Catholic Respect at Mass.

Great poll except for one mistake. Your question on the Our Father says that hand holding is not in the GIRM but that ORans and folded hands are.

Actually, none of those is in the GIRM. It doesn't say anything at all about the appropriate posture during the Our Father. What it says about posture in general is that we should all be doing the same thing in a given assembly.

Liturguists will tell us that the Orans is the traditional posture. Hand holding is a natural and legitimate custom in some places. Hands folded is niether traditional nor customary, so is a last option.

You're right. Posture is not specified for the Our Father in the GIRM, so I removed that part of the question. Since no posture is specified, one could say that ANY posture is OK. Why not raise our hands way above our heads and sway them back and forth?

However, for me, the Lord's Prayer is a PRAYER. I like to fold my hands in prayer. To hold hands is, for me, very distracting, so I don't do it.

People have told me that I'm very wrong for not holding hands, but the Priests I've asked say it's a local custom that has just kind of slipped in, and I'm free to do it, or not. Some have called hand holding 'silly' and 'corny'.

I just want the folks that end up sitting next to me to not be offended by my 'failure' to adopt hand holding. I am pleased to see that most respondants to my poll aren't.

Acutually, you are being a social jerk when you do that, so sit in the back with all the people who leave right after communion!

'cuz it's about the same thing!

If it's the custom to do that, then I would follow w/the local church. IF not, then I would do whatever the parishoners are doing, it's simply polite!

From The General Instruction Roman Missal:

5.2 Holding Hands during the Our Father:

Holding hands during the Our Father has become commonplace, but is an illicit addition to the Liturgy. Clarifications and Interpretations of the GIRM \["Notitiae" Vol. XI (1975) p. 226\] explains:

". . .holding hands is a sign of intimacy and not reconciliation, and as such disrupts the flow of the Sacramental signs in the Mass which leads to the Sacramental sign of intimacy with Christ and our neighbor, Holy Communion."

I hope this helps.

Peace be with you, cargopilot

Again, it still doesn't take away from the fact you act like a snobby nit-picky jerk. Your arrogant, superior attitude says I need to know about what kind of "Catholic" you are.

God forbid other Catholics recieve a sense of community fellowship and belive hand holding flows perfectly with the mass and prayerful nature of public worship.

If you don't want to be "distracted", why are you even attending a public worship service like Mass? Just do the Rosary at home!

Believe me, if it was truly an "illicit addition" to the liturgy, it wouldn't be allowed, period.

You want to follow the Old Latin Rites of Pre-Vatican II? Then go to one of the Parishes offering that type of Mass! Simple...