Parish noise level before and after mass

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dfp42 said:
I agree. What happened to the nuns? I remember being a child and then after my confirmation I fell away from the Church for 10 plus years and came back and now there are none and a few sisters here and there. It’s sad. I remember getting a little holy smack when I was talking one time during mass by a nun. Looking back on it, I deserved it and actually miss it.
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Well it varied of course.

The nuns I had were very good nuns and the little smack we got, was nothing more than a tap.

The nuns my wife had however, the mother superior should’ve been thrown in jail for the abuse of children.

Jim
 
dfp42 said:
I was wondering if it’s the parish priest responsibility for addressing certain noise levels before and after mass. I finding at my parish, there are many people who are talking up a storm right in front of the tabernacle etc all while I’m trying to pray and prepare myself for mass. I understand certain things might need to be said quietly, but I’m finding more and more people are treating the mass as if you are sitting around the dinner table with your family chit chatting away. I know out of offending people perhaps no one ever wants to say anything, even the priest perhaps, but I’m wondering if it’s normal to be a little upset by this. There are many other parishes that I go to and I can see the reverence towards the Lord of the people, they remain quiet and pray. However at this parish I belong to since it has more people there’s so much talk going on. Even right after receiving communion. Don’t get me wrong I try to close my eyes and focus but I wonder why reverence is different is certain parishes compared to others. Anyone else have an issue with this or have any advice?
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what can you do whn it’s the priest making the most noise?We got a new priest several months ago and he has avoice and a laugh like a street vendor.He stands at the church front door for twenty minutes before Mass and "mingles’with a bunch of ushers and other people who yell and chatter often with earsplitting laughter .I’m not kidding ,meditation before Mass is impossible ,I’m at the point off standing up and telling them to pipe down and give people peace tp pray.By the way this priest also thinks it;s cool to use some very slang terms in his sermons,this makes the alter servers giggle but I don’t think it’s funny
 
Once while on vacation and attending the local parish, I encountered two middle-aged ladies directly in front of and right beside me loudly chatting it up to catch up on their friendship before Mass.

Smiling and with a conversational tone, I turned to one and said, “Excuse me, I’m not from here. Do you believe that Jesus is truly present in the tabernacle up there on the altar?”

One of the “happy chatters” responded, “Yes.”

“Then why are you talking?” * said with my best, cute little wide-eyed innocent look *

All of a sudden, the chatting stopped and was replaced with reverent silence. 🙂

~~ the phoenix
 
I’m kind of surprised by this post.

First, my parish has this formula : Quiet before Mass, quiet during Mass, LOUD after Mass. And quite frankly I don’t mind. The noise, the chatter, the laughter is the result of putting a family together in one room. That’s what happens with families.

Let’s see… at Mass we have the Father, we have our Brother, we have our brothers and sisters in Christ… and you expect us to just sit quietly?

Why is reverence ALWAYS equated to silence? Why can’t we be joyful before the Lord (especially after having received the Sacrifice that effectively cleansed our souls)? Why can’t we love our brothers and sisters openly before Him? Would He really be offended by such displays?

Sorry guys, I’m a pre-Catholic so I really just don’t get it. I’m used to loud, boisterous, joyful services. I ENJOY the silent reverence but the noise doesn’t bother me in the least.
 
jamanne said:
what can you do whn it’s the priest making the most noise?We got a new priest several months ago and he has avoice and a laugh like a street vendor.He stands at the church front door for twenty minutes before Mass and "mingles’with a bunch of ushers and other people who yell and chatter often with earsplitting laughter .I’m not kidding ,meditation before Mass is impossible ,I’m at the point off standing up and telling them to pipe down and give people peace tp pray.By the way this priest also thinks it;s cool to use some very slang terms in his sermons,this makes the alter servers giggle but I don’t think it’s funny
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:eek: Wow that’s rough. I don’t know what to say about that one. As far as why I think its important for us all to have some form of reverence is because God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts and he said be still and know that I am God. Do you not have any other options for mass? I certainly know that all priests aren’t the same.
 
This has become a large problem. And there are priests who must share in the blame. Our church is reasonably quiet before Mass, but after Mass (while some of us are still praying), it becomes a social hall. We have a vestibule and a side hall where people could talk. And even our Monsignor doesn’t find anything wrong with this, so no help there. There is a group here “Etiquette Catholic Style” and this was a big concern. It’s hard to ignore them when they are 2 feet away. I don’t think I would tell anyone to “shut up”, but I have glared at them. Didn’t help!

We must have more respect for the Eucharist and for others who are praying–or trying to.

Back in the 40’s-mid 60’s, you wouldn’t hear a sound before or after Mass. Vatican II changed a lot of things, and not all of them good.

Don’t know what the solution is.
 
Even with my mostly secular upbringing, I don’t think I’d actually be able to say a phrase like “Shut up” to someone in a church (even if they deserved it)…
 
nickybr38 said:
I’m kind of surprised by this post.

First, my parish has this formula : Quiet before Mass, quiet during Mass, LOUD after Mass. And quite frankly I don’t mind. The noise, the chatter, the laughter is the result of putting a family together in one room. That’s what happens with families.

Let’s see… at Mass we have the Father, we have our Brother, we have our brothers and sisters in Christ… and you expect us to just sit quietly?

Why is reverence ALWAYS equated to silence? Why can’t we be joyful before the Lord (especially after having received the Sacrifice that effectively cleansed our souls)? Why can’t we love our brothers and sisters openly before Him? Would He really be offended by such displays?

Sorry guys, I’m a pre-Catholic so I really just don’t get it. I’m used to loud, boisterous, joyful services. I ENJOY the silent reverence but the noise doesn’t bother me in the least.
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Some people do offer up their personal prayers before and/or after Mass. We should respect that. My pet peeve is people commenting on my infant son, and even if I’m clearly on my knees and praying, people still come up to me and chat. Although I would have some bias, if I know the person I do not mind so much. If its a stranger, it ticks me off more. I mean, I wouldn’t bother a stranger in the middle of prayers.

The parish hall with some coffee and biscuits should be the ample venue for fellowship.
 
ConstantineTG said:
Some people do offer up their personal prayers before and/or after Mass. We should respect that. My pet peeve is people commenting on my infant son, and even if I’m clearly on my knees and praying, people still come up to me and chat. Although I would have some bias, if I know the person I do not mind so much. If its a stranger, it ticks me off more. I mean, I wouldn’t bother a stranger in the middle of prayers.

The parish hall with some coffee and biscuits should be the ample venue for fellowship.
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Yeah that happens to me a lot. I’m clearly on my knees with my hands folded upright and my eyes closed praying and some people just don’t get it. I know how it is. I was thinking about perhaps starting to sit in the front pew to avoid the noise. I was going to do this today however there was a children mass with about 200 kids from the parish and I was asked to move from my pew to the back.
 
In the Church what I attend there is about 20 minutes exposition before each Sunday Mass, ending five minutes before the Mass starts. Everybody is silent. The priests often mention in the homily the need for the reverence toward the Eucharist either in clothing and behavior. It is their responsibility.

My territorial Church is clubhouse. Long long time ago the tabernacle was removed to the end of the Church to promote the flow of the people. People are forming chatting groups in the aisles, many times the pastor is chatting with them, kids are eating even during the Mass,. The pastor often says that we Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus. He came to this Church 5 years ago, and he was a devout priest, he changed within a year.
 
CatholicCajun said:
As a side note, the people at the Mass we attend are mostly elderly, so they talk loud because none of them can hear anymore!!😃
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I have to say, that the elderly are rather the worse “loud talkers” we have prior to Mass.

There have been times, I’ve wanted to turn and say, “How 'bout ya’ll go out for coffee together AFTER Mass?”
 
Barbkw said:
I have to say, that the elderly are rather the worse “loud talkers” we have prior to Mass.

There have been times, I’ve wanted to turn and say, “How 'bout ya’ll go out for coffee together AFTER Mass?”
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Also as children we would have been pinched by our parents and grandparents for talking like that in church!!!:mad:
 
I wish people would take their small talk before church before entering into the main area where Mass is celebrated. After Mass, I wish the same but I rarely see people staying to pray after Mass is done.

Its one thing I wish my mother would do to be honest but she isn’t going to listen to her 30-something daughter.

I prefer to go to Mass alone, and since I’ve not gotten to know many people where I go, I do not have the temptation to talk to others inside the main area. I will take a look at the missal to see what the readings will be then pray quietly using my prayer book. I do talk and sing when its time to do so during Mass.
 
Something similar happened last month at the chapel where I sometimes attend Mass. Two ladies were whispering together near me–and I didn’t think they were particularly loud, and I certainly couldn’t make out what they were saying. Suddenly this other woman, maybe 3 pews ahead of them, turns around and tells them to shut up. Literally. Then, she settles back down to pray with her fingers in her ears.

The two ladies she addressed stared at each other and one said, “She just didn’t say ‘shut up,’ did she?” They sort of laughed nervously and for several more minutes didn’t say anything. But, eventually the conversation continued.
 
Barbkw said:
I have to say, that the elderly are rather the worse “loud talkers” we have prior to Mass.

There have been times, I’ve wanted to turn and say, “How 'bout ya’ll go out for coffee together AFTER Mass?”
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You must go to my parish. I know all about their illnesses, their grandchildren, where they are going for vacation or lunch, who said what to whom…and I don’t sit anywhere near them. Yes, I understand they may be hard of hearing, but they could take their conversation elsewhere.
 
I have basically the same comment here as I had in the thread about holding hands during the Our Father. Its just one more sign of a downhill spiral of lack of reverence in our churches today.
 
I do something quite similar to starting a rosary out loud: I move up to the front pew, pull out my Latin Breviarium Romanum (1961 Roman Breviary) and begin saying the Office, following the rubrics which prescribe when to sit/stand/kneel &c. People keep talking? Start praying louder. Still? I usually start singing at the next psalm. They’re still talking?!? Alright then…start singing louder. Eventually, they’ll move away or shut up. Then I have to remind myself that I am praying, not arguing… It works!
 
My Parish has “combated” the noise before Mass in two ways:

We have signs on each door entering the sanctuary saying “Out of respect for the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity Most Truly Present in the Tabernacle, please maintain a respectful silence in the sanctuary”.

We also are saying the Rosary before each Mass - this maintains a level of respect that may not be achieved by a sign on a door.

It is definitely working - how would you like to be the one entering the sanctuary of the church while the Rosary is being prayer carrying on a conversation in normal street volume? It would probably be a bit embarrassing!
 
I agree with the sign being posted. I know it would work. I noticed this at some chapels and I don’t know why all parishes don’t do this. I guess its up to the priest with how he wants to handle his flock.
 
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