A reminder about babies and toddlers in church:  We want to encourage you to bring children to Mass as infants.  They should grow up in the church.  Toddlers tend to behave better if they can see what is going on.  While you are welcome to use the cry-room, I don’t think it is ideal.  Too many people let little ones run wild in there which does not teach them to behave in church.  If you sit close to the front, they can see and tend to be better behaved.  With proper guidance they will eventually learn how to behave in church.  If they become disruptive, they can be taken out to the vestibule for s few minutes until they quiet down.  Infants crying is a fact of life.  It is said that a church with no crying babies is a dying church. Briefly crying (kind of like a cat meowing) is not a problem.  If they start to shriek continuously – that sound that can pierce thick concrete walls, it might be good to take them out for a few minutes.  We want little ones in church.  We don’t want them to look as if they were in a foreign environment when they come in as first graders to begin religion classes.  Parents promise, when they ask to have their child baptized to, “raise them in the practice of the faith”.  This means bringing them to Mass regularly, and giving Christian example in the home.

REMINDER: In order to foster an atmosphere of quiet in the body of the church, we are trying to keep the large doors separating the narthex and the church proper closed and during Mass.  The architecture of the church causes voices from the vestibule to travel into and be magnified in the church.  Keeping the doors closed should make it quieter for those trying to pray before Mass, and should also make keeping the air-conditioning more effective.  Your cooperation is appreciated. I have already noticed a substantial decrease in people wandering in and out of the vestibule all during Mass.  Keeping the doors between the vestibule and the church proper is not intended to keep people in or out, but to keep the church both quiet and cool.  

GOOD MANNERS IN CHURCH:  Please – turn cell phones off!  There should be no one chewing gum.  Loitering in the vestibule is not considered attending Mass (the exception being parents trying to placate babies or hyperactive toddlers).  Unless you have a medical condition which requires more than normal hydration, please leave water bottles in the car.  Do remember that Mass ends with the conclusion of the recessional hymn.  Your good manners make the worship experience less distracting for others. Thanks!

MASS TIMES

For Mass near you when out of town​

An entrance antiphon for the Mass for the dedication of a church says, “How awesome is this place! It is the house of God – it is the gate of Heaven”. I want to propose the following as a reminder of our showing the reverence due to the church as the place where we meet God in a special way – a place of prayer, of contemplation, of fraternal love and joy.  With cooperation on everyone’s part, the prayer and worship experience can be joyful and fulfilling to all.

1. I ask that genuine quiet be observed in the church proper.  While the quiet greeting of another is fine, conversations should be held in the narthex (vestibule) or outside the church even at    weekday Mass. Some want to remain after Mass and prayer and we should not be a distraction to them.
2. Even in the narthex conversation should be soft-voiced.  The design of the church makes noise from the narthex travel down the aisle of the church.  Loud talk in the vestibule also can constitute a distraction to those in the Adoration Chapel.
3. Please turn cell phones OFF when you enter the church. Physicians or emergency personnel can set the phone to vibrate.  Use of texting or computer games is absolutely out of order for both adults and children.
4. Please don not chew gum in church.
5. Unless you have health concerns that make extra hydration necessary, please do not bring water bottles into church. (This obviously applies to cups of coffee or soft drinks).
6. It is important for us to participate the whole Mass.  Mass begins with entrance hymn and is over when the recessional hymn is ended. Leaving during Communion or scampering out before the recessional hymn implies that what we are about in not really important.  If someone is sick or late for work that would be an obvious exception, but on the whole we are expected to give the Lord His due. 
7. The habit has developed over time of applauding the choir and musicians at the end of the Liturgy. I appreciate our choir and our musicians more than anyone else.  I think ours is the best parish choir in the Diocese.  The music at Mass, however, is worship not performance, therefore we should withhold the “automatic” applause at the end of Mass. If you appreciate the hard work that our musicians do all year long, or if you are inspired by a particular hymn, take a minute to walk up after Mass and actually tell them of your appreciation.  If you prefer, an occasional note of thanks can be sent to them in care of the parish office.  The roles of all involved in Liturgy – celebrant, preacher, ministers, lectors, servers and ushers in a part of our prayer and a part of their particular way of serving the church community.
8. Akin to the above, we have a Mass on many Sundays at 5:30 pm sung by the adult or teen Praise and Worship groups.  Hand clapping during these songs may be appropriate.  I do ask that the same not be introduced to the other weekend Masses.  The style of worship with which people are comfortable differs and we should not impose our style on others.
9.  It seems that have more traffic in the church during Mass than is necessary, and it is consequently a distraction.  There seems to have developed an attitude that the time after the homily (sermon) the time of the offertory, and the time of Communion is seen as “intermission”.  While I am not about to legislate response to people’s physical needs, these are not meant to be times to “take a break”, “stretch my legs” or check the phone for texts or messages.  
10. The “cry room” off the vestibule of the church is an option for parents with infants.  It is not a place for whole families to gather – there is not enough room.  While the cry room is available I do not find it ideal because toddlers do not learn how to behave in church if they are turned loose to run around the cry room.
11. INFANTS/TODDLERS IN CHURCH: The back of the church is not the best place to sit with little ones.  They can’t see anything and they become restless faster.  While it is strictly a parental decision, I think children behave better if the family sits toward the front of the church. If they become restless enough to constitute a disturbance to others, they can be taken out to the vestibule for a few minutes until they settle down, Babies crying or toddlers wailing unceasingly is a distraction and parents should feel free to take the children out for a few minutes.
12. Please help us keep the church clean.  Put books, prayer cards and hymnals back into the rack.  Take bulletin with you –don’t leave it in the pew.  Pick up Kleenex etc. and leave the place clean for those who will follow you.​

The Church is God’s house.  It a place of worship, peace, unity and joy.  Let us maintain the attitude of reverence the place deserves, and respect those around us by not distracting them from prayer.  We genuinely appreciate your cooperation.

RESPECT AND DECORUM IN CHURCH: Recently a parishioner voiced a concern to me that we seem to be losing a sense of reverence and decorum in church.  I agree up to a point.  When people are trying to pray before or after Mass, the conversations of others can be distracting.  I have also had several complaints of adults talking and making comments all during Mass – also with some young people, old enough to know better, contributing. We are getting sloppy about putting books and hymnals in their proper place after Mass, leaving bulletins or Kleenex in the pews, and generally making unnecessary work for people who try to straighten up the pews for the next Mass.  There is too much moving about during Mass, most of which is probably not necessary. Children trot out the rest rooms, drink huge gulps from the water fountain, and (predictably) have to head for the restroom again. People lurk in the vestibule during Mass and talk.  This does not constitute fulfilling the obligation to attend Mass on Sundays.  It is also a fact of the design of the church that voices from the vestibule travel clearly into the church and I can frequently hear them even while offering Mass.  A separate page with some ideas on how we can cut back the distractions and enhance a sense of due reverence in the church is available on the table in the narthex. I don’t want to have to harp on this, so I would appreciate your cooperation with the above.  It is my intention to try as much as possible to keep the doors between the narthex and the main body of the church closed as much as possible.  This will cut down on the noise transferring into the church, and should also help keep the church cooler with less stress on the A/C units.