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Jimdandy
Guest
Pray for your priest-some people with chronic pain are grouchy-but whatever the reason, he is Christ’s representative and you need him.
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WingsOfEagles
Guest
I’m sorry you had this experience. It’s too bad that you are probably one of the devoted few there way before Mass to pray and rosary and you got barked out. I might calmly ask the priest if you could sit down and meet with him at some point and discuss calmly how hurt you were by this. He may just not be tech savvy at all. He probably would have no issue if you had a hard copy of a rosary book out. He probably just doesn’t understand that these types of books can be on a phone now. His reaction to children in church is also troubling.
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Mintaka
Guest
People should maybe keep their phones in a special box or book-like cover at church, for greater decorum. That might prevent misunderstandings.
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WingsOfEagles
Guest
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superamazingman
Guest
That way we can text our bffs from a special box instead of a phone?
Honestly, I think that wouldn’t really help. A phone is a phone, for better or for worse.
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TrueLight
Guest
What will you all do, when 10 years from now the Gospel is read from a large tablet computer? 
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AHapka
Guest
I was 100% on your side until you disobeyed by taking it back out.
What if your child, whom you had given instructions to not to play with his (insert name of educational toy) stopped only until you left the room? How would you feel?
Eating a piece of fruit is not sinful. That’s not what got Adam and Eve in trouble. The sin was disobedience. That’s a sin.
Personally, he stands in Persona Christi. Our Church has put him in charge of that parish. We obey him when it is not a sin to do so. Putting a phone away is not a sin, so we should just do it.
Now, onto the way he treats the kids and parents with kids. That’s a different issue. Even if he is wrong in that issue (and I’m not saying he is, since I don’t have both sides here), that has nothing to do with this issue. That is something you are more than welcome to take up with his superior (the Bishop), and let him investigate.
Let’s play devil’s advocate here, and assume he is wrong with the parents with kids…that still does not abrogate his authority to tell you not to use a phone for any purpose (even prayer) in his parish. If he’s wrong on that, he will be having a discussion with Jesus about it after he dies. If he’s right, then no harm done.
But we need to be like a court of law…handle this issue before us…and not judge him based on other situations.
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eanava
Guest
As the OP, I’d like to thank everyone for their time, thoughts and replies. While I may not agree with some of the suggestions, I appreciate and respect all views. Maybe I will make myself a custom prayer booklet and get it laminated. I probably won’t bother my bishop just yet, as I suspect issues have already been raised, according to other parishioners. But if I don’t see an effort on the part of the priest to manage his temper, then I’ll hit send on my email to the bishop.
I’d like to clarify a few things. This priest is not the pastor of my church. My parish has several priests and this one is neither the pastor nor the pastor emeritus. My parish offers several masses on Sunday, every hour, 7am through 1pm. I enjoy attending the morning mass led by my pastor emeritus (the same one who catechized me decades ago). But I also enjoy the 5:30pm mass because it occurs after a 3 hour break, so there are no parishioners exiting; the place is empty, and very peaceful. In other words, there’s no one else there! There’s no one around for me to “disturb”!
But even if there were others there, I don’t understand how someone silently reading from their phone, before mass, is a distraction. This, to me, says something about the person claiming to be distracted. When I’m in contemplative prayer, nothing disturbs me, well, except for grumpy pokes on my shoulder!
Cider:
A couple of folks mentioned in their replies that they avoid phone usage out of worry of what others might think. I don’t concern myself with what others think. I use my catholic apps everywhere I go, in front of my co-workers, before mass, around my kids, among believers and non-believers. In fact, I absolutely intend to pique the curiosity of others, both in and around church or otherwise. It might be a stretch but wouldn’t it be cool if that “piqued curiosity”, flourished into a full blown conversion or reversion!
AHapka:
I’d like to clarify a few things. This priest is not the pastor of my church. My parish has several priests and this one is neither the pastor nor the pastor emeritus. My parish offers several masses on Sunday, every hour, 7am through 1pm. I enjoy attending the morning mass led by my pastor emeritus (the same one who catechized me decades ago). But I also enjoy the 5:30pm mass because it occurs after a 3 hour break, so there are no parishioners exiting; the place is empty, and very peaceful. In other words, there’s no one else there! There’s no one around for me to “disturb”!
But even if there were others there, I don’t understand how someone silently reading from their phone, before mass, is a distraction. This, to me, says something about the person claiming to be distracted. When I’m in contemplative prayer, nothing disturbs me, well, except for grumpy pokes on my shoulder!
I disagree. I think the fact that I use my iPhone for something like prayer is actually setting a very good example IMHO, especially to my children. My 15 year old, 13 year old and little 5 year old see me using my iPhone to pray on a daily basis and when possible we pray as a family – using my iPhone. I own hard copy versions of catholic bibles, the catechism and a library of prayer books. And I could certainly bring the hard copy versions of these resources to mass with me, but the form factor of my iPhone is much more efficient; ability to enlarge the print for my old tired eyes is a major plus.
A couple of folks mentioned in their replies that they avoid phone usage out of worry of what others might think. I don’t concern myself with what others think. I use my catholic apps everywhere I go, in front of my co-workers, before mass, around my kids, among believers and non-believers. In fact, I absolutely intend to pique the curiosity of others, both in and around church or otherwise. It might be a stretch but wouldn’t it be cool if that “piqued curiosity”, flourished into a full blown conversion or reversion!
Obedience was a common theme in several replies. I certainly appreciate the feedback, but I tend to disagree. I think the priest should have first asked me what I was doing on the phone. I believe he should have tried to be more respectful of my prayer time. While I understand that he is a priest at my parish and stands in Persona Christi, he’s still just an ordinary human being with faults. He should have excused the disruption and quietly asked me what I was doing. I would have been more than happy and eager to show him and educate him. With regard to the analogy - to me, it doesn’t fit quite well; “playing with educational toys” is vastly different from being in a state of contemplative prayer. Fortunately, this priest has never had any reason to approach me about my children because I’m among the lucky few who has been blessed with calm kids. They aren’t perfect, but they respect the church, enjoy mass and have a solid understanding of why we are there – the Eucharist. When I think about this priest’s approach, his mood swings and his attitude, it’s just a huge disappointment to me. I teach my kids to respect and obey the priests, but I also teach them to realize that priests are only human, they make mistakes and it’s ok to call them on it.
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Tighty_Whitey
Guest
Priest are given great influence and power. Very few of them actually understand this and some of them that do understand this abuse it. I think that you’ve got this type on your hands. Time to pray for him, for more vocations to the priesthood and to promote the use of smartphones in your parrish so this Priest can join this century.
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Cathryn
Guest
Pastors are given the authority to teach, to sanctify, and to govern their parish. If they want a no iPhone use in the church, it is their call. We should respect their authority to govern their parish.
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WingsOfEagles
Guest
There was no basis in Catholicism for the Pastor to not want someone using his Rosary app. The Pastor was making an assumption that the parishioner was just fooling around because he is old and behind the times. That’s my opinion anyway.
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TEPO
Guest
My dad uses his smart phone in Church for prayer purposes before Mass. He lives in a retirement community and most of the other parishioners are retired too. I don’t think anyone has ever said anything to him, but if I know my dad, I’m sure he does it purposely for some strange reason that only he knows. 
Personally, I prefer to stare in the direction of the cross or the tabernacle when praying in Church.
Personally, I prefer to stare in the direction of the cross or the tabernacle when praying in Church.
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TEPO
Guest
So the Priest ordered the OP to stop praying the rosary in GOD’s Church, and this is good…?
well, it may not have been a sin, but it’s not good to leave prayers unfinished in my opinion.If I ordered my kids to not pray in Church, I wouldnt think God would be upset with them if they disobeyed me.
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Rhuarc
Guest
There is something seriously wrong with that priest if he has the audacity to tell families with children to leave. Does he not understand how hard it is to just go to mass when you have kids? It is priests like that that make people fall away from the Church.
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superamazingman
Guest
No one said he couldn’t pray. The pastor said he couldn’t use his phone to pray.
And as his/her pastor, the OP owes him obedience.
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TEPO
Guest
Does they laity really owe our Priests “obedience”? I was never taught that growing up, although I was always taught to give Monsignor full respect and courtesy. But obedience is a strong word, one that I’m not quite sure is accurate.
Personally, I would have not pulled the phone back out, but that’s just how I was raised. It’s less of a big deal if the OP pulled his phone back out and actually continued in prayer. This is respectful and courteous to our Lord. Obedience is reserved primarily for God Himself. This is what I believe to be true.
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eanava
Guest
Again, this priest wasn’t the pastor. I wrote a fairly long post on page 2 of this thread to clarify a few items.
TIPO:
Yes, I took my phone back out and proceeded to immerse myself back into contemplative prayer.
Btw, I scheduled a meeting with my Monsignor where I plan to ask him his view on iPhone usage before mass. I know him quite well, he sees me all the time praying on my phone and if I look up he simply smiles and waves. Regardless, if he instructs me not to use it anymore, then I won’t.
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TEPO
Guest
I think you’re making good decisions. You did what you thought was right, and as much as I feel like its important for the laity to respect our Priests, it’s also important to defend the Truth and to do what’s right for God and for our salvation. Good for you, eanava…
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agnes_therese
Guest
We owe our pastors obedience in some areas. But in how we pray the Rosary before Mass? when it’s not disturbing anyone else? I disagree.
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englishredrose
Guest
Sorry
I understand where you are coming from and I understand the priest too
You are using the phone for the prayers. All the prayers can be found elsewhere
The priest may know you are using the phone for the prayers
But someone may have complained to him about you using the phone in church not knowing it for prayers
If people see you fiddling with a phone then thats all they see. that you are fiddling with a phone in church.
you do not need the phone for the rosary etc. all of which can be found elsewhere.
I can understand you being upset about his approach and if he done that to me on a wrong day then he would have had a lot more to worry about than a member using a phone in church. A lot more believe you me. of which I have even used my phone in church before the service to email the priest himself of which I knew he wouldn’t get it a lot later that day but that was irrelevent to my need at that time… no one told me off for fully using the phone but then I was in the choir that week and only two people could see me. The following week I was in the vestry and didn’t have the need anyway and all he did was be there for me till I corrected what I meant by ‘okay’. But if I thought it was disturbing others I would do so differently… escape to the loo per se. People do get irate about phones in church and you may have disturbed others. Who be thinking you were texting or emailing as indeed I was even if I thought at the time a ligitimate reason.
The only time my priest needed to correct me in anything he allowed me room to be me (later since it was seconds before the service began) and been very understanding but not all priests are like that I know. We always feel sore when a priest challenges us and its against what we think
Yeh, be upset about it but he has a point. You don’t need it in church. You don’t actually need it for rosary. its just a gadget at the end of the day. Someone may have complained to him about it. If you are really mythed then arrange a time to speak to him one to one about how upset you were etc. Don’t refer to his other faults. Just simply how you are feeling.
I understand where you are coming from and I understand the priest too
You are using the phone for the prayers. All the prayers can be found elsewhere
The priest may know you are using the phone for the prayers
But someone may have complained to him about you using the phone in church not knowing it for prayers
If people see you fiddling with a phone then thats all they see. that you are fiddling with a phone in church.
you do not need the phone for the rosary etc. all of which can be found elsewhere.
I can understand you being upset about his approach and if he done that to me on a wrong day then he would have had a lot more to worry about than a member using a phone in church. A lot more believe you me.
of which I have even used my phone in church before the service to email the priest himself of which I knew he wouldn’t get it a lot later that day but that was irrelevent to my need at that time… no one told me off for fully using the phone but then I was in the choir that week and only two people could see me. The following week I was in the vestry and didn’t have the need anyway and all he did was be there for me till I corrected what I meant by ‘okay’. But if I thought it was disturbing others I would do so differently… escape to the loo per se. People do get irate about phones in church and you may have disturbed others. Who be thinking you were texting or emailing as indeed I was even if I thought at the time a ligitimate reason.The only time my priest needed to correct me in anything he allowed me room to be me (later since it was seconds before the service began) and been very understanding but not all priests are like that I know. We always feel sore when a priest challenges us and its against what we think
Yeh, be upset about it but he has a point. You don’t need it in church. You don’t actually need it for rosary. its just a gadget at the end of the day. Someone may have complained to him about it. If you are really mythed then arrange a time to speak to him one to one about how upset you were etc. Don’t refer to his other faults. Just simply how you are feeling.
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