It bothers me that the Priest uses a microphone

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The advantage of electrical votive candles is no fire hazard and no smoke, which can stain nearby surfaces. As can the wax.
 
johnmann said:
Mics: Yes, if it helps people hear. No for choirs. Consider speaker placement. I hate sitting next to a speaker.

iPads: Yes for everything except the missal, lectionary, and Book of Gospels. Seems like a wise policy.

Candles: Electric lights are forbidden for liturgical use. It’s not like there’s much of an advantage with electric lights for such limited use. Churches use electric votive candles which I don’t like only because they’re so obviously imitation flames.

Projectors: Discouraged though they’re often used in poorer countries that don’t have missalettes for people to follow. I have no problem with it as a missalette and hymnal substitute and as an aid during homilies. No for any other use during Mass.

Organs: Some swear by pipe organs. I have no problems with digital.

Music: May not be pre-recorded. I would have no objections if pre-recorded instrumentals were allowed. The singing should be live though.

Incense: There are electric ones that don’t require charcoal. I’m not sure it’s worth it but I’m fine with it. I joked elsewhere that we can replace the incense itself with water vapor. I’m not sure how practical that is but I’d have no problems with it.
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No mics for a choir!!! This is nonsense.

Perhaps if you are in an older church building that was well-designed, or in a newer building designed to have good acoustics, but many of us are in a box or in a clamshell. Clamshells are especially horrid for acoustics (we have one, and it’s awful).

I see no point to even having a choir for Catholic Mass unless they are miked, unless, of course, the choir does everything in Latin. If this is the case, either the people in the pews understand the songs because they have learned enough liturgical Latin to understand most pieces of music, or the people in the pews don’t understand and so it really doesn’t matter that they can’t hear the choir.

The problem with Catholic church sound systems is that they are usually junk. Mr. Microphone kid stuff. That’s why some people find miked sound in Mass so annoying–because they are listening to a piece of junk.

I personally suspect that unscrupulous companies take advantage of Catholic churches because they are naive about amplified sound, and because the faithful believe that paying too much for mere “sound” would be sinful as long as there are poor people who need the money for basic necessities. So the companies con Catholic churches. They move a few speakers around, put in a new mike or two, crank up the volume, and tell the Catholic parish, NOW you’ll have great sound. Praise the Lord and pass us the fee.

I also think that some Catholics actually equate amplified sound with worldliness. That’s obvious from this thread. Because of their objections, Catholic churches are hesitant to buy anything new. It just seems so “unnecessary.” After all, we’ve done without sound for 2000 years. Amplified sound is a Protestant innovation, dad gum it. :rolleyes:

I’ve been in many Protestant churches, and the sound is always excellent, even in giant amphitheaters. I would like to suggest that the Catholic Church in the U.S. consult with Protestant churches about who did their sound system, and then hire those good companies who actually know what they’re doing.
 
Cat said:
I think that perhaps we all need to turn down our “it bothers me” meter when we attend Mass–and I’m including myself in that exhortation. I’m guessing that the people in countries where Catholics are persecuted and arrested for practicing their faith would look at us in disbelief (and probably disgust) if we tell them what bothers us about our Masses. I’ve seen people on CAF post that “it bothers them” when people drape their arms over the back of the pews during Mass. Or that “it bothers them” when people wear flip flops or tennis shoes instead of dress shoes. Oh, brother! I’m guessing that some people overseas would answer the question, “What bothers me during Mass?” by saying, “It bothers me when government-sanctioned soldiers march into our Mass and shoot people.”
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As someone who sometimes falls into the “in bothers me” category, I appreciate the reminder. Thanks!
👍
 
johnmann said:
Organs: Some swear by pipe organs. I have no problems with digital.
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Our priest (jokingly!) praised our new organ because it can generate “applause” sounds - he said, our organist could feel free to use that after any of his homilies, but the “raspberry” sound effect he felt was completely unneeded 😃
 
johnmann said:
I’m completely fine with mics but speaker placement bothers me sometimes. If I’m right next to a speaker, it’s distracting. The sound should come from the direction of the altar/lectern.

Choirs, on the other hand, shouldn’t need mics.
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Are you kidding. I am a musician in my small mission church and believe me, when our microphones don’t work everyone complains that they can’t hear the choir. I really can’t not relate to your problem at all.
 
I suppose it’s possible for a choir to be too soft without mics but in my experience that’s rarely the case. More often than not, they’re just singing too softly.
 
Carolus_Martell said:
I pretty much agree with the OP…although I suppose with the the priestly community getting older and frail there can be exceptions.
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Have you done any public speaking? Unless a person was born with a tremendous voice and has been trained to project that voice, he will not be heard beyond the first 4 pews. What about the people who are hard of hearing? Surely you don’t believe that they should be denied the ability to hear the prayers.
 
HelenRose said:
Have you done any public speaking? Unless a person was born with a tremendous voice and has been trained to project that voice, he will not be heard beyond the first 4 pews. What about the people who are hard of hearing? Surely you don’t believe that they should be denied the ability to hear the prayers.
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or in my parish, those who sit in the daily chapel or in the gathering space for spill over seating.
 
johnmann said:
I suppose it’s possible for a choir to be too soft without mics but in my experience that’s rarely the case. More often than not, they’re just singing too softly.
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One of the most important parts of music is dynamics. Piano > Forte. Forte > piano. Soft music to be sung softly and gently. Dynamic music with gusto. I don’t think you would be pleased with “Ave Maria” being sung and the top of my voice through out the whole song.
 
HelenRose said:
Have you done any public speaking? Unless a person was born with a tremendous voice and has been trained to project that voice, he will not be heard beyond the first 4 pews. What about the people who are hard of hearing? Surely you don’t believe that they should be denied the ability to hear the prayers.
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I still can’t believe this is even being debated. In my parish, the daily chapel and in some instances, the gathering space is used for spill over seating. I couldn’t imagine not being able to hear the Mass (readings, homily, etc.) and hymns in those areas.
 
tritcher1988 said:
I propone that the acoustics in a basilica style church are good enough to pray without the use of speakers. Is the microphone necessary?
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I wish this was the biggest issue that we had to worry about. I do not see the problem with a priest using a microphone.
 
I still can’t believe this is even being debated. In my parish, the daily chapel and in some instances, the gathering space is used for spill over seating. I couldn’t imagine not being able to hear the Mass (readings, homily, etc.) and hymns in those areas.

Yes, there are mics for the choir and honestly didn’t think that people would have an issue with the Priest or choir using a mic :rolleyes:
 
garn9173 said:
I still can’t believe this is even being debated. In my parish, the daily chapel and in some instances, the gathering space is used for spill over seating. I couldn’t imagine not being able to hear the Mass (readings, homily, etc.) and hymns in those areas.

Yes, there are mics for the choir and honestly didn’t think that people would have an issue with the Priest or choir using a mic :rolleyes:
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Yeh, so there! 😃
 
HelenRose said:
One of the most important parts of music is dynamics. Piano > Forte. Forte > piano. Soft music to be sung softly and gently. Dynamic music with gusto. I don’t think you would be pleased with “Ave Maria” being sung and the top of my voice through out the whole song.
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Ave Maria is a solo. Solos can benefit from mics. But when the entire choir is chanting the Gloria, I think it’s harder to justify the need for mics.
 
johnmann said:
Ave Maria is a solo. Solos can benefit from mics. But when the entire choir is chanting the Gloria, I think it’s harder to justify the need for mics.
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Choirs differ in sizes. In a small church such as ours ,we have three to six members in the choir sometimes more but not often. You have no idea what the problems are in churches. It would be nice if we could afford a basilica with wonderfully engineered accoustics in my little Western Colorado community. As it is, we deal with what we have. The Morman Tabernacle Choir can pull it off but most churche choirs can not.

There is really nothing more distracting in a service than to have some one from the back of the Church call out, “WE CAN’T HEAR YOU!” And believe me, it has happened and will happen if people can not hear what is going on.
 
Personally, I think we are beating a dead horse. I am going to go on to more sensible debates.
 
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