Texting during Mass

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Skylar24

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I’m new to this forum and I’m still trying to figure everything out. If I’m in the wrong place for this post, please forgive me.

Yesterday, my family and I were sitting behind a woman and her 2 young adult daughters (I’m guessing they were 18 and 20). We could hear their cell phones quiet beeps when they would get a text, then they would giggle and text something. It was very disturbing.

I’m not here to complain, I’m just wondering what I should have done/ should do in the future. Should I nicely say something to them about it, or just ignore it? It hurt me that Jesus, Fr., and everyone else involved in Mass were disrespected this way.

Thank you all!
Skylar
 
If it was constant and ongoing, I would politely tap one of them on the shoulder and ask them if they could please refrain from using their cellphones as it is distracting. But if it was just once in a while, I probably wouldn’t say anything.

I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here. There’s nothing wrong with ignoring it, but if its distracting for you, it probably is for others too.
 
Skylar24 said:
I’m new to this forum and I’m still trying to figure everything out. If I’m in the wrong place for this post, please forgive me.

Yesterday, my family and I were sitting behind a woman and her 2 young adult daughters (I’m guessing they were 18 and 20). We could hear their cell phones quiet beeps when they would get a text, then they would giggle and text something. It was very disturbing.

I’m not here to complain, I’m just wondering what I should have done/ should do in the future. Should I nicely say something to them about it, or just ignore it? It hurt me that Jesus, Fr., and everyone else involved in Mass were disrespected this way.

Thank you all!
Skylar
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Tell your pastor what you observed, and ask him if he can ask people to turn their cell phones off during Mass, unless they are people who need to repond to emergencies (Drs, nurses, paramedics, etc.) I have heard priests make these types of announcements before Mass, and in my parish also. As far as saying something nicely, it might not be taken nicely, and the priest probably should address them if a general announcement does not work.

Most of the time people just forgot to turn off their phones, but that does not appear to be the case here.
 
I would agree with CB here. It’s sad that it would need to come to that but I would imagine they would respect the priest enough to honor the request even if they don’t understand why it’s an issue. It’s a minor annoyance when seeing a movie… it’s a slap in the face of God for it to happen during Mass. I actually make it a point to make sure my phone is turned off just to make sure it doesn’t go off.

I’m actually more disturbed that their mom didn’t step in. My mother is not Catholic… but if she were and that were me she’d have no problem making sure that didn’t happen again.
 
Good for the priest to post the signs and tell the parishioner to take his phone call outside! 👍

It’s annoying when people can’t keep their hands off their cell phones for even an hour at Mass!

If it wasn’t for the risk of starting a fight in church, I would have reached over, snatched the phones out of the brats’ hands, and SMASHED 'EM! (the phones, that is)
 
I would say things of this nature are caused by ignorance for consideration of others, just pray they will learn, If your family is sitting beside them ask them to excuse you and find another pew,perhaps at least mother will get the message.Peace, Carlan,
 
mdrummer5 said:
I would agree with CB here. It’s sad that it would need to come to that but I would imagine they would respect the priest enough to honor the request even if they don’t understand why it’s an issue. It’s a minor annoyance when seeing a movie… it’s a slap in the face of God for it to happen during Mass. I actually make it a point to make sure my phone is turned off just to make sure it doesn’t go off.

I’m actually more disturbed that their mom didn’t step in. My mother is not Catholic… but if she were and that were me she’d have no problem making sure that didn’t happen again.
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I’ve read this thread and I don’t hear anyone trying to convert anyone. Why are you so sensitive?

As to the texting, it is annoying wherever it happens, but especially in Our Father’s House. In my house we had a table full of uniformed cops on Christmas Day duty which is entirely different from onsight duty. One cop kept his head down during the entire meal and never contributed to the gaiety of an elaborate dinner party which puzzled me and hurt me. It wasn’t until later I was told he was texting his girlfriend. While choosing to live in the ethernet he was missing out on the here and now. It occurs to me if I can be hurt by this rude behaviour, how much more so is our Lord offended by distractions during Mass.

Speaking of the here and now, real life calls. Bye!
 
Even on the movie theaters there are several messages to turn off the cell phones, so it is definitely considered impolite and disturbing others is someone is texting during Mass.

I would follow the advise of the Gospel (Matt 18:15-17). First telling to her, than asking the pastor to take care of the problem.

I remember from the good old times, once a dog came into the Church just before the Our Father. The priest turned around the asked the men to take out the animal.
 
I remember reading an article quite some time ago that a few churches in Mexico in order to deal with the plague of beeping and ringing cell phones installed cellular signal blockers in the nave. Apparently Mass became very quiet from there on out.

I don’t think a similar solution would be possible in the States since it’s illegal to block or interfere with cell phone communications or otherwise block the transmission of signals.

ChadS
 
We have an announcement before every service which is (apparently) ignored by most people.

My favorite of unexpected cell phones ringing in Mass happened to one of the Readers during weekday mass. His ringer was of rooster crowing 😃 After almost 2 years, he hasn’t lived that on down.
 
I think the announcement has now become so mundane that people do ignore it. Why is it that invariably, the person with the LOUDEST ringtone is the one whose phone goes off?? And why can that person NEVER put their hands on the phone before the 4th or 5th LOUD ring???

Maybe it’s because I attend a Mass that includes many older people…I don’t see much texting but about every other Mass, we hear a phone going off, no matter that the soloist ALWAYS asks people to turn off their phones, AND it is put up on giant screens before Mass.

I probably would have said something to the family after Mass, along the lines of, “I noticed you texting and talking and I found it very disruptive and disrespectful.” They probably wouldn’t be happy about my comment, but people really need to understand that church is church!

And then I would talk to the pastor and let him know it’s happening, so he can make adjustments to the announcement etc.
 
erichael said:
I’ve read this thread and I don’t hear anyone trying to convert anyone. Why are you so sensitive?
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As Jharek pointed out… it’s part of my signature.
Our parish has a problem with this. To such an extent that as you enter the Church there are laminated signs the priest has made up himself bearing a phone symbol with a line through it and the words ‘Turn off your phone. This is the house of God. Debate is not invited on this issue.’
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Sad that it has to come to this kind of thing. However if I were the priest I’d have worded it differently. “This can be discussed in private… IF you can explain to me why your phone should take precedence over the word of the Lord.” Needless to say… I would never be in such a position because among other admitted short comings in this regard I don’t have the patience I would think being a priest requires.
 
Last week just before Mass started, a cell phone went off, with a very loud ringtone (Katy Perry’s “Hot and Cold” :rolleyes:) and naturally, the phone’s owner didn’t get to the phone before the chorus was over.

He then proceeded to answer the phone and his voice echoed through the church: “Hello? Oh, hey… nah, it’s all right, I’m just at church…”

At that point, he’d gotten enough looks to make him say, “Hey, lemme call you back later, okay?”

At least it wasn’t DURING the Mass… but I have seen teenagers in the communion line texting furiously before they get up to the front, receive, then rush back to their seats, pulling their phone out of their pockets as they go (in case they miss something important, I guess 🤷.)

Yes, I know there are circumstances where having your phone on is a necessity in the case of an emergency. However…

I have yet to see an emergency worker, public safety officer, or any person who has a critically ill person at home create any kind of uproar if they get a call… their phone or pager is on vibrate and they quietly slip out of their pew, genuflect and exit quickly and without undue fuss.

Perhaps the pastor might consider working something into his homily about giving God (and other people around you) due respect… that is, if he can get people to stop texting long enough to listen.
 
Thank you everyone. It helps so much to know what others think. I’ll just see if it happens anymore, and then decide what to do.
 
erichael said:
I’ve read this thread and I don’t hear anyone trying to convert anyone. Why are you so sensitive?
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Lol how cute. No, that’s his “signature” it comes up on every post just like my St. Michael pic.
 
barb_finnegan said:
Good for the priest to post the signs and tell the parishioner to take his phone call outside! 👍

It’s annoying when people can’t keep their hands off their cell phones for even an hour at Mass!

If it wasn’t for the risk of starting a fight in church, I would have reached over, snatched the phones out of the brats’ hands, and SMASHED 'EM! (the phones, that is)
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Thanks - I feel the same way.
 
Consider that God may have deliberately placed that person in close proximity to you so that you could cover them in prayer and mercy…

Try to change your own perspective about the person who is distracting you…you have no idea where they are at in their spiritual journey.

Pray for the person:

That God would pour out His blessings on him/her.
That he or she would be given the grace to persevere in their faith to the end.
That their hearts would be inflamed by the love of God.
etc etc.

And then use your irritation over their distraction to reflect on your own life–in what ways do you allow yourself to be distracted from God’s presence? What are the ways in which your own “noise” has been a distraction to others in their journey toward God? And then determine in your heart to change.

And if all else fails, be a good Catholic, and “offer it up”!!! Use the moment as an opportunity for your own heart conversion and growth in love…

God’s peace to you…
 
I always turn my phone completely off for mass, because I don’t want any distractions so I can focus on the mass.
 
bluerose said:
Last week just before Mass started, a cell phone went off, with a very loud ringtone (Katy Perry’s “Hot and Cold” :rolleyes:) and naturally, the phone’s owner didn’t get to the phone before the chorus was over.

He then proceeded to answer the phone and his voice echoed through the church: “Hello? Oh, hey… nah, it’s all right, I’m just at church…”

At that point, he’d gotten enough looks to make him say, “Hey, lemme call you back later, okay?”

At least it wasn’t DURING the Mass… but I have seen teenagers in the communion line texting furiously before they get up to the front, receive, then rush back to their seats, pulling their phone out of their pockets as they go (in case they miss something important, I guess 🤷.)
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Wow. Both of those cases are just shocking to me. If I haven’t seen anything like that at any church I’ve been to before.
 
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