Question on iPhones during Mass

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Is it permissible to use an iPhone to follow along at Mass? i.e following along with the readings, reading the Eucharistic prayers, etc.
 
Catholic21 said:
Is it permissible to use an iPhone to follow along at Mass? i.e following along with the readings, reading the Eucharistic prayers, etc.
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Why wouldn’t it be? How is it different from following along in a book?
 
There’s nothing prohibiting it, but just be aware that you might get some strange looks. While it is becoming more common and understood that people can pull up useful things on their phone (such as the Missal and/or Mass readings), you will still have people that assume you are playing Angry Birds during Mass.
 
Because it could give the impression that the user is immersed in the digital world and not the liturgical one.
 
Sure - it saves printing costs and trees. Someday we’ll probably have iPads instead of hymnals in the pews.
 
Unless your parish makes some official announcement saying an iPhone (or Android phone, or tablet, or Kindle, or other electronic reader) is not permitted,
then you should consider it permitted.
 
I can see how it may give the impression you aren’t paying attention but sometimes it’s easier than flipping through pages in a missal.
 
It’s not prohibited and there’s nothing inherently wrong in following the Mass with a missal app (like iMissal) on your iPhone. That said, I wouldn’t recommend it. Mainly, because it can give the wrong impression to the impressionable that’s okay to use one’s smartphone to do OTHER things at the Mass, like texting, Facebooking or Snapchatting.

Parents of many teenagers already have a hard enough time in trying to have their teenage sons and daughters follow along with the Mass without the teenagers trying to sneak a peak at their smartphones to read the latest text or view the latest Snapchat post from their friends without the teenager pointing out to their parent that look, that man (or woman) is using their iPhone, so why can’t I?

So if you want to follow the Mass via an electronic device, I would recommend that you use something larger like iPad or a ebook reader like a Kindle instead of a smartphone. That would decrease the likelihood that others might get the wrong impression of your legitimate use of your electronic device.
 
Joe_5859 said:
[Y]ou will still have people that assume you are playing Angry Birds during Mass.
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Pitcairn17 said:
Because it could give the impression that the user is immersed in the digital world and not the liturgical one.
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PeterT said:
I wouldn’t recommend it. Mainly, because it can give the wrong impression to the impressionable that’s okay to use one’s smartphone to do OTHER things at the Mass, like texting, Facebooking or Snapchatting.
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I have to agree with Deacon Jeff on this one.
 
It’s particularly useful if in a different country or attending Mass not in one’s native tongue as you can follow it with a side by side translation.
 
Yes, it’s allowed and if anyone gives you grief or is bothered by it, they should keep their eyes on their own papers during Liturgy.
 
A number of my fellow choir members use tablets rather than our parish hymnals. The four part harmony hymnals used by the choir are heavy so a lighter tablet is nice. Plus we can take them home and practice. We have to buy our own electronic hymnal but it’s worth it.
 
Our two main musicians (cello and piano/organ) differ. The Cellist uses sheet music, and the keyboardist uses a tablet to access sheet music.

However, no fair responding to CAF posts during the sermon. 😄😉
 
I’ll start a third collection for our choir members to get iPads.

Deacon Christopher
 
He usually just speaks from memory. But on the few occasions that he has needed notes for his homily, our pastor uses his phone.
 
I have used a tablet during the Divine Liturgi when we celebrated the St John Crysostom liturgi that is centuries and a Millenia old. It just felt wierd when they were using animal skins to write on during that century. On the other hand we had no idea how many who would come so it was easiest with electronic devices.

People showing that they have made an electronic money transfer during the offertory make me think of the phones as the “new teddy bears”.
 
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