Love Prevails!: Mass Etiquette

Mass Etiquette - Behavior before, during and after the mass.

Below are some reminders for all of us to try to make our Mass experience a better one!

It is Church law that one fasts for at least 1 hour before receiving Holy Communion.

No Food and Drink in Church. The exceptions would be a drink for small children, water for the priest and water for those who are ill. Bringing a snack into church is not appropriate.
I have previously seen a choir group distribute sweets inside Mt. Carmel’s Church after the mass and all of them eat sweets in the Church itself. And this happened on 3 different occasions. This is no exaggeration on any count.

Cross yourself with Holy Water on entering the Church. This is a reminder of our Baptism, which made us members of the Church.

When we enter and leave Church, genuflect toward the Tabernacle. Christ is present for our sake. By allowing our right knee to touch the floor, we acknowledge He is our Lord and God. If someone is physically unable to genuflect, then a bow is sufficient. During Mass, if you pass in front of the altar or tabernacle, bow reverently.

Cell phones should never be used in Mass for calls or texting because it is disrespectful and impolite towards God. Mass is a very precious chance for personal communication with God.
I have seen people answering calls in the Church and during mass. No reverence to God whatsoever.
It is good manners to at all time keep the cell switched off or on silent when in Church.
Cells should be on silent when entering the Prayer Room. And one must not have loud conversations or conversations at all in the presence of the Eucharist. It is highly disrespectful. It shows no reverence to God at all.

It is always best to be mindful that when we are up on the Altar, we do so with total reverence. One should understand the reverence with which one makes the climb.
Dress appropriately when assisting in the celebration of the mass or participating.
People must not climb the Sanctuary unnecessarily. Even if the access to the outside of the Church is easier from the Altar, it is with reverence best to take the long way exit.
And when a Priest is kneeling at the Sanctuary-one must not cross the Priest who is kneeling. It is highly inappropriate and totally disrespectful. The Priest is Jesus and when Jesus kneels on the Altar, people just pass by with no concern at all. Lack of the knowledge of reverence is lack of understanding of God and lack of knowing of God.
The Sanctuary is sacred and must be treated with reverence. It is not a place for chit-chats. Something that some people don’t realize.
On my visit to the Lady of Sorrows Church, Udipi, I noticed that the Priest and the Altar servers all went up to the Sanctuary barefoot. Even the Lectors who did the reading were barefoot. That is reverence followed by the people.

Silence and prayerfulness before Mass. The best way for us to prepare for an encounter with God is silence. I don’t think people understand this at all. They talk like God can’t watch them and hear them. I had a couple sit with me on the same pew and throughout the mass the husband was talking to his wife like the celebration of the mass was not happening. He spoke with no understanding of reverence to God. I could not pay attention at all. I tried real hard and I tried being kind. Date 12^th November 2017-10:15 am mass.
Isn't it great to come to church and meet with friends and family members? But it isn't appropriate to have a conversation with them during the services or five minutes before the celebration of the mass. Besides being disrespectful towards God, it is rude towards the other people in the church who are praying. Talk to God while in church/prayer-room and to friends outside afterwards.

Show up at least a few minutes early. If for some reason you can’t be on time, then try to not disturb others when entering. Getting to Mass early allows one to pray and prepare oneself better for Mass.

Mass is not a show however skilled our choirs may be. We are supposed to sing along, and say aloud all the responses assigned to the congregation.
Reminder: This is the House of God.

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Sometimes there are people who come late habitually and expect others to move in and leave the seat for them.
Date 12/11/17 – This couple comes in and since they are elderly I move to the middle of the pew. But both were so carried away with their friends 50 years jubilee mass, that the occasion took precedence over the celebration of the mass. He went on talking and she was looking all over to see what is happening. They disturbed me completely and I thought never again am I ever going to offer to sit in the middle. I missed on listening to the celebration of the mass. I am going to sit where I can listen and be a part of the celebration of the mass. The celebration of the mass is my top priority.

Sometimes people tend to cross their legs to get comfortable while sitting. It is a casual behaviour and does not show reverence to God. For ex: If one is at an interview, one would definitely sit to show good posture/confidence and proper etiquette. One would never cross their legs. The same applies to in Church for Eucharistic – Adoration or in the Church at the celebration of the mass. We are in the presence of Jesus-The Son of God. The whole of Heaven bows down to His presence; we are the people who don’t know how to treat the King of Kings.

Every parent knows that sometimes the baby is going to have a cranky day. When a child/baby has been disturbing the congregation for some time, one of the parents should not hesitate too long before taking him/her out of the church so that other people can hear and fully participate in every moment of the Mass.
Talking to your kids during Mass should, ideally, be restricted. For children, it is natural that questions about the Mass may come about, but parents should not answer any question immediately but suggest to them that whatever questions they have will be answered after mass to show our children how we take Mass seriously and that our praying is so important that it cannot be disturbed!

Do not leave early. We should stay to the end of the recession and the hymn that accompanies it. I love to join in the singing.
Please leave quietly. Visit with others, once you are outside of the church so you won’t disturb others who want to stay and pray.
The choice to revere is always yours. Leaving church before the Dismissal - deprives us of a blessing. To leave immediately after Communion shows lack of reverence to God.

There should be no reservation of seats unless it is an important occasion. We forget that it is ‘The House of God’.
Setting a good example begins with “ME”
We must with the fear and love of God draw near. We must approach God with total reverence.

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Love Prevails!