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!
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.
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.