The Orans Posture taken to a whole new level... :(

[dumspirospero]

Leonard…you are so right…I was in Zachary…oh how I wish I was at St. Joseph or St. Agnes…when will I ever learn??? How have you been doing Leonard?

brotherhrolf:

Sonny: You must have been either in Zachary or over here in Denham Springs. Stick to the Cathedral or St. Agnes.

 

[paramedicgirl]

Lux_et_veritas:

I think it goes along with parishes that have entire groups within the congregation holding hands during the Pater Noster and those on the ends lift their arms in a half-orans. **Typically, my experience is that entire rows will swing their arms up at the end. **
I recall something a few years back where I had heard the Vatican was wanting to end the hand holding during the Pater Noster.

There is no orans, nor hand holding in my current parish, but when I visit my childhood parish, someone grabs your hand, almost forcibly, before you can even blink.

Boy, I wouldn’t want to be in the pew directly ahead of them. Probably get cold-clocked!

 

[JKirkLVNV]

That’s the “standard” thing that happens at the end of the “Our Father” for those holding hands…they elevate their hands while still clutching their pew mate’s paw. The priest does as well, though he usually isn’t holding anyone’s hand (the priest doing it may be an innovation as well, but I don’t know). I think it’s something we’ve picked up as a result of charismatic Masses and it’s crept over (I’m not dumping on those masses…at least not in this thread). I’ve never been in a Protestant church that did this, so we cannot stick them with this.

 

[thistle]

Lux_et_veritas:

I think it goes along with parishes that have entire groups within the congregation holding hands during the Pater Noster and those on the ends lift their arms in a half-orans. **Typically, my experience is that entire rows will swing their arms up at the end. ** I recall something a few years back where I had heard the Vatican was wanting to end the hand holding during the Pater Noster.

There is no orans, nor hand holding in my current parish, but when I visit my childhood parish, someone grabs your hand, almost forcibly, before you can even blink.

In all the churches I have attended Mass people people drop their hands at the end of the Our Father. I have never seen them being swung upwards.

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

thistle:

In all the churches I have attended Mass people people drop their hands at the end of the Our Father. I have never seen them being swung upwards.

I should say, that it is not as dramatic as it sounds. It’s not like a rapid upward swing. But some do just lift your arms kind of swiftly near the end as they give the “Our Father” squeeze.

Interesting history on Orans Posture from Adoremus Bulletin that I put it another thread.

While it acknowledges that the present GIRM has no mention of posture during the Our Father, and that it is not forbidden in the GIRM, one interesting piece of history was this:

Source of continuing confusion
One source of continuing confusion is this. When the proposed ICEL Sacramentary was sent to the Holy See for approval (after the November 1999 meeting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops), the BCL posted on its web site a description of the orans posture, saying that this posture would be permitted when the new Sacramentary was approved.

                This 1999 BCL comment stated, in part:
            
             No position is prescribed in the present Sacramentary for an assembly gesture during the Lord's Prayer. While the recently approved revised Sacramentary does provide for the use of the orans gesture by members of the assembly during the Lord's Prayer, the revised Sacramentary may not be used until it has been confirmed by the Holy See. I might also note that in the course of its discussion of ... this question, the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy expressed a strong preference for the orans gesture over the holding of hands since the focus of the Lord's Prayer is a prayer to the Father and not primarily an expression of community and fellowship.

         The Sacramentary revision, however, was not only replaced by the new Roman Missal, but it was officially and specifically *rejected* by the Holy See after the new Missal appeared.

Furthermore, the bishops did not forbid hand-holding, either, even though the BCL originally suggested this in 1995. The reason? A bishop said that hand-holding was a common practice in African-American groups and to forbid it would be considered insensitive.

 

[BillyT92679]

I’ve always actually been more irked by Orans than by holding hands. Holding hands is wrong, but to me there is something even more insidious about breaking down the differences between ordained minsterial Priesthood and the Priesthood of all believers. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!

 

[hilde_the_dog]

Music Man et al I must say that my parish I don’t believe has a liturgical director or committee, parish council. If we do they have never put any information in the bulletin nor have ever made any announcements. Sounds like the best way for a parish to be run is run by the Priests.