Question on EMHCs in the procession, and other stuff

[Celia]

I was out of town last weeked and visited a church upstate for mass. It seemed quite lovely, in fact I walked in on a group of individuals praying the rosary before mass, and settled in to listen and pray along, before things got started. So my first impression was a good one.
But as mass was starting I looked up from my missal to see two women in bright red robes walking behind the altar servers in the procession. I was confused as to their purpose, as they seated themselves in the front pew. Turns out, they were EMHCs. But I’m wondering, is that normal for them to be wearing robes and all that? At my parish they just wear like a crucifix, and they don’t participate in the procession, they just come up to help with communion if needed.
And also, my church is gulity of the hand holding during the Our Father stuff, and I guess it’s rather common now, so I wasn’t too surprised when I saw that (nor to see the odd looks I was shot when I didn’t grab the person’s hand next to me) but I was rather surprised to see the priest join hands with the altar servers, who joined hands with the people next to them, till there was a big happy circle of hand holding going on across the altar into the pews.
That doesn’t seem normal to me.
Anyone else think that’s a little strange?

 

[Celia]

bumping up my own thread tsk

 

[mosher]

Yes,

Not the “robes” … actually there is no document pro or against that but it would be nice to see all the ministers taking a part in the Liturgy to be dressed in some form of liturgical garb according to their role.

The holding hands thing is throughly discussed in other threads

 

[Celia]

Thanks for your reply.

I guess it just was weird to see women in robes. Not used to that.
The hand holding thing goes on in my church too, but the priest never joined hands with the altar servers and made a circle around the church, either. Seems a little too touchy feely evangelical to me.

Also, everyone sat during communion…no kneeling except during the part where the priest blesses the host and says it is the body and blood. (the consecration maybe is what it’s called?) But then everyone sat down. I kept kneeling for a time, before I sat. It felt weird to sit with communion going on. The only time I’ve ever done that is at my high school where we had mass in the gym and we couldn’t kneel because we sat in the bleachers…anyway I’m rambling. Sorry. If anyone else has thoughts, feel free.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Re robes - I would prefer to see white albs, which recall the Baptismal garment, but don’t know of any regulation, except they should not resemble clerical robes.

Robes do solve the problem of a dress code, which is a blessing.

 

[Podo2005]

Celia:

I was out of town last weeked and visited a church upstate for mass. It seemed quite lovely, in fact I walked in on a group of individuals praying the rosary before mass, and settled in to listen and pray along, before things got started. So my first impression was a good one.
But as mass was starting I looked up from my missal to see two women in bright red robes walking behind the altar servers in the procession. I was confused as to their purpose, as they seated themselves in the front pew. Turns out, they were EMHCs. But I’m wondering, is that normal for them to be wearing robes and all that? At my parish they just wear like a crucifix, and they don’t participate in the procession, they just come up to help with communion if needed.
And also, my church is gulity of the hand holding during the Our Father stuff, and I guess it’s rather common now, so I wasn’t too surprised when I saw that (nor to see the odd looks I was shot when I didn’t grab the person’s hand next to me) but I was rather surprised to see the priest join hands with the altar servers, who joined hands with the people next to them, till there was a big happy circle of hand holding going on across the altar into the pews.
That doesn’t seem normal to me.
Anyone else think that’s a little strange?

The EMHC’s in my parish used to wear robes(white not red) but stopped a while ago. As for the hand holding I don’t see the problem if we are a community, a church.
Podo