Priests not saying homily at pulpit anymore?

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What is with priests not standing at the pulpit to say the homily? Over the last 6 months or so I have seen several priests stand right in front of the people and basically walk back and forth. Has there been a statement by the USCCB or something that said priests should not say the homily from the pulpit? I have seen it at 3 or 4 different churches. The only one that I have been to that doesn’t do this is the church that says the TLM in my area.
 
I believe the GIRM says the sermon should be delivered from the pulpit, or the priest’s chair, and there is some language allowing them to stand between those locations. This opens the door to the perambulating. I always find the walking around to be a trendy affectation. Just gimme a good homily without the theatrics!!!

Mulus
 
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MulusChristi:
I believe the GIRM says the sermon should be delivered from the pulpit, or the priest’s chair, and there is some language allowing them to stand between those locations. This opens the door to the perambulating. I always find the walking around to be a trendy affectation. Just gimme a good homily without the theatrics!!!

Mulus
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Can you point me to the section in the GIRM. I found 65 and 66 dealing with the Homily but nothing about where it can be given from. Maybe there is another place I should be looking.
 
In high school Speech class, we were taught that moving around and gesturing was an effective tool to keep the audience interested. This was recommended instead of standing in one place and “being a robot”. Unfortunately, this technique usually has a detrimental impact on a homily. The message easily gets lost in the shuffle and the priest looks like he is “trying too hard”.

My opinion is this: If accomplished correctly, the technique works if the homily is more of a story with some moral at the end but it appears silly if the homily is more preaching and teaching (as it should be).

The GIRM states this:
136. The priest, standing at the chair or at the ambo itself or, when appropriate, in another suitable place, gives the homily.
So here again, in my opinion, there is (too) much latitude provided in the choice of wording used. “Another suitable place” could be from the choir loft if the priests decides this to be “suitable” :rolleyes: .
 
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msproule:
In high school Speech class, we were taught that moving around and gesturing was an effective tool to keep the audience interested. This was recommended instead of standing in one place and “being a robot”. Unfortunately, this technique usually has a detrimental impact on a homily. The message easily gets lost in the shuffle and the priest looks like he is “trying too hard”.

My opinion is this: If accomplished correctly, the technique works if the homily is more of a story with some moral at the end but it appears silly if the homily is more preaching and teaching (as it should be).

The GIRM states this:136. The priest, standing at the chair or at the ambo itself or, when appropriate, in another suitable place, gives the homily.

So here again, in my opinion, there is (too) much latitude provided in the choice of wording used. “Another suitable place” could be from the choir loft if the priests decides this to be “suitable” :rolleyes: .
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I have told others that many priests say “The GIRM does not say that I can’t ____, ____, ____, so I can ____, ____, ____.”

You fill in the blanks.
 
You are fortunate the priest is giving a homily and not a layman or laywoman. He ( the priest ) could give the homily on the floor sitting Indian style…from a ceiling fan…in the pew next to me…on a bicycle…with a fish…in a chair…on a couch…from a treadmilll…from a tony little gazelle… but please give us priests who give homilies.
Karl Keating’s E-Letter of October 25, 2005
 
I know parishes where homilies have been given this way for over twenty years.:dancing:
 
I don’t mind it. I think it can make the homily seem like some protestant evangelist trying to preach. It is just that I never saw it till the last six months and I have seen it in several parishes since then.
 
The problem I have is every time he turns the other way I can’t hear what he says. So I only get half the homily. Maybe that’s why I am the way I am - half-baked. 😃
 
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jimmy:
What is with priests not standing at the pulpit to say the homily? Over the last 6 months or so I have seen several priests stand right in front of the people and basically walk back and forth. Has there been a statement by the USCCB or something that said priests should not say the homily from the pulpit? I have seen it at 3 or 4 different churches. The only one that I have been to that doesn’t do this is the church that says the TLM in my area.
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I like this technique better. It gets the priest closer to the people. It discourages him from using notes or just plain reading it. (ZZZzzz…)
 
Like the other posters have said, walking about is theatrical.

Aside from the priest back and forth, which I find distracting, they sometimes stop, as if for emphasis, while pointing or gesturing.

But, what I like the best, is when they stand up on their toes for emphasis. That really says it all for me.

Adolf Hitler used to gesture and strike poses. He used to practice them for hours. It was very effective.
 
That’s right, throw in an insinuated comparison between priests using an effective speech tool to preach the homily, and Hitler.

There are some members here- I’m not saying you’re one of them- who always look to ascribe the worst possible motives to priests. If the priest decides that closer to the congregation is a “suitable place” as allowed by judgement, why must those who want it their way give the most sarcastic and uncharitable judgements of that decision?
 
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jimmy:
What is with priests not standing at the pulpit to say the homily? Over the last 6 months or so I have seen several priests stand right in front of the people and basically walk back and forth. Has there been a statement by the USCCB or something that said priests should not say the homily from the pulpit? I have seen it at 3 or 4 different churches. The only one that I have been to that doesn’t do this is the church that says the TLM in my area.
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Well they don’t say it from the pulpit here either, why ?

Because when the Church was renovated about ten years ago, they took the pulpit away. :cool:
One priest used to use a cordlesss microphone and walk around, other’s stand at a seperate podium.
Saint Michaels
 
Our church used to have two pulpits, but then they took away one of them, so that the readers and the priest spoke from the same one (looks more like a podium to me). I’m hoping with the new church we’re building, they’ll have a more “permanent-looking” pulpit.

BTW - Our priests have the choice of either giving the homily closer to the congregation or from the pulpit. For me, when our pastor speaks with his wireless mic and walks around, he keeps me interested, that’s for sure! (Whaddaya expect from someone who grew up playing video games? :eek: )
 
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mikew262:
I like this technique better. It gets the priest closer to the people. It discourages him from using notes or just plain reading it. (ZZZzzz…)
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Probably my opinion on this has a lot to do with the many sermons I have heard from a Protestant pulpit. I have heard too many where the pastor just gets up there and “wings it.” Sometimes I felt like they just randomly opened their Bible, closed their eyes, and dropped their finger on a page to read what was there and make something up as they went. Please don’t misunderstand me—not all of them do that. But I’ve been in enough where it’s happened (truly, one is too many) that I very much appreciate when the homilist does use notes or reads it. I realize not everyone shares that opinion, and that’s okay too 🙂
 
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buffalo:
Violation!!! Alert!!! :eek: :tsktsk:
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Yep, I was more horrified when our two beautiful Statues of Jesus & Mary were never replaced.
One on the left near the Altar & one on the right, Sacred Heart of Jesus & Immaculate Heart of Mary, even today I’m not a happy chappy that they never were returned.
They stood about 7ft tall. 😦
 
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mikew262:
I like this technique better. It gets the priest closer to the people. It discourages him from using notes or just plain reading it. (ZZZzzz…)
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I agree, and if the priest uses a cordless microphone there is no problem hearing him.
 
Our priest, who is now retired, never gave the homily from the pulpet. He stood in the middle, in front of the people, and paced back and forth like a coach talking to his football team. I always thought it was incorrect, but what can you do? He has been replaced with a more conservative priest, who stays put. Thank God!
 
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