It bothers me that the Priest uses a microphone

[WingsOfEagles]

OK, but allow me to extrapolate that thought a little further…

What if the priest were permitted to use an iPad or similar device to read the Gospel and the Eucharistic Prayer?

I suspect most people are fine with the microphones because we are used to them. But if “available technology” (i.e., mobile devices) were allowed at the altar, I can picture everyone screaming bloody murder.

Just trying to stir the pot

I think there could come a day when we use an iPad/Nook etc. in place of books.

 

[ProVobis]

I suspect most people are fine with the microphones because we are used to them. But if “available technology” (i.e., mobile devices) were allowed at the altar, I can picture everyone screaming bloody murder.

Personally I like and use the captions on my TV screen. Wouldn’t know what to do without them.

 

[CB_Catholic]

Of all the things to complain about….

 

[Elizabeth502]

What if the priest were permitted to use an iPad or similar device to read the Gospel and the Eucharistic Prayer?

I don’t know about the priest per se I would think electronic tablets at the altar is taking it far afield. (I’m waiting for the puns about “tablets.” )

However, at our student Mass, the students sometimes bring their smartphones to the lecturn to deliver student announcements after Mass. It is very efficient and non-distracting: they use the memo feature and rattle off the announcements in record time.

 

[tafan]

I think there could come a day when we use an iPad/Nook etc. in place of books.

I do not think this will ever happen at the altar or ambo. But for the laity, it’s already here. I see people everyday ( except Sunday mass) who use an app on their iPhone as a missal at daily mass. I see nothing wrong with it.

As to the complaints of priests using microphones: give me a break, go find another battle to fight.

 

[MaryT777]

And think of all the people who it would be bothered if they could not hear the priest.

I have never understood this. We have the technology now that will allow a priest to be heard, why not use it? I have exceptional hearing, I joke about being able to hear a pin drop on the carpet, but nothing annoys more me that hearing the muffled words of a priest without a microphone, or with a mic/soundsytem that is not working properly. It reminds me of the way the adults speak in the 'Peanuts" cartoons.

Lol!!! How about the teacher in Peanuts? Wah Wah Wah Wah Wah Wah.
Mary.

 

[Netty1]

Is the OP talking about the personal microphone (a “wired” priest)?

In “olden days,” haha, or in older churches, priests stood at lecturns where there were definitely microphones. (And there are still lecturns in every Catholic Church I have ever visited.) They stood there static, and preached – actually usually read, verbatim – either from notes, or they read a complete homily/sermon.

Now many priests, if not most, have the option of a “portable” microphone. I have noticed that overwhelmingly it has freed priests to be more dynamic in their preaching. Without having to carry a microphone, they can move around and their voice can project throughout the Church. I think it has improved preaching.

One could simply stand at the lecturn. (And some still do – even “wired”) But now they have the option of a fixed-place homily or one which allows them to move their bodies. **Some priests are very expressive (using their arms and hands a lot to emphasize points). I think it has encouraged a non-dependence on notes (for those who choose that), and more engaged homilies. I think the movement also encourages interest by the congregation. ** (That’s just what I’ve observed anyway.)

I agree. We have a very young and dynamic priest who is “wired” with a personal mic and the facility makes him very mobile and engaging. He’s also very expressive with his hands too which often helps him illustrate the points in his homily. He has also been known to step down off the sanctuary and preach close up to the congregation. Believe me, no-one nods off in his homilies!

I would not like to see his vibrancy stilled by being stuck in one spot to use a static mic and we do need mics in our church. Though old, the acoustics are not of the best and one cannot hear at the back. It may have been different when the church was built and had original stone and wood floors, but it now carpeted and this seems to swallow sound.

Have to admit when I attend Mass in a church without a mic’d priest I get a little frustrated when I cannot hear what he is saying in the homily. The rest of the Mass I know what is happening and can rely on well-practiced habit to guide me, but in the homily this is the only part where it is never know what is going to be said beforehand.

 

[DaveBj]

I propone that the acoustics in a basilica style church are good enough to pray without the use of speakers. Is the microphone necessary?

Of all the things to complain about….

If this is the worst problem the OP has, he is living a very blessed life.

 

[Used2beSherryG]

You must be blessed with excellent hearing! many people are not so lucky. I am one of those people who needs all the help I can get. I appreciate amplification so I don’t miss anything important. If it really bothers you, offer it up for those who need help of any kind…

 

[EasterJoy]

I go to a Mass in a very small chapel, and the priest uses a microphone because if he doesn’t, the old people can’t hear him. It is fine to say a microphone “ruins the atmosphere” or something like that, but you don’t get that sentiment from people who are hard of hearing.

Having said that, modern technology allows speakers project in such a way that the sound near the speaker is not a great deal louder than the sound quite a bit farther from it. If the speakers in your church are old, it may be time for the technology to be caught up to what is possible. It is not as if money for technology is something the faithful withhold from themselves in other spheres of life. (I am fine with going simple for the sake of the poor, but it irks me when liturgy is the last place people want to be generous, instead of the first. Let the home and personal technologies be simple, and give THAT money to the poor!)

 

[tabycat]

Is the OP talking about the personal microphone (a “wired” priest)?

In “olden days,” haha, or in older churches, priests stood at lecturns where there were definitely microphones. (And there are still lecturns in every Catholic Church I have ever visited.) They stood there static, and preached – actually usually read, verbatim – either from notes, or they read a complete homily/sermon.

Now many priests, if not most, have the option of a “portable” microphone. I have noticed that overwhelmingly it has freed priests to be more dynamic in their preaching. Without having to carry a microphone, they can move around and their voice can project throughout the Church. I think it has improved preaching.

One could simply stand at the lecturn. (And some still do – even “wired”) But now they have the option of a fixed-place homily or one which allows them to move their bodies. Some priests are very expressive (using their arms and hands a lot to emphasize points). I think it has encouraged a non-dependence on notes (for those who choose that), and more engaged homilies. I think the movement also encourages interest by the congregation. (That’s just what I’ve observed anyway.)

 

[SMHW]

I can understand mics for the readings and homily, but when they’re used for the whole liturgy I don’t like the atmosphere it tends to create. I understand the reasons for it, I just don’t like it.

This statement kind of begs a question.

Does this mean that you consider it unimportant that people hear and understand the words other than the readings and homily? I ask because some people DON’T think it matters. I am of the opinion that it is not absolutely necessary that people can hear the priest’s words but at least for the ordinary form it is considered a* very good thing*** if the people can hear the priest’s words (with just a few exceptions.)

 

[tabycat]

If this is the worst problem the OP has, he is living a very blessed life.

 

[Tighty_Whitey]

No microphone, hmmm…

“Blessed are the cheesemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”

“What’s so special about the cheesemakers???”

“Don’t be an idiot, of course he means any manufacturer of dairy products!”

 

[EasterJoy]

No microphone, hmmm…

“Blessed are the cheesemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”

“What’s so special about the cheesemakers???”

“Don’t be an idiot, of course he means any manufacturer of dairy products!”

Very funny, except that it is so true! (So I guess it is both!)

Seriously, though, life is frustrating enough when you’re hard of hearing. It would be silly to use a microphone for just the homily and the readings, and turn if off for everything else that everyone else in the church can hear just fine.

I do object when the priest doesn’t turn his microphone off while singing, and drowns out the choir. Another time, I was at a wedding when the priest presented the bride and groom and then, neglecting to turn off his microphone, muttered, “OK, now let’s get out of here!”

 

[Tighty_Whitey]

Very funny, except that it is so true! (So I guess it is both!)

Seriously, though, life is frustrating enough when you’re hard of hearing. It would be silly to use a microphone for just the homily and the readings, and turn if off for everything else that everyone else in the church can hear just fine.

I do object when the priest doesn’t turn his microphone off while singing, and drowns out the choir. Another time, I was at a wedding when the priest presented the bride and groom and then, neglecting to turn off his microphone, muttered, “OK, now let’s get out of here!”

Totally agree, there are lots of people that are hard of hearing. Personally I don’t understand why everyone seems to be talk more softly every year I get older.

 

[surritter]

I do not think this will ever happen at the altar or ambo. But for the laity, it’s already here. I see people everyday ( except Sunday mass) who use an app on their iPhone as a missal at daily mass. I see nothing wrong with it.

As to the complaints of priests using microphones: give me a break, go find another battle to fight.

But this illustrates my point. Why is it “give me a break” when the OP asks about microphones, but electronic tablets (used officially within the Mass) are a legitimate concern?

 

[WingsOfEagles]

But this illustrates my point. Why is it “give me a break” when the OP asks about microphones, but electronic tablets (used officially within the Mass) are a legitimate concern?

Probably just the concern that the tablets and phones have the capacity to do other things. I personally do believe that it is new technology that will eventually be accepted in place of traditional books. However, a mic can only do one task, amplify the person who is speaking.

 

[HoosMommie]

Of all the things to complain about….

Thank you.

 

[Cat]

The OP is 24 years old. Someday…and that day will come faster than he ever imagined…the OP will remember that he posted this thread, and feel ashamed of himself.

My 75-year-old father-in-law, who is not Catholic, often attends missions and other special presentations at our parish. He hooks into the sound system and listens through an earbud, as he is not able to hear the priest even if the priest uses a microphone. Protestant churches have been using this technology for decades…

…ooooh, now I get it! Microphones in church are a Protestant innovation. (Just like coat racks.)

I think there are some people who just feel out-of-place in a “modern” world, and they want to go back in time. Fine, as long as they don’t take the rest of us along with them.