Shouldn't we observe silence after Mass?

[foxgorman]

As soon as Mass is concluded in my local church, people begin talking, some in a soft voice and some out loud, about wordly affairs as if they were in a coffee shop. This is disconcerting, because I understood this was a time to maintain prayerful silence in thanksgiving for the great gift of having received Jesus in the Eucharist.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

The post-Communion meditation is when we thank God for the gift of Christ in the Eucharist. Of course, that is usually when the choir is singing. After Mass, silence is supposed to be maintained out of reverence for the nature of the sanctuary as sacred space set apart for the worship of God. As you note though, that is when people start chatting and making plans for brunch.

The problem is that our society has lost any sense of the value of sacred silence. Unless the pastor is willing to train his congregation in church etiquette and to empower ushers to be “shushers,” there is not much that congregants can do other than to maintain silence themselves and to politely disengage themselves when other congregants attempt to draw them into conversation in church.