Ok this fries me!

[pensmama87]

Still wondering if, how and why folk are noticing that folk are using phones in eg “adoration” if no voice heard?

It is that they are not concentrating themselves? Or …policing… others?

I know our chapel is round, so you can see all the other Adorers. It’s also usually dim, so the glowing screen is very noticeable.

We do have an obligation to try and focus and maintain custody of the eyes, but at the same time, there are things that are distracting.

 

[ToeInTheWater]

I know our chapel is round, so you can see all the other Adorers. It’s also usually dim, so the glowing screen is very noticeable.

We do have an obligation to try and focus and maintain custody of the eyes, but at the same time, there are things that are distracting.

If an individual parish wishes to ban cell phones during Adoration for being too distracting, I would actually understand that. But that is different from jumping to the conclusion that “a person with a phone on during Adoration, MUST be engaging in some frivolous activity that is offensive to Christ”.

It seems many on CAF would be happy to deny the experience of Adoration, or even the Holy Mass itself, to people who don’t meet their lofty standards for “what is appropriate conduct/attire/attitude”. That I find to be sad.

 

[pianistclare]

If an individual parish wishes to ban cell phones during Adoration for being too distracting, I would actually understand that. But that is different from jumping to the conclusion that “a person with a phone on during Adoration, MUST be engaging in some frivolous activity that is offensive to Christ”.

It seems many on CAF would be happy to deny the experience of Adoration, or even the Holy Mass itself, to people who don’t meet their lofty standards for “what is appropriate conduct/attire/attitude”. That I find to be sad.

 

[ToeInTheWater]

And just to fend off the expected strawman attack. I am NOT suggesting there should be no rules at all, I’m not advocating letting people come to Church dressed in a bikini or be having loud conversations on their phones, either.

However, while many Catholics give lip service to the idea that the Church is a hospital for sinners not a museum for saints, it seems that in practice, they think people need to at least have the outward appearance of being perfect museum specimens in order to come through the doors. Even though we know what Jesus thought of the Pharisees despite their pristine outward appearances.

 

[Mary_Ellen]

St. Teresa of Avila could not go to chapel for years upon years without a book to accompany her. Please forgive those of us who are not as spiritually mature as some of you seem to be when we bring a book or two to read and inspire us to prayer.

For the rest of us, be at peace.

 

[Gertabelle]

I know our chapel is round, so you can see all the other Adorers. It’s also usually dim, so the glowing screen is very noticeable.

We do have an obligation to try and focus and maintain custody of the eyes, but at the same time, there are things that are distracting.

Oh my goodness! I think I would hate an adoration chapel in the round. :sad_yes:

And adoration chapel with low lights… :yawn: I often doze off when the lighting level is high and there’s a lot of activity (people coming and going). I know what would happen if the lights were dim.

OTOH, we are sooooo blessed in this area to have a number of adoration chapels with different set-ups, so people can go where it “works” for them.

 

[SuperLuigi]

I was at the adoration chapel after church. The person who sits for the “hour” had her cell phone on silent but was using it the whole time i was trying to pray. She was sitting near the front in a chair. I was deep in prayer and the women next to me her phone rang full blast and she left flustered! I mean is this really real?! Jesus comes to earth to save all humanity is born from a virgin, dies a horrible death, is humble enough to be brought to us through the bread and wine bringing his body, soul, and divinity… and really?! People can just sit there in front of Him and text? Let their phones ring? I mean I leave my phone in the car out of reverence and to make sure it doesnt go off. Anyways, Im thinking of calling the church office so that maybe they can hang a sign on the adoration chapel NO CELL PHONES!!

ok there, I feel better.

I try to not let that bother me. Discipline your mind to block that.

The fact is I have no idea why people have that phone, and you know the one time you call someone out, it will be a firefighter, policeman or someone with a medical problem.

When people have their phones out, it doesn’t mean they are texting------and people need to be VERY careful about drawing those conclusions. I have used my phone in Church before to pray and wouldn’t want anyone thinking I am just screwing around.

That being said, a lot of people are careless or rude about this. They also have a responsibility to ask if they really need their phone at church. One of my exes’ actually answered her phone in the movie theater once.

 

[crenfro]

Hello.

When you say the person was “using” the cell phone, do you mean she was speaking with someone on it, or just using it for text? Just wondering.

My opinion only, but I do think we need to respect the silence when we are in the great Divine Presence.

I was at the adoration chapel after church. The person who sits for the “hour” had her cell phone on silent but was using it the whole time i was trying to pray. She was sitting near the front in a chair. I was deep in prayer and the women next to me her phone rang full blast and she left flustered! I mean is this really real?!

 

[StudentMI]

I once used my phone to say a Rosary before Mass because for the life of me I cannot remember the Fatima prayer or the Hail Holy Queen. I don’t think God or Mary minded.

She could also have been writing notes. Her using the phone only distracted you because you focused on it. And her ringer going off was just an accident. Let it go.

 

[Whalljim]

No one is judging anyone’s soul. But there are objectively things that are outward signs of reverence just as their outward expressions of lack of reverence.

Internet in the House of God seems out of place.

To paraphrase the OP, this fries me.

I’m an IT professional. Phones, Ipads, BOOKS are all just DATA DELIVERY METHODS.

It all depends on what you do with them. I’m so tired of busybodies who can’t handle what someone else is doing if it doesn’t fall into accord with their sense of decorum.

‘Internet in the house of god seems out of place’
‘Technology seems irreverant’

WHY? Because it has a screen instead of paper? That makes no sense. It just smacks of technophobia.

Should decorum be observed? Absolutely. Phones should be on silent. As much as possible in a dark room screens should be dimmed. Books pages should be turned silently. But just as I should be reading my scriptural rosary quietly and not focusing on what you’re reading, praying, or doing other people should give me the same courtesy.

 

[Kay_Cee]

St. Teresa of Avila could not go to chapel for years upon years without a book to accompany her. Please forgive those of us who are not as spiritually mature as some of you seem to be when we bring a book or two to read and inspire us to prayer.

For the rest of us, be at peace.

I agree.

I take my Kindle with me to Eucharistic Adoration. I’ve got St. Alphonsus Ligouri’s *Visits to the Blessed Sacrament *on it, plus a number of other devotional books.

 

[truetofaith]

I once used my phone to say a Rosary before Mass because for the life of me I cannot remember the Fatima prayer or the Hail Holy Queen. I don’t think God or Mary minded.

She could also have been writing notes. Her using the phone only distracted you because you focused on it. And her ringer going off was just an accident. Let it go.

If I wanted to say the rosary before Mass, I just say the Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, & Glory Be, on my fingers if I don’t have my beads.
No need for a cell phone which I never carry with me, anywhere.

 

[Gertabelle]

If I wanted to say the rosary before Mass, I just say the Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, & Glory Be, on my fingers if I don’t have my beads.
No need for a cell phone which I never carry with me, anywhere.

Excellent. Good for you.

And is it “all right” if someone else decides to pray the entire rosary, using beads, a book, an app, or whatever means makes their prayer more reverent to them?

 

[Whalljim]

I do the ‘finger’ method for the Rosary as well; Sometimes I have a full rosary, sometimes a ‘walking’ rosary, in the past I’ve had a rosary ring. I also have the scriptural rosary on my phone, as well as a Novena to Mary undoer of knots.

Its all good.

 

[Sarcelle]

If I wanted to say the rosary before Mass, I just say the Our Father, 10 Hail Mary’s, & Glory Be, on my fingers if I don’t have my beads.
No need for a cell phone which I never carry with me, anywhere.

You do what you do and I’ll do what I do.

 

[esieffe]

You should be adoring the Blessed Sacrament, not reading books or phones!

Hmm. Blessed be God, has a section of prayers to be read during time before the blessed sacrament. There is another section to be read after confession and before penance. So I am afraid I have to respectfully disagree.

 

[friardchips]

…But there are objectively things that are outward signs of reverence just as their outward expressions of lack of reverence.

To paraphrase the OP, this fries me…

…I’m so tired of busybodies who can’t handle what someone else is doing if it doesn’t fall into accord with their sense of decorum.

Should decorum be observed? Absolutely.

So, is this “decorum” set by your standards only, or do you mean ‘objectively’ speaking?

 

[Don_Ruggero]

You should be adoring the Blessed Sacrament, not reading books or phones!

Says who?

As a priest, I pray the Liturgy of the Hours before the Blessed Sacrament. Some times from my breviary and sometimes using my iPhone, if I forgot my breviary.

I find beyond absurd this concept that praying cannot involve a book. Surely you attend Mass – and see the priest using a missal throughout?

 

[Don_Ruggero]

I still think there is something highly disrespectful about using phone technology in the Church.

No. There isn’t.

 

[friardchips]

You do what you do and I’ll do what I do.

…to take a citation slightly out of context but to share with you an idea about what is being proposed here, in terms of common courtesy, I’ll put this forward, bearing in mind that this first link is talking about the liturgy:

vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html

*'Norms drawn from the hierarchic and communal nature of the Liturgy

1. To promote active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part by means of acclamations, responses, psalmody, antiphons, and songs, as well as by actions, gestures, and bodily attitudes. And at the proper times all should observe a reverent silence.’*

• of course, the thread is not concerning being at Mass, and neither does this example speak specifically of technology; however, one does express bodily gesture when using technology that might suggest lack of being fully present. And too, God is still present in the Tabernacle when at Adoration.

Nowhere in the document from the following link, either, does the Catechism specify technology as okay to use in a church. It does specify the usage of technology for and in the Church, but not when physically at a church. In actual fact, it states that technology is good for worship when at home:

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_20020228_church-internet_en.html

‘The media offer important benefits and advantages from a religious perspective: “They carry news and information about religious events, ideas, and personalities; they serve as vehicles for evangelization and catechesis. Day in and day out, they provide inspiration, encouragement, and opportunities for worship to persons confined to their homes or to institutions”.[23]’

It goes on to say:

‘The Internet is relevant to many activities and programs of the Church— evangelization, including both re-evangelization and new evangelization and the traditional missionary work ad gentes, catechesis and other kinds of education, news and information, apologetics, governance and administration, and some forms of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. Although the virtual reality of cyberspace cannot substitute for real interpersonal community, the incarnational reality of the sacraments and the liturgy, or the immediate and direct proclamation of the gospel’

…it does go on to say:

‘…it can complement them, attract people to a fuller experience of the life of faith, and enrich the religious lives of users. It also provides the Church with a means for communicating with particular groups—young people and young adults, the elderly and home-bound, persons living in remote areas, the members of other religious bodies—who otherwise may be difficult to reach.’

Yet, when understood as a consistent whole with the rest of the document, I don’t think this paragraph reads as being a supportive case for Internet usage when in a church.