From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
My parish has been assigned a parochial administrator. Since he has arrived, we have had nearly weekly post-homily announcements. What I mean is that our priests finish their homily and the parochial administrator or someone from the finance committee then says something like “we will be reading a letter from the Archbishop” or “we will be reporting on…” after the Eucharist. The sub-text is “don’t walk out! We have something to say.”
It is very distracting but the last thing our priests need is critique so I have held my peace. Is it OK to do that? I want to know if it is just my annoyance or whether a post-homily announcement is not supposed to be done.
Alas, we live in a fallen world. As St. Augustine explains in City of God announcements during Mass are a result of original sin. No… wait… it’s government that’s the result of original sin. You get my drift.
Ideally, we wouldn’t have to make announcements. People would do their own diligent inquiries – because the love their faith and their parish – by looking at a truly well-maintained website which the parish keeps constantly updated. Parishioners would be texting and calling each other about the exciting things the parish and diocese are up to. Holy Mass would be announcement free because – out of sincere interest and love for everything having to do with the life of faith – everyone takes and carefully reads the bulletin which would certainly be lovingly prepared by the parish staff with riveting information.
Or, because of original sin, we can have announcements.
As for post sermon announcements, my choice is directly after the Gospel and subsequent Prayer for Vocations and before I sermonize. I have on rare occasions slipped something in after the sermon that I had forgotten before or directly after Mass and before the Salve Regina but only if realllly important. Memory lapses are because of original sin, too.
Also, I don’t pause dramatically and meaningfully after my own sermon, as if to say by the silence that I impose, “Now you can contemplate my amazing insights.”
Announcements and silences can both be punishments for original sin.
