Priest shaking hands of parishioners as ritual in an Anglican chuch

[yesukristus]

Recently I visited an Anglican church in my area (I’m Catholic btw) where the priests made a very big deal out of shaking the hands of parishioners. During the Sign of Peace part they were walking round shaking hands, and after the Mass a priest was standing right outside the doors of the church to shake hands. And I don’t think this is a one-off thing.
Now priests being friendly is OK. But I feel that this is turning a beautiful act of communing with parishioners into a mere ritual. The priests were going from person to person shaking hands without further personal contact. The people whose hands the priests shook did not even smile (maybe a sign that this was too common). In my opinion it would be better off if priests were to stand in one spot and let people come to them (as is the custom in the church I go to). Much more communion between parishioner and priest.
But this is just my 2 cents. Is this something Anglicans do? Please comment.

 

[agiosotheos]

I’ve had more of a legitimately friendly and warm experience of the clergy coming around to shake hands at the peace (when I happen to be at an Anglican church).

 

[GKC]

Not all Anglicans share the peace. But it is normal for both our priests to be in the narthex, to greet the people exiting, after the Mass.

GKC

 

[bpbasilphx]

\and after the Mass a priest was standing right outside the doors of the church to shake hands.\

The Rector waiting by the back door after the recessional to greet the worshippers is a long-standing custom in my experience as an Episcopalian.

 

[raffo]

yesukristus, in the old tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, when the sign of peace was offered, it originated from the priest shaking hands with the parishioners located near him then goes on like a domino effect. We have gotten so big, it might take us more than 30 minutes offering the sign of peace to each other. Just imagine during Christmas and Easter.

 

[Justy90]

Recently I visited an Anglican church in my area (I’m Catholic btw) where the priests made a very big deal out of shaking the hands of parishioners. During the Sign of Peace part they were walking round shaking hands, and after the Mass a priest was standing right outside the doors of the church to shake hands. And I don’t think this is a one-off thing.
Now priests being friendly is OK. But I feel that this is turning a beautiful act of communing with parishioners into a mere ritual. The priests were going from person to person shaking hands without further personal contact. The people whose hands the priests shook did not even smile (maybe a sign that this was too common). In my opinion it would be better off if priests were to stand in one spot and let people come to them (as is the custom in the church I go to). Much more communion between parishioner and priest.
But this is just my 2 cents. Is this something Anglicans do? Please comment.

Well, in my parish many of us hug our priest and some of the others shake hands with him. He doesn’t have a custom of going to each individual and shaking their hand. We all share the peace during the service with one another where there is as much hugging if not more than hand shaking.

 

[agiosotheos]

yesukristus, in the old tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, when the sign of peace was offered, it originated from the priest shaking hands with the parishioners located near him then goes on like a domino effect. We have gotten so big, it might take us more than 30 minutes offering the sign of peace to each other. Just imagine during Christmas and Easter.

Wow, really? That’s interesting, because I’ve been going to the Armenian Apostolic Church lately and they actually still do that in their liturgy.

 

[raffo]

Wow, really? That’s interesting, because I’ve been going to the Armenian Apostolic Church lately and they actually still do that in their liturgy.

That’s the envy of some Western Catholics from Eastern Catholics, traditions have been preserved. The Latin Rite has always been going through reforms/modifications.

There’s another twist again in our archdiocese. Due to the H1N1 pandemic we are encouraged not to shake hands during the peace offering. When can we shake hands? When will the pandemic stop? For now, seems like another tradition has been put on hold. If it goes on for years then that would be another tradition lost.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

My experience in the anglican parish in my area is just a handshake by the rector and assistant priest on the way OUT the door and they’ll only shake hands with the people near them during the sign of peace. It’s exactly like the Catholic Church where I am. They do a little more hand-shaking and making-the-rounds during the ever-Anglican coffee hour.

 

[agiosotheos]

That’s the envy of some Western Catholics from Eastern Catholics, traditions have been preserved. The Latin Rite has always been going through reforms/modifications.

There’s another twist again in our archdiocese. Due to the H1N1 pandemic we are encouraged not to shake hands during the peace offering. When can we shake hands? When will the pandemic stop? For now, seems like another tradition has been put on hold. If it goes on for years then that would be another tradition lost.

I don’t think the presence of diseases should change the liturgical practices of a church.

 

[Usbek_de_Perse]

Recently I visited an Anglican church in my area (I’m Catholic btw) where the priests made a very big deal out of shaking the hands of parishioners. During the Sign of Peace part they were walking round shaking hands, and after the Mass a priest was standing right outside the doors of the church to shake hands. And I don’t think this is a one-off thing.
Now priests being friendly is OK. But I feel that this is turning a beautiful act of communing with parishioners into a mere ritual. The priests were going from person to person shaking hands without further personal contact. The people whose hands the priests shook did not even smile (maybe a sign that this was too common). In my opinion it would be better off if priests were to stand in one spot and let people come to them (as is the custom in the church I go to). Much more communion between parishioner and priest.
But this is just my 2 cents. Is this something Anglicans do? Please comment.

The Peace occurrs between the Ante-Communion and the Eucharistic liturgy. Practices vary, of course, but the happy hugging is quite bothersome to me. It is supposed to be a dignified greeting. Now, I have heard the same comments about the peace in Catholic churches in the US. And it is more egregious there because the peace comes shortly before the distibution of the elements (and after the consecration?). Greeting worshipers after church is common in most protestant and Anglican churches. Catholics don’t do it? Hmmm…strange…

 

[yesukristus]

Greeting worshipers after church is common in most protestant and Anglican churches. Catholics don’t do it? Hmmm…strange…

Actually Catholics DO do it, but (at least in my experience) the priests wait for people to come to them not go to ppl… of course there are some priests who don’t do that at all…