Too much noise and talking in Church

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Hello, Is there anyone else out there that has a problem with all the extra heavy loud talking that goes on before Mass starts these days ? I attended a 5p.m. childrens christmas eve mass last week. It was at a roar in the church before the start of Mass. people isles apart talking to each other. People walking all around. It was the worst I’ve ever seen, It was like the noise in a food court at a mall. What can be done? Does anyone else have this problem? Why do you think people are behaving like this? Have they totally forgotten where they are? and who is there? What is happening at your parishes?
 
Well, first I think the mods are going to move this thread to the Liturgy and Sacraments fora. You will find many there who agree with you - myself included.
 
Some Masses are more noisy than others. But I know what you mean. I enjoy the supposed to be “quiet time” before Mass. I use that time to pray, to think, and sometimes to be “held” in God’s arms. But what really makes me:banghead: is the @#%$#@%@%#@%$ cell phones. I once told a woman that if that wasn’t God she was talking to she darn welll better hang up.
Kathy
 
Katie1723 said:
Some Masses are more noisy than others. But I know what you mean. I enjoy the supposed to be “quiet time” before Mass. I use that time to pray, to think, and sometimes to be “held” in God’s arms. But what really makes me:banghead: is the @#%$#@%@%#@%$ cell phones. I once told a woman that if that wasn’t God she was talking to she darn welll better hang up.
Kathy
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I can’t stand cellphones either, but you’re lucky that the woman didn’t take umbrage at what you said.
It’s not a good idea to lecture strangers. If she was a friend that’s a different story.
 
daybyday said:
Hello, Is there anyone else out there that has a problem with all the extra heavy loud talking that goes on before Mass starts these days ? I attended a 5p.m. childrens christmas eve mass last week. It was at a roar in the church before the start of Mass. people isles apart talking to each other. People walking all around. It was the worst I’ve ever seen, It was like the noise in a food court at a mall. What can be done? Does anyone else have this problem? Why do you think people are behaving like this? Have they totally forgotten where they are? and who is there? What is happening at your parishes?
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The highlighted part explains it all.

In all likelihood, if your parish is anything like the one I attended for Christmas, the people attending that Mass hadn’t set foot in a church since the previous Christmas.
They were there to see their cousin/neice/nephew perform in a play that–oops!—just happened to be set in a place of worship. :rolleyes:

Make a note on your 2007 calendar to avoid that Mass at all cost!
 
Karianne said:
I can’t stand cellphones either, but you’re lucky that the woman didn’t take umbrage at what you said.
It’s not a good idea to lecture strangers. If she was a friend that’s a different story.
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The sign in the back of the church says "NO cell phones’.
God’s house…God’s rules 😉
Kathy
 
My church always has a lot of noise, from greeters welcoming people loudly to musicians playing the piano and guitar.
 
Ours is pretty quiet and I’m glad but I have been in louder parishes. That can be frustrating.
 
Katie1723 said:
The sign in the back of the church says "NO cell phones’.
God’s house…God’s rules 😉
Kathy
Click to expand...
Think cell phones are bad during Mass? I heard a phone going off at a funeral two weeks ago!! :eek:
 
Karianne said:
I can’t stand cellphones either, but you’re lucky that the woman didn’t take umbrage at what you said.
It’s not a good idea to lecture strangers. If she was a friend that’s a different story.
Click to expand...
In my parish, someone always asks that cell phones and other electronic devices be turned off or put in silent mode before Mass starts. It’s a shame that people have to be told that.
 
I heard a cell phone go off in church the other week. Other than that, we’re a fairly quiet church.
 
daybyday said:
Hello, Is there anyone else out there that has a problem with all the extra heavy loud talking that goes on before Mass starts these days ? I attended a 5p.m. childrens christmas eve mass last week. It was at a roar in the church before the start of Mass. people isles apart talking to each other. People walking all around. It was the worst I’ve ever seen, It was like the noise in a food court at a mall. What can be done? Does anyone else have this problem? Why do you think people are behaving like this? Have they totally forgotten where they are? and who is there? What is happening at your parishes?
Click to expand...
Yes, they have forgotten. My church isn’t as bad as talking across the aisles, but it was pretty awful for 4 PM Christmas Eve Mass. It’s a crowded parish anyway, and for Christmas well you know…

Babies and young children do not bother me with their noises; that’s what they’re supposed to do. However, they had a boy, about 18, with nothing wrong with him, sitting behind us, directly behind my aunt, who talked the entire hour and 20 minutes. Before Mass, the talking was quite a roar and immediately after Communion, there were probably about a 1/4 of the seats left empty.
 
cell phones can be a problem, we leave ours in the car to be on the save side, everyone is reminded to turn them off, but they still go off. (have you ever seen someone just setting there playing a game on their phone?) I’ve gone into churches were it is quite before mass, where no one is talking, or if they need to speak to someone they get up and step out side. Where the choir isn’t having a whole practice and discussion before the mass. What is different about one place and not the other? What do we say to a parent that lets their child run up and down and around the Altar and by the Tabernacle?
 
daybyday said:
cell phones can be a problem, we leave ours in the car to be on the save side, everyone is reminded to turn them off, but they still go off. (have you ever seen someone just setting there playing a game on their phone?) I’ve gone into churches were it is quite before mass, where no one is talking, or if they need to speak to someone they get up and step out side. Where the choir isn’t having a whole practice and discussion before the mass. What is different about one place and not the other? What do we say to a parent that lets their child run up and down and around the Altar and by the Tabernacle?
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What I generally do when people are impeding prayer by unnecessary noise is I say “Stop it.” An always effective request actually and honest and to the point.
 
It just hurts my heart–all the noise going on before Mass. Not a quiet moment at all, even though they were told to be quiet the last 5 minutes. How rude for the few who would like to pray. Very small church 15 to 30 people. I have talked about it, but it goes back to the jabber.😦
 
I think Christmas is unfortunately one of those special occasions when many people who otherwise would never darken the door of a church and thus don’t know how to properly behave get dragged there by family or come out of a sense that “this is what should be done”. At my parish there were a couple of teenagers audibly laughing and talking during Communion, right in the front row. They shut up pretty quickly when I gave them a dirty look, but I’ve never seen them before and quite possibly they didn’t know that what they were doing was completely disrespectful.
 
tequilamac said:
What I generally do when people are impeding prayer by unnecessary noise is I say “Stop it.” An always effective request actually and honest and to the point.
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Well, you are brave, but the loud people at our church are
old and hard of hearing. They don’t realize how loud they
are talking when they say, “Is that Mary Jane Smith over
there? What a nice dress she has on. and What a terrible
headache I had last Thursday, I’m lucky to be here today
at all!” Yes it’s distracting, but I love them as I love the
beautiful children who can also be distracting. It’s up to the
worship commission of parish council to see about getting
an announcement made before mass asking for quiet time
until mass begins.
 
cheeto1 said:
Well, you are brave, but the loud people at our church are
old and hard of hearing. They don’t realize how loud they
are talking when they say, “Is that Mary Jane Smith over
there? What a nice dress she has on. and What a terrible
headache I had last Thursday, I’m lucky to be here today
at all!” Yes it’s distracting, but I love them as I love the
beautiful children who can also be distracting. It’s up to the
worship commission of parish council to see about getting
an announcement made before mass asking for quiet time
until mass begins.
Click to expand...
I don’t know about manners. Fact is my parish consists of 80% over 70. and our brand new Filipino priest became so upset at the noise, he started going up to people in the pews and saying " Hey you know what? Shut up." We have been a much happier parish since then. He catullay called people at home and said “Hey you know what? Shut up.” Because hey you know what? if you listen, most of the discussions carried on by these adorable elderly consist of gossip and nothing else.
 
culture. Hispanic families tend to spoil their kids, who run all over the place during Mass. It’s annoying.:mad:
 
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