Of the many things that have been lost during the last forty years in the name of the council, I miss one the most. Silence.
Noise is my life. With five children ages ten and under, I know from noise. My ten year old daughter screaming at my nine year old son “You are SOOOOO rude!” while he bangs on the bathroom door laughing. The seven year old and the five year old are playing Mario on Wii with the volume up to 147, and my three year old daughter is running around in a princess dress with a light sabre yelling “I’m Apunzel! Daddy, I’m Apunzel, see?” Noise is my life.
But these same children who are an endless source of decibels know, the moment we open the doors of the Church, silence is the rule. This is God’s house, not yours. That is what I teach the children, now if someone would only teach the adults.
So it bugs me when I read a story like this. A reporter with an Anglican background goes to a Catholic Church to do a story and is taken aback at the noise level. This is a Church right? Shouldn’t it be quieter? The Pastor, Fr. Reilly responds this way.
February 14, 2011 at 5:31 pm
Every time I long for silence, I just think of the time when they'll all be gone, and the house will finally be quiet. That will be the saddest day of my life.
February 14, 2011 at 5:37 pm
Boy, Did you hit a nerve! The racket before the OPM (old people's mass) Saturday vigil mass, at our parish is ridiculous. The accoustics direct the noise from the back to the front like a speaker. It's almost never anyone born in this decade making noise and mostly people much older than me. My husband and I usually arrive about 15 minutes early to recollect. One evening, 2 gentlemen well over 70 were talking in the back of the sanctuary about lawnmowers and one man's problem prostate! I looked for him after mass to tell him I would pray for his prostate! Really! AnneG in NC
February 14, 2011 at 10:41 pm
This is an appalling story–not that the noisy disrespect and self-centered behavior at worship is going on, because we see it all the time, but that the priest would actually defend it.
No wonder it's so hard to get a few minutes alone with God, even at church.
Apparently this priest is not interested in creating a space where his parishioners are encouraged to hear the still, small voice.
February 14, 2011 at 11:44 pm
I love the sound of children in Church, especially if it
distracts me from the contadictions between what is
supposed to be and what is encouraged by Catholic
failing pastoral practices.
Long Live the " Noise of Little Voices"!
I was moved nearly to tears at Mass yesterday when,
following the poorly sung response of the sparse
parishioners, a five second delayed, quiet but clearly
audible, solitary, angelic, tiny female voice, joyfully
sang out: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come
again."
It filled my heart with joy. It reminded me of our children,
when we were a family before Catholic Church sponsored
adultery and civil remarriage tore me from our precious
children.
God bless these "noisy" children. Perhaps they may grow
to be more faithful them my generation and the terrible
men now running the Catholic Church. I hope so.
You sad people complain about noise but not about the
terrible injustices perpetrated by real, disgusting sin that
inaction by the hierarchy forces upon us.
You ARE the REAL NOISE!
February 14, 2011 at 11:44 pm
My parish, constructed and formed in the 1970s in a circular formation and serving the college students, is the most conservative and reverent parish out of the three in town in my experience. Our priest is young, it is his first pastoral position, but he is unafraid to present the Church's teaching on difficult topics and has several points of absolute silence within the Mass (the longest of which is after the Eucharist has been distributed) and five minutes before Mass begins. I have only ever experienced unorthodoxy or even noisiness at other parishes since our priest arrived (the second was a problem before he came as his predecessor was very . . . lenient in this regard.)
I can only hope such or better can soon be found in all parishes across the world.
February 15, 2011 at 1:10 am
We should come to church to pray and worship God. Not to talk to our friends and neighbors. It is rude and inconsiderate to our neighbor to not allow him time to pray before Mass starts or after it ends! Putting the Tabernacle in a closet shows a lack of belief in the Real Presence. I grew up going to a church with the Tabernacle off in a "prayer chapel" I didn't know it was there, didn't know what a tabernacle was, and didn't think any reasonable person actually believed that bread could be turned into the Body of our Lord; nor did most of my peers. Moving the Tabernacle only facilitates a lack of faith in the parishioners at that church. Take your conversations outside or into a parish hall, please stop talking about the mundane inside our churches! By the way, I don't mind noise coming from the under 3 crowd at all (as long as the parents are trying to teach their children how to behave in church!) In demanding silence in our churches we must also be compassionate towards those with children. I often find the noise problems in church come from the over 50 crowd, this age demographic should know better!
February 15, 2011 at 1:25 am
Anonymous 6:44 PM: the rudeness of your post here is matched by the rudeness of your views.
Why do you think it is acceptable to distract your fellow worshipers (or allow your children to distract your fellow worshipers) from contemplating or hearing God?
Perhaps you think you are more important than God?
Unfortunately for you, some of the rest of us don't, and would rather hear from God than from you or your children.
February 15, 2011 at 1:34 am
The remarks of "Anonymous" above only prove a point: people of a certain age are the real problem, not the children–because they don't think it's important to teach their children (or maybe grandchildren, at this point) to be quiet. Silence is of the utmost importance in the spiritual life. Tell me one place children will learn silence nowadays if they don't learn it in church. And most of them aren't…learning it in church, that is.
February 15, 2011 at 10:44 am
Five children! Holy shit. Thank for contributing to the over population of the world and using up more of our nature resources in hopes to destroy the world. Very self-centered.
February 15, 2011 at 3:29 pm
I really wish Pat and Matt would disable anonymous commenting at some point, because you can see the results.
The sound of small children is something different than what's being discussed in Patrick's post. Especially as the father of a small child of a rather energetic two-year old (who prompts us to utilize the Church's baby-sitting service), I have gained a lot of tolerance and even appreciation for the sound of children in Church. But at some point we all need to learn to learn when to be quiet and just bask in the presence of the Lord.
February 15, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Heh…love the irony in the latest Anonymous post. "It's so self-centered of you to use up resources on your children, when they can better be used by me!"
So tell me, oh righteous one, which of my six kids should be killed off?
February 15, 2011 at 8:32 pm
"Sounds of children"…My wife made pains to pack soft items for our infants and toddlers to be distracted with. I chuckle to myself over even the experienced parents who bring plastic cars and wooden beads which end up being tapped on the wood pews.