Power-point during Mass?

[THurifer2]

During a recent Mass, the “worship aid” crashed right at the moment of the consecration and we, the faithful, we left staring at a flashing Microsoft logo for 10 minutes.

Very distracting.

I have heard it all…WORSHIP AID? you have got to be kidding me.

 

[THurifer2]

We use a PP during our Sunday evening service - as said before in this thread, more like a wall mounted hymnal and for the major prayers of the mass. The singing at this mass is led by our Youth Group and so some of the hymns are a wee bit unfamiliar to the old stagers - like me! I’m getting to like them more and more. Since two of my kids are members of the YG, I get to make up the PP under direction from all members of the group (phone text and email - wow I’m a silver surfer). Incedentally, I’d like to go on record as saying as the Church’s future lies with the young then I for one think it’s in pretty good hands. This morning for instance the YG got word that the local Presbyterian Church (Church of Scotland) had no music. So off they all went complete with guitars,flutes, violins and DRUMS to help out. Here, like everywhere else we only hear about the bad side of the young…

Why not have hymnals. You have to buy the rights to do what your are doing in your parish. If you are violating copyright laws by not paying rights the fine is very large AND often enforced.

 

[Guitar]

Why not have hymnals. You have to buy the rights to do what your are doing in your parish. If you are violating copyright laws by not paying rights the fine is very large AND often enforced.

See my post above. Hymnals have been available with licensed sets of overheads for 20 years that I know of, I can’t believe the publishers don’t have licensed sets of PowerPoint files. Certainly some parishes are violating copyright but people are very quick to assume that everyone using projection is doing so and it’s not the case. Also, a lot of parishes have annual licenses that allow them to reprint any item in the licensing body’s “stable” in their service bulletins and it is my understanding that these licenses now also cater for projected lyrics. I don’t like screens either, but you cannot use copyright as an argument against them.

 

[OutinChgoburbs]

You guys are confusing using PowerPoint as a part of the actual Mass (I agree about “bouncing ball” et al). The OP is talking about using PowerPoint to convey a simple 10-to-15-minute messsage about something the OP’s bishop feels is so important (parish closings and consolidations, which you must admit is mighty important) that he wants it uniformly delivered in each parish, at every Mass, during an appropriate time within the Mass.

As a tech and parish volunteer, I’ve run the annual diocesean appeal DVD in one corner of the church at every Mass using a DVD player and a projector. It lasted about 10 minutes. I’ve also help set up to run our diocese endowment fund video, United In Faith, about 15 minutes. It is NOT the same as using a *Missalette *and Gather hymnal to run constant verbage on a screen.

There is a BIG difference.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I don’t believe its going to be a video of the Bishop. More than likely, it will be a lay person giving a presentation on the parish clustering/closing situation.

Then that should take place AFTER the final blessing, for anyone who is interested.

 

[Spiller]

It depends.

Is it during the homily? After Communion but before the Blessing? What was the nature of the presentation? Who did the presenting?

**Without knowing the answers to these questions, there is no way for anybody to tell you one way or the other. **

Some bishops send out PP presentations as well as recorded media via DVD and CD, so that the same message comes from the bishop to** all** the faithful in his diocese. It is the modern version of having a pastoral letter read.

Bishop Doran of the Diocese of Rockford is a very orthodox man, and he sends out videos because he wants the message to come from him to his people from the pulpit. There are those who will say it can be read from a piece of paper by the priest, or printed in the bulletin. It is not as effective seeing the good bishop in his regalia, laying it on the line. There is no ambiguity and no editorial.

I fully agree. Those that say it’s NEVER appropriate are just parroting what they’d heard from others. How can visual back-up be exclusively “Protestant”? It cannot. Many of the best teachers I have ever had used visual aides during some very serious lectures. It should be no different with a homily, commented following the beginning Mass or just prior to the dismissal.

Now if they are abused they are NEVER appropriate – anywhere, but that’s an entirely different story.

 

[Lovemyfaith]

We attended Mass in Ireland a few years ago, and I recall they had an overhead with the readings and songs. I don’t remember missals in the pews. It seemed like a poor parish. I had no problem with that, although I never use a missal anyway, readings are meant to be listened to, so that is what I do.

I am a pretty simple person, and prefer Mass to be that way. I mostly want to focus on the sacrifice and leave business, meetings, organizations and all the rest for another time.

 

[Johndigger]

“Worship aid”

Save us.

Never seen anything remotely like that in England. (Although that doesn’t mean much)

Perhaps more of an American thing (although, there will be excepions)?

In Christ,

JD

 

[Cat]

I can’t help but wonder if when St. Francis presented the Christmas Pageant during Mass, if the “online groups” of that era tore it to shreds.

Or if when churches first laid in central heating, people said that it was a “distraction.”

Or if when the first missalettes and hymnals were mass-produced, that people predicted doom for allowing the laity to use them during Mass.

Or for that matter, when Jesus taught the people in parables, naysayers claimed that this new method of teaching was somehow “wrong” because it wasn’t the same method that the scribes and Pharisees had always used.

I think it is marvelous that the Catholic Church allows changes with time and goes along with history, rather than trying to be like the Amish and remain frozen in time!

What is wrong with using Power Point to communicate? It’s really no different than using ASL to communicate, is it?

Do you realize that with Power Point presentations, a speech-handicapped priest (e.g., a priest stricken with ALS) could give a homily to his beloved congregation? WOW! (I don’t think he could do the consecration?–but he could at least do the homily.)

To many people, especially those under 50, who use Power Point constantly in their work and other settings, a Power Point presentation is not distracting at all–it’s just another way to communicate an important message.

 

[Cat]

“Worship aid”

Save us.

Never seen anything remotely like that in England. (Although that doesn’t mean much)

Perhaps more of an American thing (although, there will be excepions)?

In Christ,

JD

I would respectfully say, “Save us from false reverence.”

For anyone who is visiting Mass (e.g., Protestants, the un-churched–and we have many people in the U.S. who have never attended ANY church), an overhead would be supercalifragilisticexpialicious!

It would be like finding toilet paper on the roller when you go into the guest bathroom! Hooray!

Those who have been Catholic forever have no clue how incredibly stupid a new Mass attendee feels. They feel as stupid as the person who uses the guest bathroom and then discovers–too late–that there is no toilet paper in the roll.

They can’t hear or understand the people next to them, and often, they can’t find the Order Of Mass in the Misselette, so they just sit there and try not to look conspicuous.

OR-they misunderstand the responses and think that the people are saying something “Catholic” that doesn’t jibe with “good Biblical Christianity.”

For those of us in the pews–we hate to reach over and hand someone who isn’t participating a Missallette and show them the correct page. It seems like a lot of Catholics choose not to participate in Mass, either. Hmmm…maybe THEY don’t remember the responses, and would also appreciate an overhead aid.

For goodness sakes, an overhead “aid” is nothing more than a really big Missalette. What is the sin there? What is irreverent about people actually reciting the responses or at least reading them thoughtfully rather than just standing there like a mannequin?

 

[graceandglory]

I don’t believe its going to be a video of the Bishop. More than likely, it will be a lay person giving a presentation on the parish clustering/closing situation.

I think because of the gravity of your situation, a PPT sounds appropriate. As a visual aid, a powerpoint is effective. Some people process information audibly, some visually. A powerpoint is effective in that many people who can’t “process” the message audibly, will be able to understand the situation.

I think the best time would be at the end, when the announcements are made. Before or after the final blessing, doesn’t make a difference — to me.

 

[graceandglory]

I too find them very distracting,

For every person who finds it distracting, there will be someone who will be helped. Everyone is different. If it’s not immoral or illegal, and it saves money and helps people, I think people can “bend” in their “preferences.”

Sometimes our "preferences’ are just that. What we as individuals, prefer.

 

[Lepanto]

One of my local parishes does the same thing. The only thing missing is the ball bouncing across the words. (And yet the people still don’t sing.)

I avoid that parish whenever I can.

In addition, at this same parish:

–The PowerPoints run on multiple projectors/screens. It’s in your face whether you want it or not.

–They start running it 15 minutes before Mass starts. During this time, they run a number of announcements pertaining to committee meetings, youth events, coffee & donuts, singles dances, and other such notices. They remind me of the commercials you’ll see in a movie theater before the actual movie starts. All they’re missing is a commercial from the local Ford dealership or real estate office. Very tacky and completely disruptive to personal prayer in preparation for Mass.

–The pictures used during the Mass are almost always New Agey. Mountains, babbling brooks, blue skies, flowers, etc. Almost never is there a recognizably Christian image.

–And most egregiously, the author of the PowerPoint actually CHANGES THE WORDS of the various prayers! For example, the Nicene Creed is altered to remove masculine references.

And for all the thousands of dollars spent on this equipment, this parish doesn’t even have a crucifix on or near the sanctuary. What are the priorities here?

Is it a sin to pray for the projectors’ bulbs to burn out during Mass?

 

[Dauphin]

It’s unbelievable that people will defend the use of powerpoint during Mass. It’s incredible how thoroughly people have lost the sense of the sacred. A big flashing distraction is somehow considered conducive to offering the Holy Sacrifice? It’s a mockery of Our Lord - nothing less.

This sort of novelty is completely foreign to the spirit of the liturgy. I’m so grateful that I’ve managed to escape this insanity.

 

[jmcrae]

I fully agree. Those that say it’s NEVER appropriate are just parroting what they’d heard from others. How can visual back-up be exclusively “Protestant”? It cannot.

It has nothing to do with being “Protestant.” (As if, just because Protestants do something, we suddenly can’t.)

It has to do with whether it is in conformity with the solemn character of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

And by the way, Catholics shouldn’t need “worship aids” - the Mass is the same every week, and after the first seven weeks, if you’ve been paying attention for those seven weeks, you’ll have your own parts memorized.

 

[yellowbird]

Around the anniversary of Roe V. Wade we visited a neighboring parish who use PP during mass. Images twirling across the screen were a TOTAL distraction IMO.

But that was nothing compared to what followed: Someone spoke about our needing to continually pray to end abortion and graphic bloody images of aborted babies flahed up on the giant screen. I had to dive across the pew to cover my young children’s eyes.

That mass should’ve come with a PG13 rating.

 

[PatrickJT914]

Yes, PP is a worship aid.

AID- means Act or result of helping; assistance.
Noun: money, equipment or services provided for people in need; assistance.

That is what we are supposed to do as Catholics is to love and help others. It is also part of the “TRADITIONAL” Spiritual Works of Mercy.

INSTRUCT THE IGNORANT

For those of who get easily distracted, you must get bored very quickly. Because maybe you won’t admit to yourselves, that you find Mass boring. Which it is sometimes. Let’s be truthful. Jesus said that he would rather have us hot or cold, than luke warm anything else he’ll spit us out of his mouth.( It’s in scripture)

 

[jmcrae]

Yes, PP is a worship aid.

AID- means Act or result of helping; assistance.
Noun: money, equipment or services provided for people in need; assistance.

That is what we are supposed to do as Catholics is to love and help others. It is also part of the “TRADITIONAL” Spiritual Works of Mercy.

INSTRUCT THE IGNORANT

For those of who get easily distracted, you must get bored very quickly. Because maybe you won’t admit to yourselves, that you find Mass boring. Which it is sometimes. Let’s be truthful. Jesus said that he would rather have us hot or cold, than luke warm anything else he’ll spit us out of his mouth.( It’s in scripture)

Don’t be insulting. PowerPoint is not Mass.

There is a Mass going on, and at the same time, there is a PowerPoint going on. In the same room.

How could it not be distracting? People are trying to focus on the Mass. Meanwhile, this big bright box thing is flickering and flashing at the front of the Church. Yes, it’s distracting, and no, it’s not because people are “bored at Mass.” They are trying to concentrate on the Mass, while this big bright thing that is not the Mass and has no business being at Mass is dancing and flashing around up there.

You cannot simultaneously close your eyes to ignore the brightness and flashiness of the PowerPoint, while at the same time open your eyes to gaze in adoration at the Lord. It is just physically impossible - you cannot walk into the room and will yourself to not know that there is a PowerPoint going on in the middle of the Mass.

 

[Pat_the_elder]

Well I’ve just been to mass, operated the PP overhead and I’m still here. So I reckon the Good Lord doesn’t find it that offensive. The reply earlier in the thread that had P-R-O-T-E-S-T-A-N-T in it reminds me of the old joke about the guy who died and found himself in heaven,being given the guided tour by St Peter. After a time they came upon a wal of enormous height. The chap asked what this was and St Peter answered "Oh we keep the Catholics on the other side-that way they think they’re the only ones here!

 

[Guitar]

For every person who finds it distracting, there will be someone who will be helped. Everyone is different. If it’s not immoral or illegal, and it saves money and helps people, I think people can “bend” in their “preferences.”

Sometimes our "preferences’ are just that. What we as individuals, prefer.

I am sure you noted as you read my posts that I said I will not obstruct the screens being installed in my church nor stop others using them. (And preference is actually a very soft word for my feeling on the issue. In our case, on balance I doubt it will save money either.)

Nor will I have “preferences” of those who keep saying “It’s the way of the future! It’s the way of the future!” over and over like a parrot (whilst being unable to explain to me exactly what that means) foist on me in terms of being compelled to use them at any Mass for which I lead the music. I know there are many, many others in the parish who share my “preferences”.

We can make room for both “preferences”. My concern is that in my experience, once the screens are in, sooner or later the alternatives are removed or not maintained and the many like me have their preference taken away and must endure something that is to us an extreme distraction. If people really think they are of benefit, by all means have at it, but those of us who do not want them should also be provided with the infrastructure to manage without them. This is not a “preference” that those who do not prefer it can easily ignore, and it is not correct to assume that everyone these days is cool with the idea just because we have powerpoint and so forth in the workplace.