Using phone/iPod to pray at church

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St_Francis

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I have an iPod with iPieta, which has prayers on it that I pray before and after Mass, and sometimes after receiving Communion.

But I feel very awkward as I think others (lots of elderly people at our church) might think I am texting or something. Since the prayers I like are in two books, one of which is quite thick, doing iit this way is very convenient for me, but I did hear someone heh-hemming when I was starting it up…

So, what should I do?
 
Leave the iPod prayers for some other time-- Adoration, prayer at home, etc.

There are many prayers you can say before/after Mass that do not require the iPod. If you want to say something specific from a book that is large, write down those specific parts and bring them on a sheet of paper, or bring a small prayer book.

The iPod is a distraction to others. Typically others can hear noise coming from the ear buds, I am sure that is the case in a quiet Church.
 
Go for it. It’s prayers at church. Sometimes, if I really like bible verse or homily, I’ll text myself with the reference point to look it up later.

It might be a little awkward with earphones and stuff. Is there any way you could make it more subtle?
 
I would only do so at Adoration or private prayer before/after Mass as I have a few prayer/Catholic applications on my Android phone. I would feel like I am distracting others if I did so during Mass.
 
People have to get used to e-books and the like. For instance i immagine 5-10 years from now some churches will have e-reader missalettes. Those OCP ones cost $5-10 a piece and have to be tossed twice a year. E-readers are as low as $50.

Infact, I know a nun who has used her phone in lieu of a daily misselette for 3 or 4 years now. The order couldn’t pay for the subscrition to the magazine and the books are far too large to cart around town.

Make sure there is no noise coming from your device. The rest of the world can catch up later.
 
purplesunshine said:
People have to get used to e-books and the like. For instance i immagine 5-10 years from now some churches will have e-reader missalettes. Those OCP ones cost $5-10 a piece and have to be tossed twice a year. E-readers are as low as $50.

Infact, I know a nun who has used her phone in lieu of a daily misselette for 3 or 4 years now. The order couldn’t pay for the subscrition to the magazine and the books are far too large to cart around town.

Make sure there is no noise coming from your device. The rest of the world can catch up later.
Click to expand...
I agree with the above. The old folks are just going to have to get used to people using electronic resources instead of the corresponding (as some like to call it) dead-tree version.

For example, for the upcoming translation change, unless I see a card or book that has the new text handy I’ll probably pull out my iPhone (several apps now carry the new translation, including iBreviary and Universalis). I don’t see the point in buying a missal, since I’ve already got the daily readings on an app.
 
I have, on occasion tried to follow the readings for daily Mass on my iPad. When I do this, though, it seems like the actual readings are always different from what is on my iPad. .

Generally at Mass, I just try to listen, and any device is a distraction.

Love, love, love my iPad for private prayer and adoration, however. I have a journal ap which I use to write. I have a couple of rosary aps that help focus. I have iPieta ( best $3 I ever spent) and iBreviaryHD for spiritual reading and LOTH.

I just try to make sure that all sound is off (including the clicking noise when you type) and sometimes I will turn off the cellular data to further avoid distractions.
 
acadian said:
I have, on occasion tried to follow the readings for daily Mass on my iPad. When I do this, though, it seems like the actual readings are always different from what is on my iPad.
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Do they have the iPad apps in Latin? I know you can create your own apps on Kindle.
 
St_Francis said:
I have an iPod with iPieta, which has prayers on it that I pray before and after Mass, and sometimes after receiving Communion.

But I feel very awkward as I think others (lots of elderly people at our church) might think I am texting or something. Since the prayers I like are in two books, one of which is quite thick, doing iit this way is very convenient for me, but I did hear someone heh-hemming when I was starting it up…

So, what should I do?
Click to expand...
I also have iPieta and I take it to Adoration with me. Perhaps using it during Mass would be inadvisable due to the possible distraction to others, but before and after Mass is fine. If people judge, then that is their fault not yours. As long as all the sound is off, then there is no problem.
ProVobis said:
Do they have the iPad apps in Latin? I know you can create your own apps on Kindle.
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iPieta has both Latin and English, for both the written and audio parts.
 
I really wouldn’t worry about it. Actually I don’t worry about it! LOL

I often read scripture before Mass, on my iphone (sound turned off, of course). Basically I figure if someone is that affected they’ll have to, get over it, or come to me and say something. At that point I’ll show them what I am doing with a smile, of course 🙂

I’ve never had a problem.

God Bless,
cheese
 
The same person that is distracted and “heh-hmming” about a (silent) iPod or iPhone is paying too much attention to you and not enough to their own prayers. These are people who will not be happy until you are doing exactly what they expect you to do. They probably don’t like your clothes, your children, your offering, or your posture either.

As long as the device makes no noise, use it as your piety moves you.

I often use my iPhone with certain lectors and cantors, but only those whom I find very hard to understand. I use my iPhone with Pieta for prayers before and after Mass and for the Divine Office. I use if before, during, and after Mass. It makes less noise and is smaller than a prayer book.
 
1ke said:
Leave the iPod prayers for some other time-- Adoration, prayer at home, etc.

There are many prayers you can say before/after Mass that do not require the iPod. If you want to say something specific from a book that is large, write down those specific parts and bring them on a sheet of paper, or bring a small prayer book.

The iPod is a distraction to others. Typically others can hear noise coming from the ear buds, I am sure that is the case in a quiet Church.
Click to expand...
Well really, the ipod, the iphone, the kindle, the nook, etc, with the touchscreens are the electronic equivalent to paper. And when the sound is turned off on those devices, can actually be less noisey than a sheet of paper or a prayer book. There is no need for ear buds.

I think people that haven’t grown up with the electronic age are just annoyed with such devices in general. But like purplesunshine said, its the future. Its so much more convenient to download all the prayers and such on my iphone, one small device, instead of carrying around several books or papers to church.
 
purplesunshine said:
People have to get used to e-books and the like. For instance i immagine 5-10 years from now some churches will have e-reader missalettes. Those OCP ones cost $5-10 a piece and have to be tossed twice a year. E-readers are as low as $50.

Infact, I know a nun who has used her phone in lieu of a daily misselette for 3 or 4 years now. The order couldn’t pay for the subscrition to the magazine and the books are far too large to cart around town.

Make sure there is no noise coming from your device. The rest of the world can catch up later.
Click to expand...
👍
GwenL said:
The same person that is distracted and “heh-hmming” about a (silent) iPod or iPhone is paying too much attention to you and not enough to their own prayers. These are people who will not be happy until you are doing exactly what they expect you to do. They probably don’t like your clothes, your children, your offering, or your posture either.

As long as the device makes no noise, use it as your piety moves you.

I often use my iPhone with certain lectors and cantors, but only those whom I find very hard to understand. I use my iPhone with Pieta for prayers before and after Mass and for the Divine Office. I use if before, during, and after Mass. It makes less noise and is smaller than a prayer book.
Click to expand...
👍 I like both of these answers. Although, I would agree that it is OK to use before and after Mass as well as at Adoration but I would discourage use during Mass for the most part. However, for those who do have difficulty hearing, this is probably a good aid for them.
 
I go to an extremely conservative, Extraordinary Form, FSSP parish. And a couple of Saturdays ago, my priest started his homily by discussing the fact that while there are many days celebrating the Catholic saints in the ordo, the names in the ordo are nothing compared to the daily listings of martyrs and saints listed in the Martyrology every day. He said that you can get the book in any Catholic bookstore, or even read the information online. He then proceeded to pull out his iPhone 4 from his cassock pocket and read the Martyrology readings from the Prime hour on the Breviarium Meum iPhone app.

So here’s my thought: If my cassock-wearing, Latin Mass praying, uberconservative priest can use his iPhone during a homily, I can use my iPhone to read in the chapel during my daily after-mass Holy Hour.

I actually got on DivinumOfficium.com and created ePub versions of all of the 2011-2012 prayers with their downloadable database, and put them on my nook. I pray Lauds after the mass on weekdays, and have been known to do some holy reading with a saintly book or two during personal Holy Hour adoration on my nook as well. I do keep my phone turned off during mass, but I have no problem firing it up (ringer off) before or after mass to pray the Hours if my nook is at home, or a novena from iPieta, or even reading a book on my nook app. I do tend to only do it on days where the chapel is relatively cleared out, though.
 
zab said:
👍

👍 I like both of these answers. Although, I would agree that it is OK to use before and after Mass as well as at Adoration but I would discourage use during Mass for the most part. However, for those who do have difficulty hearing, this is probably a good aid for them.
Click to expand...
Well, I guess I don’t understand why it would be OK at Adoration and not at Mass?

I have hearing loss and have a very hard time understanding some lectors and cantors. I sit up front. The iPhone with iMissal helps immeasurably during Mass. We don’t have missalettes–can’t afford them.

By the way, I always have my phone “on” but on “vibrate” during Mass. I’m usually the sacristan, our Cathedral is in a really dicey neighborhood, and somebody has to be ready to dial 911. It’s happened–not too long ago, we had someone come in (to the nave) with knives and slash a painting. We had a naked woman come running in and wrap herself around the baptismal font…then go up and sit on the catedra :eek: People other than ER docs need cell phones at the ready.
 
I see the electronic aids more and more and many using them are older than me (late fifties) When I saw one friend "play with his phone"during Mass I knew he must have the readings there.
At adoration I have used my i-pod for the Divine Office and my Kindle for reading. I use both for reading the Bible. Friday when I stopped into the Adoration Chapel I was a little amused at how many were using some kind of electronic device
I agree to watch the noise level but I also noticed this weekend how much rustling my note book could make as I wrote in my journal.

I was also able to down load a book recommended immediately during the talk.
 
GwenL said:
Well, I guess I don’t understand why it would be OK at Adoration and not at Mass?

I have hearing loss and have a very hard time understanding some lectors and cantors. I sit up front. The iPhone with iMissal helps immeasurably during Mass. We don’t have missalettes–can’t afford them.

By the way, I always have my phone “on” but on “vibrate” during Mass. I’m usually the sacristan, our Cathedral is in a really dicey neighborhood, and somebody has to be ready to dial 911. It’s happened–not too long ago, we had someone come in (to the nave) with knives and slash a painting. We had a naked woman come running in and wrap herself around the baptismal font…then go up and sit on the catedra :eek: People other than ER docs need cell phones at the ready.
Click to expand...
By Adoration, I was referring to private Adoration not within a Eucharistic Worship Service. However, as I had previously mentioned, it could be a good aid in certain situations.
 
Even though I have several Catholic apps on my phone, I prefer not to use them in Mass settings so I do not disturb others. I only do so in Adoration in the chapel with the sound off as an example.
 
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