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pnewton
Guest
No doubt. Please everyone note the thread title. It is not supposed to be a free for all…
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esieffe
Guest
My Church is in the Atlanta northern suburbs, and we do this. Another Catholic Church I go to from time to time here does it too. I can’t be sure, but I thought a church in Virginia did it to during Christmas.
I don’t care for it, but I imagine if you knew a lot of people, it wouldn’t be so bad.
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Crusaderbear
Guest
The funny thing is, in our parish, everyone sits in the same place every week! We sat on the opposite side two weeks ago to look at someones sons graduation pics (before mass) and afterwards, even the pastor remarked on ‘missing us’. Can’t remember the last time I shook the hand of someone I didn’t know!
Two years ago - when we first started attending, it was nice to be smiled at and ‘greeted’ - we have become friends with our little corner of the Nave!
Two years ago - when we first started attending, it was nice to be smiled at and ‘greeted’ - we have become friends with our little corner of the Nave!
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pianistclare
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EasterJoy
Guest
There isn’t a lot of square footage left in the world, let alone uninterrupted time to be found in the world, even on Sundays, that is devoted solely to prayer or worship. Would that Catholic churches were such spaces and the moments before and during and after Mass were such times.I really don’t understand what the big deal is.
“Hello, how are you today?”
“Good morning, nice to see you.”
If mass begins immediately after those exchanges, how is that ruining or cutting into anyone’s prayer time? I would suggest you show up 5 seconds earlier for mass then.
So…I’m against it because it is not in the rubrics and doesn’t need to be added. I would say the situation is quite the opposite, all things considered.
If my pastor sends someone to the front of the church to say, “greet the person next to you,” however, then I’m going to do what I’m asked to do. I may tell him later that I’m voting against it, if he’s fielding opinions. Having said that, I would be hard-pressed to come up with an excuse to refuse to do it, if he decided to keep the practice. It would be taking a chance that I’d be giving someone near me the feeling that I was snubbing them. It isn’t as if the church is going to be hospitable to any meditation while that is going on, anyway.
Well, if you’re forced to do it because the alternative is to unintentionally give offense, then do it cheerfully. We don’t have to like everything obedience and deference to the innocent wishes of others bids us to do. As they used to say in the old days, “offer it up.”
If everyone is well-acquainted, then there REALLY is no need for it. (IM"H"O, LOL)
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psalm90
Guest
No one in my church has ever introduced themselves by name. People rather sort themselves into cliques, to begin with. And they use the time before Mass for chatting about profane things – recipes, a new digital camera, where they’re going for breakfast after Mass, etc.
Virtually the entire current generation of Catholics has grown up in an atmosphere that we’re “nothing” and not qualified to do anything, like saying anything evangelically oriented.
And, even at the “sign of peace” there’s a lot of actual kissing and hugging, except when they turn to people around them - naturally – you’re not going to kiss and hug a stranger.
I think these things which the priests think up are meant to take the edge off the sterility and formality of the Mass. I don’t see this following the priest’s orders to lessen the clericalism in the Church that I thought Francis wanted to attack. On the contrary, it reinforces the clericalism, of giving and taking orders.
I grew up in the culture of silent prayer before Mass and I’m uncomfortable with everybody talking in church before Mass.
And, allow me to throw in the letter of James, where it says true religion is taking care of widows and children – my mother was a widow (twice) and I was orphaned twice (losing one father to disease and the other to homicide) and then that parish, as an organization, rather abandoned us socially. You just NEVER hear anything said about this or DONE about it.
I have always had the impression that the priests wanted to be served, rather than to serve, themselves. And, then, parishes seem to be very different from each other, rather than putting in a standard working model for a parish.
The household I grew up in was poor, financially and socially. I didn’t see the parish putting any effort into changing that.
This is the context in which I react to the OP. The parish did not make me feel good about myself, with all the insecurities of life I had to deal with. A forced handshake before Mass isn’t accomplishing anything that I can tell. And, as someone said previously, I am terrified about the people who come to church coughing so much, productive coughs ! and these people cough right into their hands. NO THANKS.
Well, the OTHER thing that happens is that at communion time, the ushers are intentionally trying to shake hands with everybody in the row that is moving up for communion. These people should take a course in bacteriology to see how unsanitary that is – not to mention the priests who order people to do that.
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Irishmom2
Guest
I agree. I don’t think it’s needed either, but if my pastor decides we are doing it, it’s not a big deal. “offer it up,” indeed!
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Yogi89
Guest
I don’t get that. And the whole introducing yourselves takes literally less than 1 minute, so I am surprised so many people say they hate it or that it takes their time away from Jesus.You hate it when the priest says “Good morning”? Is that a typo?
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truetofaith
Guest
A small change in the Topic…
One Sunday I was watching a man sneezing, coughing & blowing his nose during the Mass. When it was time for the sign of peace, he ran over to everyone around him and extended his hand to shake.
I was so happy I was in another section…I would have walked out.
The sign of peace should only be for people with normal intelligence.
I wonder how many people got the flu from those around them at Mass?
One Sunday I was watching a man sneezing, coughing & blowing his nose during the Mass. When it was time for the sign of peace, he ran over to everyone around him and extended his hand to shake.
I was so happy I was in another section…I would have walked out.
The sign of peace should only be for people with normal intelligence.
I wonder how many people got the flu from those around them at Mass?
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mVitus
Guest
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gracepoole
Guest
I don’t want to overreact here so I’m hesitant to respond. But…
Socializing has its place in community. But Mass isn’t simply (or even largely) a community-building exercise. The ceremony is kinda the point.
For thousands of years, people understood the Mass to be sacrificial. We are at Calvary with Christ as He dies for us. It shouldn’t be terribly surprising, then, that socializing while Our Lord prepares to die for us would be seen as disdainful by many.No one is forcing you to do anything. You can choose to go to whatever parish you want.
Mass is not about “me” and what “I” want. Mass is a communal celebration of the saving act of love of Jesus Christ - for all of us!!
It saddens me to see so many people who don’t want to even take a minute to say “good morning” to the person next to them at Church. What are we becoming?
LaughingBoy1503
Well-known member
I think it is annoying when parishes ask us to do this. I remember one time I went to a Life teen Mass (I think that is what it is called) They asked us to greet our neighbors just before Mass started. We did for a minuet. Then they said “Okay, now this time everyone STAND and greet your neighbor” so we had to re greet our neighbors for a second time. Counting the sign of peace that is 3 times we greeted our neighbor total. Absolutely ridiculous and annoying. But also small potatoes. Its annoying but I do not let myself get worked up about it. There are worse things that can go on at Mass. For example, just yesterday I had to sit through liturgical dance at a parish that I normally do not go to
So, as annoying as “Please stand and greet your neighbor” is, it is only for a more or less half a minuet so I just deal with it.
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Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
I agree 100 percent.I don’t want to overreact here so I’m hesitant to respond. But…
Socializing has its place in community. But Mass isn’t simply (or even largely) a community-building exercise. The ceremony is kinda the point.
For thousands of years, people understood the Mass to be sacrificial. We are at Calvary with Christ as He dies for us. It shouldn’t be terribly surprising, then, that socializing while Our Lord prepares to die for us would be seen as disdainful by many.
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Yogi89
Guest
I don’t think saying good morning or greeting someone next to you at church for less than one minute is taking away from any of that.I don’t want to overreact here so I’m hesitant to respond. But…
Socializing has its place in community. But Mass isn’t simply (or even largely) a community-building exercise. The ceremony is kinda the point.
For thousands of years, people understood the Mass to be sacrificial. We are at Calvary with Christ as He dies for us. It shouldn’t be terribly surprising, then, that socializing while Our Lord prepares to die for us would be seen as disdainful by many.
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EasterJoy
Guest
Recollection is not an easy thing to achieve. Most of us have a great deal of difficulty getting through Mass without some flight of ideas taking us off in another direction, even if we do get some time to quiet ourselves immediately before Mass begins. Our ability to focus isn’t on a switch, particularly not in a world so full of distractions as ours.
Anybody who can say they paid attention through the whole Mass last Sunday without their minds wandering off to something else, raise their hands. (Be honest: How many even made it from the start of the reading of the Gospel to the end of the homily?)
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Yogi89
Guest
That’s very true. My mind does wander off at times, and sometimes more than other times. that’s a good point, but I don’t feel saying good morning or hello to someone next to me really distracts me. It doesn’t make a difference to me one way or the other, but I see what you mean.
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ConfusedLucy
Guest
In answer to a question posted earlier I don’t think in of it’s self pre mass greetings will create community but it could make it seem more normal to talk to strangers at a parish which could make it easier for people to attend parish events alone. I’ve had several experiences going to these things and no one speaking to me, it’s a really horrible experience and makes you want to stop trying.
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pnewton
Guest
I believe this is part and parcel of our human nature. As you say, it happens to most everyone. This makes it our nature that causes distraction, not the greeting before Mass even starts. I really do not see such minor flights of the mind as a problem.
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pnewton
Guest
Just to clarify, the original post referred to something that happens before Mass, though I mention once against, that Mass is most definitely communal worship.
As far as what happened before he died, Jesus held the Pascal Supper with his disciples. One could say that his last action before he began his ordeal was social. Mass even goes back further, with the readings usually starting from the Old Testament and a Psalm before moving to the Gospel. The first half of the Mass is something that did not happen on Good Friday, but is more representative of the teaching ministry of Jesus.
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SuperHappy
Guest
The responses to this thread are very surprising to me.
The Catholic Church has a huge mercy campaign and a come back home campaign yet many church members don’t agree with a greeting time before Mass. I feel that the greeting time helps both of those campaigns. It shows mercy to those who come to church alone and makes it a little easier for them to feel accepted. As for welcome back, if I went to a church expecting to be welcome and the people told me they didn’t agree with greeting time and they refused to shake my hand, I certainly would not feel welcomed and I would probably not come back.
The Catholic Church needs to welcome people. It’s a mandate from God to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Yet many are stating how much they hate just simply greeting someone. It is really not loving or kind to refuse to simply greet someone.
Praying for the Church and for hearts & minds to be opened.
The Catholic Church has a huge mercy campaign and a come back home campaign yet many church members don’t agree with a greeting time before Mass. I feel that the greeting time helps both of those campaigns. It shows mercy to those who come to church alone and makes it a little easier for them to feel accepted. As for welcome back, if I went to a church expecting to be welcome and the people told me they didn’t agree with greeting time and they refused to shake my hand, I certainly would not feel welcomed and I would probably not come back.
The Catholic Church needs to welcome people. It’s a mandate from God to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Yet many are stating how much they hate just simply greeting someone. It is really not loving or kind to refuse to simply greet someone.
Praying for the Church and for hearts & minds to be opened.
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