Message on projection screens during collection

[TheRealJuliane]

I am not saying that the pastor did not know what he was doing. I simply said that if you bring it up with him he might look at the scenario one more time and hopefully change his style. Sometime bringing up things in a charitable manner is giving the little nudge that people need in order to change. If you do that the priest can rationalize the whole thing and say to himself that he his changing what he is doing not because he is wrong (maybe nobody understood him) but because some people might be offended.

If the entire parish got together as one, and went to tell him that this is not on, he would shrug and say “Well, I think it is a good move.” He is one of the most immovable people I have ever heard of. He does what he thinks is right to do, no matter who opposes him, and no matter what the end result is. I know that he means well, and that he truly cares about the parish. But more people will leave because of this message.

 

[Ophelia23]

The projection equipment was donated several years ago by a parishioner. That is where the lyrics to hymns and our responses (Our Father, Creed, etc.) are put up. Our new pews have no hymn book holders on the back of the pew. All of our old Gather books were given to a local retreat center.

The screens are to the left and right side of the altar, between 2 columns where the EMs walk up the steps to the altar. They are not as large as at a football game. Maybe 4’ x 4’?

It does create problems when the inevitable technical glitch happens - such as when the projectionist doesn’t put up the hymn lyrics quickly enough as we transition from verse to verse, or the lyrics just don’t load at all. And if you don’t know the melody, you can’t follow along in the hymnal, you just have to wing it.

At one point, I was really concerned that Father would start doing PowerPoint presentations instead of homilies. He has used the screens to show his outline a few times, but not recently.

I went to a Mass that had the projector system about 5 years ago, which was of course before the new translation of the Creed. So during the Creed, the words were projected in front and part way through there was a technical glitch. The screen went away. And to this day I shake my head at what happened… A few voices continued with the Creed until they realized that everyone else had stopped. Hardly anyone was able to recite it. The priest apologized in the middle of the prayer for technical difficulties, and even he stumbled through the rest of the words! Yikes!!

 

[fastenatingguy]

Projection screen?

My thoughts exactly. I have never seen one in any Catholic church I have attended in Chicago (and if I missed one, glad I did).

I have seen projection screens in church twice, both Protestant. They used them for music, which for me was helpful (if I knew the tune).

As far as collections are concerned, the founding Pastor of our Parish published the donations every week in the Sunday bulletin ($1 to $5, $6 to $10, etc). That was 50 years ago. Now we just get a total. We have two collections each week, one for our parish, the other for various.

Once or twice a year, we get THE speech from the pastor and the chair of the finance committee at all the masses.

 

[Used2beSherryG]

If the entire parish got together as one, and went to tell him that this is not on, he would shrug and say “Well, I think it is a good move.” He is one of the most immovable people I have ever heard of. He does what he thinks is right to do, no matter who opposes him, and no matter what the end result is. I know that he means well, and that he truly cares about the parish. But more people will leave because of this message.

People make bad decisions at times, including a parish priest. I would continue to give as I can, as I have always done. This would never drive me away from the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I come to Mass to participate in the Body and Blood of Christ. No mere mortal could drive me away from Him. Complain, start a petition, ask to speak with the priest or his Bishop if you must, but for heaven’s sake, don’t leave Our Lord because of a mere man’s activities. Don’t be a modern day “Martin Luther” and split over something so simple as a mere mortals’ errors.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

I went to a Mass that had the projector system about 5 years ago, which was of course before the new translation of the Creed. So during the Creed, the words were projected in front and part way through there was a technical glitch. The screen went away. And to this day I shake my head at what happened… A few voices continued with the Creed until they realized that everyone else had stopped. Hardly anyone was able to recite it. The priest apologized in the middle of the prayer for technical difficulties, and even he stumbled through the rest of the words! Yikes!!

That is EXACTLY what happens! We get dependent upon the big bright words being projected and we forget to MEMORIZE the Creed! Maybe some people can do both, but if I don’t memorize it, it’s not in my head! So whenever the Creed is projected, I would close my eyes and recite it from memory. I’m not quite there yet on the new Creed - if I close my eyes, I revert back to the old format. I just need to work a little more on getting it into my head. But I worry that the screen will black out and no one will know the words…

 

[Corki]

People make bad decisions at times, including a parish priest. I would continue to give as I can, as I have always done. This would never drive me away from the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I come to Mass to participate in the Body and Blood of Christ. No mere mortal could drive me away from Him. Complain, start a petition, ask to speak with the priest or his Bishop if you must, but for heaven’s sake, don’t leave Our Lord because of a mere man’s activities. Don’t be a modern day “Martin Luther” and split over something so simple as a mere mortals’ errors.

I appreciate your passion but I don’t think she’s talking about leaving the Church, only leaving the parish.

 

[Cristiano]

That is EXACTLY what happens! We get dependent upon the big bright words being projected and we forget to MEMORIZE the Creed! Maybe some people can do both, but if I don’t memorize it, it’s not in my head! So whenever the Creed is projected, I would close my eyes and recite it from memory. I’m not quite there yet on the new Creed - if I close my eyes, I revert back to the old format. I just need to work a little more on getting it into my head. But I worry that the screen will black out and no one will know the words…

Reciting the Creed from the screen? Last Sunday we started reciting the Creed and I was going loud and happy with the Nicean Creed when I suddenly realized that everybody else was reciting the Apostles Creed. It was quite difficult to switch on the fly. Maybe a screen would have helped me.

 

[GEddie]

That does not sound like a good message. Sounds like intimidation tactics to me… Like a bully almost. Why are they using projectors during the Mass…that surely does not belong either.

Projection screens are slowly becoming the norm in Church; they are replacing the printed hymnals, etc, which are a bug to keep replacing. At my parish church, they are used for such and, when not being used, they show the image of the life-sized head of the Corpus above the altar.

I agree that the message shown at the OP’s church was over the top; giving should not be promoted via browbeating.

ICXC NIKA

 

[PatriceA]

Projection screens are slowly becoming the norm in Church; they are replacing the printed hymnals, etc, which are a bug to keep replacing. At my parish church, they are used for such and, when not being used, they show the image of the life-sized head of the Corpus above the altar.

I agree that the message shown at the OP’s church was over the top; giving should not be promoted via browbeating.

ICXC NIKA

Might be a regional thing. Never seen any projection screens in any the churches I’ve attended lately, and we’ve been trying to visit all the parishes in our diocese. Only seen screens in the big mega protestant churches in my area.

 

[GEddie]

and we’ve been trying to visit all the parishes in our diocese.

That’s a cool thing to do!

My diocese is the size of a minor state; so to do so here would be equivalent to a short pilgrimage!

Shalom, ICXC NIKA

 

[Pat_the_elder]

okay, here’s my tuppence worth (sorry dollar users - my ten cents worth).
1 Parish priests are something like untrained business managers for the parish. Most (at least the ones I’ve talked to here in Scotland) are scared stiff at the prospect, as they are not trained for this. Maybe some slack needs to be cut?
2 Projectors in Church? Hey- I’m the official projectionist at evening Mass on Sunday. I use ‘easyworship’ for hymns and prayers (Gloria, readings and Creed). There are booklets available each week for the congregation but I’ve had favourable feedback from the elderly in the congregation as they can see the projection easier. Yes I’ve been culpable of not changing the pages quick enough- but that’s just due to inattention. So now I pay more attention to the Mass ( God: 1 me: 0).
Looked at this post and thought that some of it might need editing:
When i talk of '‘Parish priests’ it should be said that here in Scotland the average age of priests is rising considerably - so the guys I’ve talked to probably wouldn’t have got their own parish at their age say a generation ago - hence their inexperience and fear

 

[TheRealJuliane]

People make bad decisions at times, including a parish priest. I would continue to give as I can, as I have always done. This would never drive me away from the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I come to Mass to participate in the Body and Blood of Christ. No mere mortal could drive me away from Him. Complain, start a petition, ask to speak with the priest or his Bishop if you must, but for heaven’s sake, don’t leave Our Lord because of a mere man’s activities. Don’t be a modern day “Martin Luther” and split over something so simple as a mere mortals’ errors.

No, no, no. I didn’t mean that people would leave the Church, only that parish. There are other parishes nearby that have grown in membership while this one has lost members.

If this were the last parish on earth, I would still crawl over broken glass on my belly for 5 miles to get there to receive the Lord’s Body and Blood! I would never dream of leaving the Church for such a thing.

 

[The_Curt_Jester]

And while people are distracted by the message on the projection screen, they don’t even notice that the usher has just passed them by…

 

[PatriceA]

That’s a cool thing to do!

My diocese is the size of a minor state; so to do so here would be equivalent to a short pilgrimage!

Shalom, ICXC NIKA

Yeah, I know most dioceses in Texas are HUGE, we lived near Copperas Cove for two years.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

And while people are distracted by the message on the projection screen, they don’t even notice that the usher has just passed them by…

We just pass the baskets ourselves.

 

[Irishgal49]

This is the 2nd week we have seen this message projected on the screens behind the altar during the collection:

“Give to God according to your income, or God might permit your income to match your giving.”

Does that read rather like a threat to you?

I would notify the Bishop immediately.

 

[Sarabande]

This is the 2nd week we have seen this message projected on the screens behind the altar during the collection:

“Give to God according to your income, or God might permit your income to match your giving.”

Does that read rather like a threat to you?

Completely inappropriate. Since I don’t know the pastor, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he doesn’t mean it to sound threatening and judgmental, but it is certainly a turn-off and comes off that way.

 

[Sarabande]

I have seen projection screens in church twice, both Protestant. They used them for music, which for me was helpful (if I knew the tune).
.

Projector screens seem to be rare in my area, but I have attended mass at parishes where they were used. My experience with them were the opposite. I read and absorb better when books, papers, etc. are right in front of my face, mostly due to my eye sight. Also, I read music, so just having the words on the screens is disconcerting and annoying. I’ve had to cantor hymns which the hymnal only had the words and I would sometimes hand-write the music and then the words underneath or find a copy of the music, white-out the text and add the words being used, even if I knew the melody. I want to see the notes each word goes under and want to see the rhythms used. Some hymn melodies or rhythms are slightly different in each hymnal. Anyway, that’s just me. If I didn’t read music, it probably wouldn’t bother me. Although, aesthetically, I think the screens look awful and out of place in the older, historical churches.

 

[clem456]

This is the 2nd week we have seen this message projected on the screens behind the altar during the collection:

“Give to God according to your income, or God might permit your income to match your giving.”

Does that read rather like a threat to you?

Plus it’s bad theology. God can certainly do whatever he pleases with our income, but this is what you might call the the prosperity gospel inverted.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Projector screens seem to be rare in my area, but I have attended mass at parishes where they were used. My experience with them were the opposite. I read and absorb better when books, papers, etc. are right in front of my face, mostly due to my eye sight. Also, I read music, so just having the words on the screens is disconcerting and annoying. I’ve had to cantor hymns which the hymnal only had the words and I would sometimes hand-write the music and then the words underneath or find a copy of the music, white-out the text and add the words being used, even if I knew the melody. I want to see the notes each word goes under and want to see the rhythms used. Some hymn melodies or rhythms are slightly different in each hymnal. Anyway, that’s just me. If I didn’t read music, it probably wouldn’t bother me. Although, aesthetically, I think the screens look awful and out of place in the older, historical churches.

I don’t read music per se, but I can follow the melody if I have the notation in front of me, above the words of the hymn. Without the written notes, I am likely to wander off in favor of my own interpretation…

I miss the hymnals! Funnily enough, the OTHER parish (we are now closer and in their geographical “capture”) is purchasing all NEW hymnals and asking the parishioners to contribute $25 for each one, and if you contribute, your name is placed in however many hymnals you buy. Sounds like a good plan to me. No projection screens in that church. (Also no applause after homilies or after Mass, no 40 minute homilies, 90 minute Masses, etc.)