Pew Pet Peeve

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jasonjessica09 said:
Talking before Mass is the worst for me. You are supposed to meditate and be in prayer, not chit chat. Fortunately at Latin Masses and Eastern Catholic litrugies this is not a problem. Even at week day daily Masses its not a problem.

This issue of talking seems to be coming from weekend Novus Ordo Masses. The worst experience of talking before Mass from what I’ve seen always came from two occasions: 1. Any litrugy at a college campus 2. Before a Christsmas Mass where people show up to sit an hour or so before Mass starts.
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I have experienced this at some certain Masses. When I go to my regular early Sunday morning Mass, no one from what I can hear is talking. I usually run into this problem at the Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday, and First Communion Masses. I don’t know what it is, but the priest always has to come out and reprimand everyone before the First Holy Communion Mass for talking too much. I guess it’s parents’ anxiousness, family members that aren’t Catholic, family members that don’t go to church, etc.; it’s very disrespectful either way. Just because you’re not Catholic or just don’t go to church often doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t know proper church etiquette. Chances are the majority of families at Mass for any of the above will be having parties or dinners, so wait to talk then. Give that hour or hour and a half for the Lord and the Lord only.
 
jasonjessica09 said:
Talking before Mass is the worst for me. You are supposed to meditate and be in prayer, not chit chat. Fortunately at Latin Masses and Eastern Catholic litrugies this is not a problem. Even at week day daily Masses its not a problem.

This issue of talking seems to be coming from weekend Novus Ordo Masses. The worst experience of talking before Mass from what I’ve seen always came from two occasions: 1. Any litrugy at a college campus 2. Before a Christsmas Mass where people show up to sit an hour or so before Mass starts.
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Interesting you bring this up. I sometimes try to pray the rosary before Mass. But at my new Church (I moved) I can’t really do this. It’s not because people are talking, but it’s because they want us to practice the songs that will be sung during Mass. It just breaks my concentration and I just can’t meditate :(.
 
The not so funny thing at my Church, it’s our priest who gets loud as he welcomes parishioners in at the front door… Loud welcomes and laughing as he’s chatters with them. :eek:

Overall, once our parishioners enter the pews, they are quiet except for a very few, but then even these quiet down, I believe through example of the rest of us who are quietly praying 👍

So, it’s kind of hard to tell your own priest to be quiet 😛
 
I only sit on the end if I’m EMHC at that Mass. Otherwise I sit in the middle. The pros I enjoy from that include not being disturbed after it starts and I can stay until the choir is done singing (you know, when Mass actually ends). Not to mention I prefer to kneel the entire time during communion and usually there’s no one in front of me (my church is the only one I know of that thinks it’s ok to sit while the Blessed Sacrament is exposed-it’s embarrassing when friends from other parishes visit).
 
At my regular church I always sit on the end, the end that has the outside wall instead of an aisle. I step into the pew and slide to the wall so others can get in from the aisle. I won’t sit in the center section were there are aisles on both side. That’s my quirk.
 
I attended a Mass recently at another church. It was a really super modern architecture church with those Pablo Picasso type stained glass windows. That’s aside the point though. But anyway, I was thinking of this thread because alot of their parishioners not only sat dead smack at the very ends of the pews, but they crossed their legs which really blocked the entrance off. Both males and females crossed their legs. I thought of this thread LOL 🙂 . It started to irk me that they would do this. It strikes me as not giving and graceful. I now most always sit in the center of the pew.

btw: After going to this modern upscale church , I wouldn’t trade my old traditional church for anything. I love old churches. That new stuff, it isn’t for me. I found it hard to pray. I felt like I was at the airport. It was very modern. They had a big crucifix with purple clothe draped over it, with purple lights shining on it from below. The whole church is like a semi-circle, like half an octagon. It had sloping floors like a theatre. The Holy Water font was this big half-globe waterfall. It just didn’t seem Holy, it just seemed like an indoor waterfall decoration. Actually, I felt no sense of tradition, spirituality, or Holiness there. It felt very Protestant. I think the church was designed that way to bring in Protestants. …I love my traditional church; with it’s old artistic stained glass saint windows, it’s large stained glass rosette in back, the pipe organ, all the wood, the side trancepts, and the Infant of Prague facing the alter on the wall of the North Trancept. I love old churches.🙂
 
The parish I attend sounds very similar to the modern church you mention.It is also in the round.This is both good and bad.The good,everyone can see the alter! the bad…everyone can see everyone! If one is not fully engaged in participating in the Mass,it would be very easy to just people watch.Also,this arrangement is conducive to a lot of visiting before Mass,:(I love my parish,but I agree,the older churches are still preferable.
 
PatrickSanDiego said:
I attended a Mass recently at another church. It was a really super modern architecture church with those Pablo Picasso type stained glass windows. That’s aside the point though. But anyway, I was thinking of this thread because alot of their parishioners not only sat dead smack at the very ends of the pews, but they crossed their legs which really blocked the entrance off. Both males and females crossed their legs. I thought of this thread LOL 🙂 . It started to irk me that they would do this. It strikes me as not giving and graceful. I now most always sit in the center of the pew.

btw: After going to this modern upscale church , I wouldn’t trade my old traditional church for anything. I love old churches. That new stuff, it isn’t for me. I found it hard to pray. I felt like I was at the airport. It was very modern. They had a big crucifix with purple clothe draped over it, with purple lights shining on it from below. The whole church is like a semi-circle, like half an octagon. It had sloping floors like a theatre. The Holy Water font was this big half-globe waterfall. It just didn’t seem Holy, it just seemed like an indoor waterfall decoration. Actually, I felt no sense of tradition, spirituality, or Holiness there. It felt very Protestant. I think the church was designed that way to bring in Protestants. …I love my traditional church; with it’s old artistic stained glass saint windows, it’s large stained glass rosette in back, the pipe organ, all the wood, the side trancepts, and the Infant of Prague facing the alter on the wall of the North Trancept. I love old churches.🙂
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I was at a church like that once. I actually kind of liked it, but the theater seating kind of threw me off. My home church is more traditional with the wood and statuary. It’s not a “traditional” church per say because it was built in the early 1960’s, and it’s original intention was to be a gym for the school next to it, but at the last minute they decided to make it a church.
 
This has never been a problem for me. First, unless Mass is at the break of dawn, I make it a point to be at the church a half hour early. Usually the church is empty at that time, or at most, five or so people around - give or take depending on the church. If the Mass is a dawn Mass, then there are never enough people to fill any pews anyway. However, I don’t have to worry about that at all for the most part because I usually just sit up on the organ bench where there’s always enough room for me! 😃
 
This is a fascinating thread! I’d never have guessed so much thought went into where people sit at Mass!

That said, I am careful about where I sit. I’m a candidate and not yet able to take communion. Therefore, I usually find a spot next to a pillar or at the far end of a pew by a wall so that no-one has to squeeze past me when they go up to receive. I also like to stay and pray afterwards, so this saves me from trapping in a pew-full of people with me. 😃

However, when I am finally able to go up to receive with everyone else, I am going to have to rethink my whole strategy! :eek:
 
I prefer to find a place at the end of a pew which gives me a better view of the altar during Mass. If there is room toward the center and someone comes in after I do, I always get up and step into the aisle to make it easier for them to get in.
 
pnewton said:
Ah, but do you sit on the end or the middle?
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😛

That said, for weddings, I imagine that organists would have to leave room for photographers who think that it’s ok to hop onto the bench with you on either side to get the perfect center shot from above while you are trying to play and getting in the way of your arms and hands. 😛 Or assume that it’s ok to climb on top of the consul and get their long range lenses in the organist’s face while they are trying to read the music to play. Oh yeah, I’ve seen it more often than you’d think. Then they think the organist is rude for asking them to get off and that they are not allowed to get back on nor to get in between of the organist and the other musicians in the loft while they are playing. I mean, how dare those musicians actually thinking they have the right to those spots. It should be free range for all involved. 😃 At least that is how they react to the organist/music director.
 
Sarabande said:
😛

That said, for weddings, I imagine that organists would have to leave room for photographers who think that it’s ok to hop onto the bench with you on either side to get the perfect center shot from above while you are trying to play and getting in the way of your arms and hands.
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Put your chewing gum on the seat next to you and hope the photographer doesn’t see it until it’s too late!
 
Sarabande said:
😛

That said, for weddings, I imagine that organists would have to leave room for photographers who think that it’s ok to hop onto the bench with you on either side to get the perfect center shot from above while you are trying to play and getting in the way of your arms and hands. 😛 Or assume that it’s ok to climb on top of the consul and get their long range lenses in the organist’s face while they are trying to read the music to play. Oh yeah, I’ve seen it more often than you’d think. Then they think the organist is rude for asking them to get off and that they are not allowed to get back on nor to get in between of the organist and the other musicians in the loft while they are playing. I mean, how dare those musicians actually thinking they have the right to those spots. It should be free range for all involved. 😃 At least that is how they react to the organist/music director.
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Nice post. I just watched this the other day and wondered how the heck the organist managed to concentrate on the piece at hand.

youtube.com/watch?v=GdYyMAfA9BI&feature=related

even with erratic page-turning

youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=EnhBl_Hfr5g
 
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