Views on "Congregational Blessings" (a.k.a.: Everyone in the congregation raises their arm in blessing)

  • Thread starter Thread starter CatholicZ09
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

CatholicZ09

Guest
What are your views on “congregational blessings” done during Mass? This has happened a few times recently at my parish, and I feel really uncomfortable doing this not only because it looks like a Nazi salute, but also because I feel that the priest himself should be the only one doing the blessing. It kind of scares me when people will actually do the sign of the cross in the air simultaneously with the priest when he says, “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,” at the end of the blessing.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
What are your views on “congregational blessings” done during Mass? This has happened a few times recently at my parish, and I feel really uncomfortable doing this not only because it looks like a Nazi salute, but also because I feel that the priest himself should be the only one doing the blessing. It kind of scares me when people will actually do the sign of the cross in the air simultaneously with the priest when he says, “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,” at the end of the blessing.
Click to expand...
How bizarre!
 
This is actually not allowed. Please note what Ecclesia de Mysterio states:
  1. To promote the proper identity (of various roles) in this area, those abuses which are contrary to the provisions of canon 907 are to be eradicated. In eucharistic celebrations deacons and non-ordained members of the faithful may not pronounce prayers – e.g. especially the eucharistic prayer, with its concluding doxology – or any other parts of the liturgy reserved to the celebrant priest. Neither may deacons or non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant. It is a grave abuse for any member of the non-ordained faithful to “quasi preside” at the Mass while leaving only that minimal participation to the priest which is necessary to secure validity.
Click to expand...
Having the faithful raise their hands to “assist” in the “blessing” is, I believe, a gross misunderstanding of the priesthood of believers.
 
Its a Protestant thing. It came from the concept of “praying over” where people place their hands over the person’s head. I don’t like it.
 
Agree with all of the above, based on my understanding of the theology. It is non-theological. Ministerial priests are the ones to impart blessings. A validly ordained ministerial priest in the Catholic tradition does not need the “help” of the congregation to validate further, or to supplement, his blessing. Nor does it show disrespect not to give the “Nazi salute.” (Thanks to the poster who mentioned that part; I knew there was an add’l reason it made me uncomfortable. I think I have been blocking that part out due to denial.)

Congregants can “participate” inwardly, and by saying “Amen.” We also participate by witness – by being present.

I do not now how/when this awkward practice got started – out of some misplaced projection on clergy’s part that persons receiving such blessings need to feel some tangible sense of ‘belonging’ to people who barely know them, or know them not at all? That such persons’ feelings will be hurt if a physical gesture is not shown? It seems so PC to me, such a pandering gesture. It is both religiously and socially inappropriate. And I can’t understand why grown, educated, well-trained men in the priesthood would engage in this.
 
Blech. When I was attending Mass the congregation did this a few times. It does feel like a Nazi salute and felt like something we would do in my grandparents’ Pentecostal church.
 
Yeah, the last parish I left did that sort of stuff, not to mention singing “Happy Birthday” to folks during the announcements which were never in the same place but within the Mass.

Just one of many reasons why I parish “hopped”.
 
I am not comfortable with it and have never participated in it when the priest asks the Congregation. Fortunately I was in the back so I was not really noticed in my lack of participation. I am glad that there is some things that actually forbid this practice.

In my Protestant days I never cared for the practice, but would have to do it as I sang in the choir.

I wish that this practice would stop. We need to get out the Protestant traditions that have crept into the Church in my little opinion and this definetely is one that needs to be heading through the back door.

God Bless.
 
CatholicZ09 said:
What are your views on “congregational blessings” done during Mass? This has happened a few times recently at my parish, and I feel really uncomfortable doing this not only because it looks like a Nazi salute, but also because I feel that the priest himself should be the only one doing the blessing. It kind of scares me when people will actually do the sign of the cross in the air simultaneously with the priest when he says, “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,” at the end of the blessing.
Click to expand...
My parish does this too and it so looks like a Nazi salute. One thing that has changed is that we (the laity) have been reminded to use one hand and not both in my parish. We don’t make the sign of the cross (as the priest would).

Another variation ‘we’ sometimes do is the “reach out and touch” the person to be blessed. I’m not a big fan of that.
 
benedictgal said:
This is actually not allowed. Please note what Ecclesia de Mysterio states:

Having the faithful raise their hands to “assist” in the “blessing” is, I believe, a gross misunderstanding of the priesthood of believers.
Click to expand...
Are the gestures of the priest or deacon proper to them?
 
I forgot to add that the congregation was invited to join in a blessing whenever my pastor was having his final Mass before leaving, and after Mass one of the altar servers approached me and said, “I felt like we were a bunch of Nazis.” 😃 It might be wrong to laugh, but it does resemble that quite well. I honestly believe that this needs to go out the door soon. We haven’t done this in such a long time, and I thought that we finally got rid of it, but it reared its ugly head again.
 
benedictgal said:
What do you mean?
Click to expand...
Go to post #3. Are the laity allowed to raise their hand or hands while the priest is blessing a person, persons or a thing (like a rosary)? According to canon law what gestures are proper to the priest or deacon? I’m not looking for a guess, a preference or a personal opinion. I’m looking for a canon law ruling. What does canon law state? The poster in post #3 referred to canon 907. Happy hunting. 6:57 a.m. West Coast time.

To promote the proper identity (of various roles) in this area, those abuses which are contrary to the provisions of canon 907 are to be eradicated. In eucharistic celebrations deacons and non-ordained members of the faithful may not pronounce prayers – e.g. especially the eucharistic prayer, with its concluding doxology – or any other parts of the liturgy reserved to the celebrant priest. Neither may deacons or non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant. It is a grave abuse for any member of the non-ordained faithful to “quasi preside” at the Mass while leaving only that minimal participation to the priest which is necessary to secure validity
 
anp1215 said:
Blech. When I was attending Mass the congregation did this a few times. It does feel like a Nazi salute and felt like something we would do in my grandparents’ Pentecostal church.
Click to expand...
Exactly! I purposefully use the other arm/hand than everyone else. 😉
benedictgal said:
Having the faithful raise their hands to “assist” in the “blessing” is, I believe, a gross misunderstanding of the priesthood of believers.
Click to expand...
I think it’s more of a “participation in” than “assisting”, methinks. A fine line of thinking, perhaps, but it certainly is suspect. Canon 907 is pretty general, and it’s an interpretation to say that such is prohibited, but it just goes against the clerical functions during mass.

We do it at our parish and I don’t like it for various reasons. I’d much rather “Participate” in a prayer or a blessing by sharing it as conferred by the Priest.
 
atassina said:
Go to post #3. Are the laity allowed to raise their hand or hands while the priest is blessing a person, persons or a thing (like a rosary)? According to canon law what gestures are proper to the priest or deacon? I’m not looking for a guess, a preference or a personal opinion. I’m looking for a canon law ruling. What does canon law state? The poster in post #3 referred to canon 907. Happy hunting. 6:57 a.m. West Coast time.

To promote the proper identity (of various roles) in this area, those abuses which are contrary to the provisions of canon 907 are to be eradicated. In eucharistic celebrations deacons and non-ordained members of the faithful may not pronounce prayers – e.g. especially the eucharistic prayer, with its concluding doxology – or any other parts of the liturgy reserved to the celebrant priest. Neither may deacons or non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant. It is a grave abuse for any member of the non-ordained faithful to “quasi preside” at the Mass while leaving only that minimal participation to the priest which is necessary to secure validity
Click to expand...
Ecclesia de Mysterio, which was the precursor to Redemptionis Sacramentum, states what can and cannot be done by the laity within the confines of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Within he context of the Mass, it falls to the priest/bishop to confer the blessing, not the laity.
 
Understood. Therefore at the laity allowed or not allowed to raise their arm, arms, hands while the priest/deacon is conferring the sacerdotal blessing? Are we allowed to bless members of our own parish community?

Sure this is a fine distinction, but I want to separate the will of the Church from personal opinion and personality.
 
atassina said:
Understood. Therefore at the laity allowed or not allowed to raise their arm, arms, hands while the priest/deacon is conferring the sacerdotal blessing? Are we allowed to bless members of our own parish community?

Sure this is a fine distinction, but I want to separate the will of the Church from personal opinion and personality.
Click to expand...
The rubrics are quite clear as to who can do what during the Mass. While the deacon can confer blessings, these are done outside of the confines of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The sarcedotal blessing is conferred by the bishop/priest.
 
OK. Back to square one.
-If a lay person or persons raises his hand or arms while the priest is blessing someone, is that lay person or persons engaging in actions/gestures proper to the priest? If yes, why?

-Does canon law or the rubric specifically state, define, clarify and promote what we laity may or may not do during a blessing? I am not talking an implication or and interpretation of what is written. I want specifics not generalities.

This will get us closer to the truth and away from our personalities.
 
Newbie2 said:
I think it’s more of a “participation in” than “assisting”, methinks. A fine line of thinking, perhaps, but it certainly is suspect. Canon 907 is pretty general, and it’s an interpretation to say that such is prohibited, but it just goes against the clerical functions during mass.
Click to expand...
I think the especially weird part is that they make the sign of the cross with hands elevated? That is the exact mirroring of the priest’s actions.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top