Him with electronics. I am going beyond the text value here. I am talking about his sacramental presence which is far more powerful than even the written, viewed paper page.

Peace to all.

 

[LilyM]

And that would be their problem and quite possiblly their sin (passing judgement on another with out either the right to do so or the proper knowledge to do so).

Proper knowledge? The people who do so don’t think they lack the proper knowledge. Far more simply, as far as they are aware if you’re looking at your iphone during Mass you must be doing something secular because as far as they’re aware there isn’t anything non-secular that you CAN do with an iphone.

I may lack proper knowledge and make decisions (and yes, judgements - not value judgements but assessments of behaviour which are perfectly fine to make) lacking knowledge. But it’s no sin or fault on my part unless I’m aware of my lack of knowledge so to speak. Like knowing I don’t have a medical degree and yet criticising my doctor, for example.

Making judgements? Well, I don’t do that. Like I said, a) I know better, I know there are apps that relate to Mass and prayer and b) I don’t know your circumstances in any event - maybe you really do have a sick relative or are on call for work and so have a legitimate reason.

I’m thinking of the fifteen-year-old kid who sees you, DOESN’T know better, and says to themselves ‘gee, that man/lady’s on their iPhone - they must be surfing the net or checking their emails, so I guess it’s OK for me to do those things in church too’.

Put it this way - I’ve SEEN kids with the iPods plugged into the ears in Mass. I can’t imagine they got the idea that it’s an OK thing to do any other way than by seeing other people also using electronic gizmos in Church.

 

[LilyM]

Exactly, that’s what my priest meant. If someone is reading a book in adoration or before mass I assume it’s something concerning faith, but someone could have stuck Anna Karenina into a leather cover and be reading that

Well, yes they could, of course, but the difference is people in general are far from ignorant of the existence of books concerning faith.

TOTALLY unlike the iPod apps concerning faith - of which the vast majority would still be highly ignorant.

So the likelihood of scandal being caused is immeasurably lessened by the fact of its being a book - people are much much less likely to (wrongly) assume scandalous things about you (and thus have their own faith weakened) if they see you reading a book in Church as opposed to your iPod.

Unfair but true. And as St Paul says we mustn’t put stumbling blocks in front of others, sometimes even when what we are doing IS perfectly OK. So IMHO we must take consideration of this general ignorance of Catholic and religious apps for the iPod, at least for a little while longer.

 

[choy]

a high-tech chuch would be great though

imagine if you can get hymns beamed to your iPhone a week or days in advance, you practice it, and when you get to church you can participate in singing

this would also save the parish a ton of money on bulletins (some parishes have started to make their bulletins available online via their websites in PDF format)

 

[marytk]

I think that a fifteen year old is more likely to know about “Catholic apps” than I am. Most kids I know have a greater appreciation for all kinds of uses of those devices.(good evil and all in between) I think it is the future. I only get a paper paper three days a week. I don’t have a hand held device but I bet I will some day and read my paper on it. I brought my "Christian Prayer Book with me on the school trip to DC It wasn’t good for it being in and out of my back pack. If I had a smart phone or the like I would have been thrilled to use that instead for my prayers. I am assuming that people will have the sound off or use an earphone if that is needed, (Maybe this is good for people with vision problems). I am easily distracted but when I first started regular adoration the woman who I “replaced” had some device she was taking notes in. I always assumed that she was using it as a prayer journal. I didn’t think about anything else.

 

[LilyM]

I think that a fifteen year old is more likely to know about “Catholic apps” than I am. Most kids I know have a greater appreciation for all kinds of uses of those devices.(good evil and all in between) I think it is the future. I only get a paper paper three days a week. I don’t have a hand held device but I bet I will some day and read my paper on it. I brought my "Christian Prayer Book with me on the school trip to DC It wasn’t good for it being in and out of my back pack. If I had a smart phone or the like I would have been thrilled to use that instead for my prayers. I am assuming that people will have the sound off or use an earphone if that is needed, (Maybe this is good for people with vision problems). I am easily distracted but when I first started regular adoration the woman who I “replaced” had some device she was taking notes in. I always assumed that she was using it as a prayer journal. I didn’t think about anything else.

A fifteen year old is far less likely to be interested in their faith. Thinking back to how I and my contemporaries were at that age, not to mention how my young nieces and nephews are now.

So I’d argue they’d have LESS of an appreciation for things faith-related in general, and so for Catholic or Christian apps in particular, than people who might be at least a little bit older.

 

[Elizabeth502]

No it is not… You do not get hourly wages. You are not at your place of employment. You are not doing any activity job related.

Yes you are. You are “listening” to two lines of communication at the same time. Doesn’t matter that you’re not getting hourly wages. You’re not more of an expert about this point just because you’re on call.

Also, to say one can not be “fully available to God” while on call is not true. Location has nothing to do with availablity and openness to God. It is a matter of internal spirituality.

And you’re not fully available to God, and “internally spiritual” if you have pagers, beepers, cell phones accessible enough that even checking them is an issue while in God’s presence. I can understand situations (our pediatricians used to do this often) where someone is on call but their phone is off and not checked while they’re fully engaged doing something else. Our pediatricians never returned calls immediately. Typically they would be out enjoying a meal at a restaurant. After the meal was over they would check to see if a patient’s family had called. Then they would address the issue. Until then they were fully present to their dinner guests. I can see leaving a pager or cell phone in one’s car during Mass, or totally off and not visible during Mass, and checking it afterwards. I don’t see an excuse for anything else.