Kneelers in Church - a rant

[Cat]

Honestly I like the kneeler noise. It’s the sound of everyone bowing to the miracle of the Consecration. Plus it’s just something I’m used to hearing after the Sanctus ends.

That is so beautiful. I’ll remember this from now on. Thanks for such a nice observation.

 

[Armenian_cpa]

I, and most of you, too, are human beings. Am I correct here?

We slip. We trip. We cough and sneeze and belch and sometimes, heavens forbid, we fart.

Our knees and hips and shoulders and wrists hurt, so we wriggle about in our pew trying to find a position that doesn’t hurt us. We try leaving the kneeler down, but it hurts, so we put it up and down.

We drop the kneeler. Our children drop the kneeler, sometimes even on purpose because they are little children and like the loud boom and because of their immature child-brain, don’t quite comprehend yet that it annoys another people to the point where they actually have to start a thread on CAF to complain about it.

Honestly, this thread just makes me ill. I refuse to apologize for being created a frail and clumsy human being with a body that doesn’t always do what I want it to do, and if some of you can’t handle that your fellow human beings aren’t perfect, well, then why don’t you…well, I don’t know what to tell you to do. Stay away from me. Get real and wait until you get to heaven to start expecting etherealness from yourselve and from everyone around you.

Sorry to be so crabby. I just find this thread and some of the posts sickening and judgemental.

If it annoys you that much, leave it at the altar with Jesus and ask HIM to convict those awful people who can’t seem to go to Mass without making some kind of distracting noise.

Well not trying to be judgmental, but your forgiven for all. But how about teaching the children some respect for others and the Lord. It seems today children never get corrected, I know I was corrected and I try to correct mine!!!

 

[Rickwood]

I was just wondering, why does it have to sound like Chinese New Year with the firecrackers going off after the Sanctus when everyone kneels? We (quietly!) place the kneeler in position as soon as we enter the pew, and it stays down until people are moving for communion. It doesn’t seem difficult.

But regularly there’s a 5-10 second interruption of Mass with banging kneelers. Was it always this way? Comments?

Because it has been that way in many places for a very long time and people lose sight that it’s actually a poor practice.

 

[Cat]

Well not trying to be judgmental, but your forgiven for all. But how about teaching the children some respect for others and the Lord. It seems today children never get corrected, I know I was corrected and I try to correct mine!!!

Of course we should correct our children when they do something that is childish (not wrong, just childish).

And we should not be surprised when they don’t remember our correction and continue the childish behavior. After all, they’re children. It takes a while for the correction to sink in and become established in the child’s behavior pattern.

I suppose the next complaint will be from people who are distracted when parents whisper to correct their children who are letting the kneeler fall during Mass.

Again, it’s too bad that I’m so crabby. But this topic rankles. Human beings make noise, especially when there are lot of us crowded together.

The noise in Mass is good for our soul. Rather than wishing that the rest of the world would cow-tow to our desire for absolutely silence, we need to learn how to concentrate on the Lord and not be distracted by all that is going on around us. The noises give us the opportunity to learn this discipline.

Frankly, when the statistics show that 70% of Catholics do not attend Mass, I think we should rejoice over each and every noisy person that is sitting in Mass! Be careful what you wish for–you want silence? Well, when no one but you is coming to Mass, it will be silent. Very silent.

 

[Armenian_cpa]

Not the point…

The point is many parents do not even try to teach… I never would mind a gentle correction… but it does seem many parents make excuses when there should be none… unless the child is handicapped… seems you are a bit too sensitive on this matter??

 

[Armenian_cpa]

yes we should be happy you attend but the responsibility does not stop there (i should be crabby since i had shoulder surgery today and have to use my left hand…)

but this attitude of me and not others is something we all need to remember… now i at times can be selfish… Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me a sinner ‘’'is not this a good time to teach a child to think of others?.. and sorry most children can learn this but it takes discipline on the adults part

 

[Phemie]

I was just wondering, why does it have to sound like Chinese New Year with the firecrackers going off after the Sanctus when everyone kneels? We (quietly!) place the kneeler in position as soon as we enter the pew, and it stays down until people are moving for communion. It doesn’t seem difficult.

But regularly there’s a 5-10 second interruption of Mass with banging kneelers. Was it always this way? Comments?

I was probably always that way in parishes that had kneelers that could be raised. I grew up in a parish where kneelers weren’t affixed to the pews so that sound wasn’t a problem.

As for leaving them in place, that’s my choice since I’m short and like to rest my feet on them but my tall friends always raise them after their prayers before Mass.

Having read the other posts it seems I should be apologizing for putting my feet on the kneelers. I didn’t grow up with padded kneelers and resting our feet on a bare plank was no different from putting them on the floor – the plank was easier for our short legs to reach.

 

[AMDGtoo]

Was it always this way?

Not in my memory. The nuns would certainly not have allowed any noise but their “clickers” telling us kids when to kneel, sit, or stand–when I was growing up, children went to a Children’s Mass with their classmates and teachers (the sisters). Kneelers had to be raised and lowered quietly (and since they were actually used quite a bit in Mass–they were simply left in the down position from the moment we entered the pew until our departure. (It was briefly and quietly–no kicking–raised to allow those receiving Communion to do so and return.) No whispering was allowed either. And if we as kids tried to rest our bottoms on the seat while we knelt, we could expect the sister to firmly reposition us into the proper knelling position.

 

[lak611]

Thank God your people are kneeling for the Consecration.

I also lower the kneeler at the beginning of Mass, after everyone is in the pew, and then just leave it there until it’s time to go up for Holy Communion. But I know what you mean, with people thumping the kneelers up and down. It can be annoying.

It all depends on the space in the pew. In my church, it is uncomfortable to stand with the kneeler down. I lower it during the Sanctus, but I discreetly place my foot under it and lower it without making any noise. Then I am ready to kneel for the Eucharistic Prayer.

 

[lak611]

and why do people lift the kneeler up after the Amen for the OF, when they are just going to lower them in a minute for the fraction?

In my diocese, we are done kneeling after the Amen. We stand from that point until after Communion is finished. Then we sit after the tabernacle is closed.