[ventana]

You and sitetest are more generous then am I. I smile and politely shake my head no, I have taught my children to do the same. I see the effect of this in my church, more people are willing to either stare straight ahead in an effort to ward off the advance as are more people willing to gingerly look in my or anothers direction for permission to reach and connect. The willy nilly rush presuming all wish to worship this way is subsiding. Those that like to seem to sit nearby one another; those that don't sit apart. That seems a compromise, a distracting compromise, but one nonetheless. I have a kneejerk reaction to group think and group action. Again, I am not being as charitable as you both and perhaps I should rethink this. V's wife.

[VermiciousKnid]

Here's what I do to ward off the hand-holders: I have my rosary in my hands at all times, and issue them to the kids as well. They are young yet, but my eldest is quite capable of saying the rosary during Mass, and does. The youngest is old enough to say the Our Father aloud with the congregation, and does so with his hands folded around his rosary.

I find that this method works.

Happy New Year!

[sitetest]

Dear ventana,

Sometimes I think that I must be in Oz.

In my parish, there are hand-holders. And those that don't hold hands. And it seems that the hand-holders are not very presumptuous. I've never seen an ungracious offer, refusal, or reaction to refusal, to hold hands during the Our Father in our parish.


sitetest

[Coleus]

What's wrong with the hand holding? I don't like it and do not do it myself but if the church allows it, so be it. It is a faith Community and Christ did say that if 2 or more gather in His name He is there with us. I also heard the sign is peace, shaking hands during mass, is wrong, but those are Opinions of some priests who appear on EWTN and not the Bishops who run the church.