Silence in the sacristy

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Do you need to be silent in the sacristy as an alter server, everyone there talks including the priests so I’m not sure
 
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Since you are in close proximity to Our Lord when in the sacristy, then the respectful thing to do would be to keep quiet as much as possible. I know it’s hardly ever practiced anymore, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the preferred practice.

I do recognize that sometimes, the servers do need to communicate with each other, and the priest to the servers, and the occasional person like a sacristan might have to communicate in there, which is why I say “as much as possible.”
 
The rule is to be silent or just speak in the softest voice when necessary.

My former parish church has a parabolic shape sanctuary (like a satellite dish) and the voices from the sacristy echo out into the parabolic sanctuary. The voices travel different distances so they bounce off the parabolic wall at different times, creating garbled voice sounds, as the voices echo out into the seating area. Drives me crazy.
 
The way I was taught is that we should not speak unless spoken to. So, when in the sacristy, if Father begins a conversation or asks a question, I talk with him. If he is quiet, I respect that and do my work silently and do not begin a conversation. Some days he’s more talkative, some days he’s silent except to say "hello: and “thank you, have a good day”. Working in the sacristy is a great joy for me.
 
As @(name removed by moderator) said, you need to be mindful of where the sacristy is relative to the main body of the church and how voices might carry. I’ve been in churches where the two are no where near each other so it’s no big deal; in some where it’s located right behind the sanctuary, and thus, could be a big issue; and in others where you would be surprised. Two parishes near me have sacristies in rooms adjacent to the sanctuary; in the one, you would think it was far enough away with limestone/sandstone walls that the sound wouldn’t carry, but when the door is open, the voices echo out into the whole church! At the other, where it’s a closer proximity, there seems to be an architectural barrier that blocks all kinds of sound from reaching the main church - and I still can’t believe it as I type, but it’s always the case; a party could be going on in the sacristy without disrupting prayer in the church.
 
The Sacristy is one of those places that can be private are a place for discussion regarding mass or mass duties.
I would probably choose to use a soft voice and not use the sacristy for general discussion that should be saved for outside the church and after mass.
 
On Sundays I’m in and out of the sacristy as quick as I can and with very little dialog. We have a small sacristy and it can be crowded and noisy.

During the week when it’s just me, an EMHC and Father I might share a word with him. It’s one of the perks of serving. With our new pastor I tend not to say a lot. We both go about our business with very few words and I like it that way.
 
The Sacristy is the place where the priest and other ministers prepare for Mass. Hence, talking is allowed but should be kept to the minimum and should pertain mostly in regards to the Mass. Idle chitchat should be minimized. Also, in many sacristies, the talk should be in low volume because the sound of the voice can carry into the main part of the church quite readily if the talking is too loud.

But complete silence isn’t a requirement.
 
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