Should there be silence after communion?

[Txagsw]

At our new church, they sing everything. A new priest just came and now we sing the Our Father, and after communion the priest says a little prayer and then the choir sings Oh Sacrament most holy, so there is NO TIME for reverence, or pause throughout the whole Mass. Can there be too much singing, and should the priest allow for quiet reflection after communion?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

In the General Instruction of the Roman Missal periods of silence are called for during certain parts of the Mass:

• After the intro to the Penitential Rite a “brief pause for silence”
• After the invitation Let us pray “a brief silence”
• “Brief periods of silence” after each reading and the homily
• optional during Prayers of the Faithful
• optional after communion

In regards to communion and singing the GIRM states;

1. While the priest is receiving the Sacrament, the Communion chant is begun… …The singing is continued for as long as the Sacrament is being administered to the faithful. If, however, there is to be a hymn after Communion, the Communion chant should be ended in a timely manner.

1. [After the purification of vessels], the priest may return to the chair. A sacred silence may now be observed for some period of time, or a Psalm or another canticle of praise or a hymn may be sung.

The length of the silence is usually brief with the exception of after communion where the GIRM states “a sacred silence” may be observed or a hymn may be sung. There are many options for singing within Mass, including the Our Father. It seems that what is being done is well within the rules set down in the GIRM. The only thing that might need to be worked on is perhaps being sure that the brief periods of silence called for in the GIRM are appropriately observed.