Forgotten and Reminded: Mass Etiquette for American Roman Catholics

Picked up a information sheet from my parish last Saturday, on "Proper Procedures and Posture During Mass". It states: These are clarifications concerning postures and procedures, compiled from the Vatican, the USCCB, and our own Bishop. Some of it surprises me. Some of it does not.

It is my understanding that some postures (sitting, kneeling, standing at various points - though not all points) are local customs, although the congregation should be uniform in their use.

How long has it been there? I have no idea, but I would think not that long, as I usually at least glance at the rack of printed information occasionally - no, not every single week.

Is there something like this in your diocese or church?

Here are some points explained - I've left out about half of it.

1. Quiet reverence begins before Mass.

My church does quite well with this one, as have most churches I have been to. Not the time to heartily meet and greet.

Our small church does recognize visitors and those from out of town, though not before or in the middle of Mass. I can't see this being done very well in a large church. In fact, my church is the only (Catholic) church that I can recall ever seeing this done. Maybe my recall is poor.

2. During the penitential rite:

I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault, (we strike our breast)

But - if the priest uses any other option, we also strike our breast, at the response Lord, have mercy, or during both Lord, have mercy and Christ have mercy.

Both? I did not know this.

3. Gloria

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; (we strike our breast)

Surprise! Let me see (memory churning), mercy = striking breast.

4. Nicene Creed

...by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
Profound bow, if sufficient room, a head bow if space is limited.

!!!

And if we use the Apostles Creed? No bowing, apparently, or at least, it is not mentioned.

5. The Lord's Prayer (Our Father)

The preferred position is with palms held together or hands folded (not extended outwardly or upwardly). It is not forbidden to hold hands (if your neighbor wants to), without leaving your place - in otherwords, no stretching or moving. If we do hold hands, and raise them at the end of the prayer, let this be very slight, as this may be uncomfortable or painful for some.

I haven't seen the stretching across the aisles sort of hand holding for years, but holding hands has been common at several churches I've attended. We normally do not do this at my parish church. However, it is common to pray with hands extended upwardly, which is obviously not the preferred posture (according to this).

We live and learn.

6. Sign of peace (optional, but normally used in my church).

The proper greeting is "The peace of the Lord be with you always." The second person responds, "Amen" and may add, "And also with you," to which the first person then replies, "Amen."

Well, this would greatly diminish the number of people shaking hands (this is a fairly long exchange). It would also require that only one person speak at a time. No wonder this is optional.

Have never seen it done this way, and I think I would require that I have a cheat sheet on hand until I got the hang of this. However, the sign of peace is greatly subdued compared to years past.

7. Before communion:

If you chose to sing, you should stand (but not before the first person receives communion- this does not include the priest and others at the altar). However, no one is required to sing or stand.

It is the general habit in this area to kneel at all times before communion (unless your children are wiggling mightily etc.), and not to sing at this time.

8. During communion:

Before reaching the front of the line, make a sign of reverence. Minimally a head bow. However, a profound bow or genuflection is normative.

I bow. I have a tendency to wobble when I genuflect. One tries not to fall at this point (well, really).

To receive Jesus, we may stand or kneel.

Again, we make a sign of reverence when approaching the Blood of Christ.

I have a tendency to just bow my head before the cup - I don't know why.

9. After communion:

We usually do not sing with the choir until after communion in this area, and then usually only in large churches. Mine is small, so most people remain kneeling. However, the instructions state, if standing, to sit or kneel as soon as the last person in the line has received Jesus, as we should never be standing during the purification of vessels.

Although it does not say so explicitly, I assume the posture for singing should continue to be standing, and not kneeling and singing.

Should you attend a Byzantine or other Catholic church, sit in the middle of the church (or stand). Do whatever they are doing (that was exactly my practice when I first became a Catholic). Works well as a rule, if you don't let your attention wander - there have been times in my life when everyone was (sitting, standing...), and I was doing, uh, something else.

Came across this blog, Kneeling Catholic, while writing this post. I don't think every post is about kneeling, but many of them are.

Your comments are very welcome on this post. I will attempt to leave it up longer than usual, in hopes that some of you may weigh in on any point. I would be especially interested in knowing how your church handles the sign of peace (or if you use it).