What will happen to the sign of peace once Public Mass resumes?

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sweetcharity

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Do you think the handshaking will occur? Maybe we will just turn and bow/nod to one of another?

Two things I would not like to see happen, one is to hold up two fingers in the peace symbol, the other is to bump elbows.
 
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I live in the Philippines. As the sign of peace, people generally bow to one another. A few people wave. So there will be no problem here.
 
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Large numbers of Catholics already weren’t shaking hands before COVID-19. Flu season, arthritis, and cultural differences all cause a lot of people to do something other than shake hands.

Before COVID, I myself generally participated in the Sign of Peace by raising my hand and waving or nodding to others around me. I didn’t shake hands unless someone was very determined to grab my hand and plenty of people were not. The reasons I didn’t included a) a lot of people where I attend church don’t want to shake hands, 2) I am often sitting at a distance from others especially at daily Mass which is not very crowded, and 3) I had several colds or sinus congestions that had me blowing my nose and coughing during Mass and no one wants to be shaking hands with a person who seems like they may have a cold; also there were often people sitting by me doing the same so I didn’t want to shake their hand either.

I have seen other Catholics bow, nod, raise their hand like I do, or give a 60s style peace sign to those around them rather than shake hands.

I have a feeling handshaking as a custom may just die out everywhere and be replaced by elbow bumps or little nods/ bows or something else. I already did my first “elbow bumps” with a new business contact in early March before stuff was even shut down.
 
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I don’t know will it but if I wish peace to someone then it does not matter if we do or not shake hands since the handshake isn’t necessary to wish peace (and receive it).
 
How about just making eye contact and say “Peace be with you”. Why do we need to bow or nod or elbow bump or anything like that?
 
I remember when I was still Catholic during SARS be people were asked to wave or bow.
 
Hoping for a comeback of the tradition (not ancient) “kiss of peace”.

 
Being able to turn around and shake hands with whoever was standing behind or beside me was a major step in overcoming social anxiety. Thirty-something years later, I still feel awkward, which is why I pray we return to a full-on handshaking.

We all have our little victories in life.
 
on_the_hill said:
Being able to turn around and shake hands with whoever was standing behind or beside me was a major step in overcoming social anxiety. Thirty-something years later, I still feel awkward, which is why I pray we return to a full-on handshaking.

We all have our little victories in life.
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God bless you.
 
They could always just get rid of it.

It’s not required by the rubrics, and was never a part of the traditional Latin Mass. Only the offer of peace between priests and congregation is required in either EF or OF.

I dislike it very much — though I will not refuse peace to anyone, I won’t be a meanie about it — and could very well live without it. It is very much a distraction from having prepared oneself, throughout the entire Mass, to receive the Blessed Sacrament.
 
My former priest always gave a fist bump to me when it came to the sign of peace.
 
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Bishops in my area suspended handshaking even before the social shutdown. I suspect it’s continued suspension will be a hallmark of the reopening of churches.
 
I’ll nod and say peace.

Ideally I’d like it to end. It’s not unusual for some people to only pay attention to their family, while some others look right past those in closest proximity, totally ignoring them so they can wave at their friends who are further away. I can’t fault their intentions, but I can do without a part of Mass which is optional anyway, and prone to goofiness (not to mention the health issue).
 
I too would like it to end.
It is a socially awkward thing to do anyway, And going with the flow of the Mass, by the time the sign of peace is over, I have only time to share with my own family, and honestly that is ok with me. Making sure those in front of and behind me and next to me etc get acknowledged is not my priority at Mass.
 
All often I’ve noticed people alone at Mass who might get one or two handshakes at the sign of peace, while those who shook their hands go around saying hi to friends.
 
Sure, but it isn’t really my place to decide if they even WANT all the people around them shaking hands or even talking to them. I;m not there to socially train the public.
 
Mrchatsworth said:
Sure, but it isn’t really my place to decide if they even WANT all the people around them shaking hands or even talking to them. I;m not there to socially train the public.
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That’s a good point I hadn’t thought of.
 
When I attend the OF I typically choose my seat so that the sign of peace won’t even be an option. If, however, someone comes and sits near me, I won’t refuse if that person initiates. Nor will I refuse to shake hands outside of Mass if social norms call for it, again, when the other person initiates it. In the EF this obviously isn’t a problem, so I don’t have to seat hunt as much.

It’s not that I hate people or anything. I’ve just never been a big fan of hand shaking, and I generally prefer not to be touched.
 
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