www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Cell Phones In Church

I don't know what's going on lately, but I can't remember the last time I've made it through an entire Divine Liturgy or Mass without hearing a cell phone ringing in church. This is incredibly rude and offensive as it is in an intrusion upon our time with the Saviour. One would think that individuals responsible would simply put there cell phones on vibrating mode, if they absolutely must be contacted during worship. You'd think that after a phone goes off once that that would be it, but no I've heard the same person's phone ring 2 and even 3 times.

Lawrence:

Christ is in our midst!! He is and always will be!!

It's incredible the number of people who now cannot be without their "fix" of conversation with anyone and everyone for even an hour or two. Meaning to give offense, I've asked perfect strangers if they were either a doctor, paramedic, or a funeral director because those are the only people I know who need to be in an ongoing emergency mode.

In Christ,

BOB

I can certainly think of situations in which someone other than physicians, paremedics, and funeral directors are in an "ongoing emergency mode." However, that does not necessitate a situation in which cell phones are disturbing a Church service. When I go to Divine Liturgy or Mass, I both put my cell phone in silent mode and turn it off, and my wife does the same with hers. If I were in a situation where there were a need for me to be able to take a call, I would put the phone in vibrate mode.

On a different, but related note, my wife and I attended a performance of the Houston Symphony Orchestra recently. The orchestra was performing Weber's "Overture to Oberon" and cell phone went off rather loudly. Hans Graf, the conductor, stopped the music, and said, "Turn it off." The audience responded with applause. There's really no reason to show such insensitivity to others who have paid to hear a performance. There's even less justification for allowing this to happen at Church.

Ryan

Fortunately my parish is pretty good about not having their cell phones go off.

A monastic father told me a story recently of how he has heard of cell phones being answered on the communion line!

(Lord have mercy!!)...

I really think that churches and monasteries NEED to have signs upon entering the sanctuaries reminding people to turn their cell phones off.

Alice,

I agree, they signs against cell phones should be in the vestibule right next to the dress code sign.

Alice
I had it happen once during the homily.
I stopped didnt say a word and just stared at the young girl, finally her friend gave her a poke in the side and said, "He's looking at you!"
Stephanos I

There are times when a lay person [ and a cleric ] needs to have their phone switched on .

Mine has not been switched off now since January 2008 and it will not be switched off - it is however switched to silent and vibrate while I am actually in Church .

Yes discretion is called for but let us also have compassion on families of ill people .

Oh dear Anhelyna...I don't think that anyone did not realize that certain people need to have their phones on vibrate for special situations such as illnesses and children...I think that 'vibrate' is basically the same things as having one's phone off...

I don't think that any of us insinuated or meant for the phone to not be on vibrate if necessary...the silence of vibrate and the intrusion of every sort of type of musical ring and song of a mobile phone ringing loudly are entirely different.

My husband usually puts his on vibrate for emergencies and on the rare, rare occassion that it has rung, he simply and very quietly and unintrusively exits the sanctuary to take the call or call it back to see what the matter is.

This is an entirely different etiquette than talking on the phone whilst waiting on the communion line!!! EEK! OR a teenage girl (as in Father Stephanos' post) having her friends call! EEK!

Hope that all is well with you and yours,
Alice

That is very understandable and often I have the emergency phone for the hospital on during Mass but it is silenced.
This girl however was just chatting with another girlfriend as was obvious since you could hear her conversation.
Stephanos I

Fr Stephanos - I agree that sort of use is totally out of order .

Sadly many folk seem to be totally devoid of what could be termed sheer common sense and respect for their surroundings.

I have heard that it is possible to fit some sort of shielding in buildings that would in fact block all signals to Mobile phones . I understand that some parishes are considering this - but signal blocking could well be dangerous.

I dont see any problem with the priest making an announcement before the Liturgy starts to ask people to switch their phone off or if anyone is on Call out to put their phones on silent (vibrate etc). When I was on after hours duty I would make sure I was near a doorway so if the phoned went off I could leave quickly to respond to the call. The way I see it, educating the congregation needs to be pro-active matter and issuing instructions for as long as it takes is a way of getting control of the situation is a good ay to go.

It's funny, because every single young person has a phone nowadays, but when I attend Mass (...oftentimes "suffering through it" would be more accurate a description) at the Catholic Center here at my University, where 90% of the congregation is college-aged, cell phones almost NEVER go off.

I think that young people are so aware of their cell phones that they remember to put them on silent or vibrate, whereas older people sometimes just forget. Maybe that's just my bias, though.

Alexis

Yes we had considered this but #1 I think it also prohibits the use of a wireless microphone and #2 we have so many doctors, nurses, police, fire and medical people who need to be on call.
Stephanos I

I hate to say this but we have been "educating them for well over 8 years and still they do not get it!
I would rather suspect they are brazenly adamant that they will not be told what to do. ( Unfortunately you almost have to enbarass them publicly for them to take notice.) And then they are insulted and offended.
Stephanos I

I agree with Alexis, at school I almost NEVER hear a cell phone go off. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I heard a cell phone go off in church. I think we are more used to turning our phones on manner mode for class so we are more attentive to it when we go into church. I am also lucky enough to live in the same building as my church so I very rarely even need to bring it with me.

-Katie g

As an organist in a Latin church, I sit at the console in an elevated loft at the back of the church. I see the young folks with their phones at their sides, texting each other during the sermon.

For whats its worth...I am a teacher at a public academy here in Michigan. It is one of my daily routines in class too scan the classroom for students using cell phones. Everyday, I have to tell at least three students to shut off their phones(or I confiscate it for the rest of the school day). Now, admittedly I teach at an academy for students with behavioral issues, not your average student population.

Phil D

Anhelyna:

I meant no offense to people who have illnesses or children to be in contact with. I was referring to the people who persist in keeping some offensive downloaded music as their "ringtone" and who not only take the call but don't have the good sense to get up and go out into the vestibule to take the call. Or those who take two or three calls during the course of an hour Liturgy and persist in not making the phone be on vibrate mode.

Even when people had pagers, those who were in emergency modes had the good sense to use the vibrate mode. (My "vibrate mode" felt like a cattle prod and made me jump.)

So my comment was made for the people who can't get through the hour without discussing their day's plans or who can't wait to take holiday greetings--one woman took three calls during the early part of our Easter Vigil one year.

BOB

What an utter lack of etiquette, common sense and politeness exists in society when it comes to cell phones! We inundate our children with academics and sexuality classes and themes in our schools and universities, but would it be such a bad idea to have a half semester 'etiquette' class where young people could learn the basics of etiquette, both for timeless situations and modern situations?

To think that when the 'Clueless' shows and movies fist came out about spoiled Beverly Hills teens, it was considered outrageous that they all had cell phones and that they also used them in class! HEHEHE!
Who would have known what was to come in just a decade!?! LOL! *EEK*

Alice

Alice

hummm..

I must be honest - I am an ultra geek when it comes to all the gadgets. I love little things with lots of functions to mess up.

When it comes to gadgets, cellphones are one of my favorites, that is until they start ringing - boy oh boy - do I hate them ringing!

In general I have a problem with cellphones, just the thought that anyone except God can eliminate any given possible moment of rare privacy ticks me off.

I have mine usually to take business calls or make ones. But I think that culture is misusing phones and more and more people are wasting their lives and mine with long unnecessary phone calls and mostly in inappropriate time. And you always have those whom you try to reject their calls because you're busy (and I even have this nice sms sent automatically "I cannot take your call at the moment, please leave a message or send me an sms, I will get back to you ASAP") but they keep on ringing and ringing until you answer furiously "yes, what is it!" then they answer "nothing, I was just wondering..."

baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I still don't understand why anyone wants to be in constant contact with the world. My wife and I both have cell phones--and they are mostly turned off. I don't want to be contacted, I prefer my privacy and value it very highly. The only time I use my cell phone is when I'm traveling or out of the house when my ten year old son is home alone. That way he knows he can contact me if he needs. But he is alone for very short periods of time only.

Up until recently I was teaching at a Big Ten University and every single class I had there would be cell phones going off and students texting each other almost constantly. Trying to be pro-active, I always said multiple times to turn off cell phones and please do not text during class. But that did not stop anyone. I taught radio broadcasting and my students would produce and air a ten minute newscast live on our College's radio station. I mentioned time and time again to turn off cell phones in the studio, did anyone listen? Of course not. Murphy's law kicked in one day and really showed the student's what I was talking about. The anchor for that day's newscast had one arm in a cast due to an injury. He had just started the newscast "Good morning, I'm (kid's name" for ComRadio news..." and his cell phone goes off. Now the introductory music is still playing, the technical director looks at me and the anchor looks at me to see what they should do. I indicated that the anchor should turn his phone off and keep reading. Of course he has one arm in a cast and the cell phone is in his jeans pocket. His free hand has his scripts--so how does he continue reading and turn off his cell phone? With great difficulty. Did I offer any assistance? No way. There was a lesson to be learned here for everyone. I just stood there waiting for him to do something. He puts his scripts down on the table, continues reading and reaches into his jeans pocket (also with great difficulty) and stops the phone from ringing. He continues to read---and within seconds the phone goes off again! Whoever was calling did not want to take "no" for an answer. He once again reaches into his pocket with his free hand (it was the pocket on the same side of his body as his arm in the cast--he has to reach across his body with his free hand and put it into his jeans pocket while trying to concentrate on a script--try that and you will see what I mean about "great difficulty") and silences the phone once again. And within seconds the phone rings a third time. At this point the anchor is about ready to die. The tech. director has started giggling, along with some of the other students who were in the studio at the time. Yes, you could hear their giggling on the tape I made of the newscast. I was not giggling and like Queen Victoria I was not amused. The anchor is red faced and silences the phone again. We now arrive at a pre-recorded report which lasts almost a minute. The tech. director starts that piece and turns the anchor's microphone off. Everyone but me and the anchor starts laughing very loudly. The anchor takes the phone out of his pocket, apologizes profusely and turns the phone off before it could ring a fourth time and hands it to one of the other students and ask that student to take it out of the on-air studio. We then continued with the newscast. Needless to say, the grade the anchor received was less than desirable. I continued to warn students about cell phone usage and played the first part of the newscast with the cell phone going off for every class I had until I had to stop working. And you know what? That still did not hit home with students!. We still had cell phones going off during the live newscast! You would think after hearing the recording that the students would learn. But they didn't.I don't know if my replacement is using it or not, but he should be.

There is a time and a place for "live" cell phones. And church is even worse than an on-air studio during a live newscast! I understand that some people do need them even during Liturgy. But not the way people use them all the time, everywhere! I'll take the silence and being out of touch, thank you. There's only one person I want to be in touch with 24 hours a day, seven days a week--and I can't turn him off even if I wanted to.

Tim

There are other times where cell phones can create a problem and one that I recall took place two years ago at a basketball game. A graduate from the visiting team's high school had been killed in Iraq a few days earlier and, during the moment of silence for him, a student's cell phone began to ring. I'm sure that the student did not expect his or her phone to ring, but it was still distracting and embarrassing.
Deacon James sofalvi

I'm still recovering from the time that I was giving the sermon and someone's cell phone suddenly began ringing - and ringing with the old Soviet national anthem! Everyone, including myself, dissolved in helpless gales of laughter. When we all recovered, I explained that people (including the clergy - see below) should turn off their cell phones in church; even if no service is going on it is likely that people are trying to pray, prepare for Confession, and so forth.

About 10 or 12 years ago Bishop (now Metropolitan) Kallistos was complaining, quite seriously, that the fax machine is intrusive! I think I should ask him his opinion of cell phones!

If it's any consolation, Pope John Paul II summoned the College of Cardinals into consistory - and nearly collapsed when a cell phone belonging to one of the Cardinals proceeded to ring while the Pope was giving his address to the Cardinals. Nobody is safe.

Alexander Graham Bell probably did not have this sort of thing in mind.

Fr. Serge

What hath God wrought? I know Bell did not say this, but it's appropriate!

Tim

Samuel F.B. Morse's message at the demonstration of the telegraph.

I'm happy to report that this last Sunday, no cell phones went off during the 8:30 English or 10:30 Ukrainian liturgies at my church.

I like when you're in a church that has a PA system, you can hear the tick tick tick tick of people's cell phones as they are getting a text or receiving (hopefully not making calls) calls.
I've learned the hard way to either leave it in the car or make sure you really did power the phone down.

The cell phone became popular during my last ten years of active ministry. Somewhere around 2001 I announced to the congregation that whenever someone's cell phone went off, the ushers were directed to see who the culprit was. I made the point that we were gathered together to worship and not to be talking to our friends on our phones and that effective immediately, anyone whose phone went off was to send a check to the amount of $10.00 to the Rector's Discretionary Fund. I think after that I may have gotten about four checks and then it stopped.

Kinda funny but irritating. Many folks thanked me for the announcement.

Fr. Mike

Bless, Father Mike,

It's good to see a post from you; prayers that all is well.

Many years,

Neil

Neil:

Thanks for the welcome back. Much has changed in my life since I retired in July of '06. Cancer, hernia, bum knee and stressed muscles in the arms and neck. The good news is that I am in remission and don't have to see my doctor for 6 months.

I serve sometimes as what I call a "rent a priest". We have a number of smaller congregations in the Diocese that can no longer afford full time priests. We have enabled lay leaders in the congregation and they make arrangements to call for a priest to serve. I've restricted myself to two weekends a month. My wife is delighted with all this to be able to sit with her husband in the congregation!

Many years.



mike dobrosky+

Dear Father Mike,

I am very sorry to hear about your news. I pray that you will continue to get well...

I am happy to see you back.

In Christ,
Alice

EEK!

I am happy to report that we hardly ever have a cell-phone go
off in church. However, there was a brief period of time when
one went off,and loudly, several times. And whose was it?
Matushka's! A daughter-in-law was in labor (and I think having
problems).

Edmac

Father Mike,

My prayers for your continued good health and that God grant you many years,

Neil

As it turns out, my mom forgot to turn her cell phone off at last night's compline service, (she has it for emergencies) and generally it rarely, if ever rings, but sure enough.....You guessed it!!!! (and to complicate things further, she couldn't find it in her bag)!!!

Alice

I was going to confession once, and the *priest's* cell phone went off in the middle of my confession!
"Can I take this? It's the hospital, and I'm on call."

I mean it kind makes a moral dilemma, but
a) what would the hospital do if they didn't have cell phones?
b) In a parish with three priests, couldn't one of the others have taken confession duty if this priest was on call with the hospital?
c) Can't he call them back?

I never understand why phones have to be answered *immediately* in our society. Why do we have caller ID, voicemail and all this other stuff if we're just going to grab the phone 2 seconds after it rings?

OTOH, "gadgets" can be very helpful in the spiritual life. My cell phone is an LG Rumor, and it has an MP3 player function. I have several MP3 rosaries, Divine Mercy Chaplet, Angelus and hymns saved on it.

Recently, we were at a park, and I was praying the Rosary using my phone. My wife, seeing me on the cell phone, asked, "Who are you talking to?"

"God," I said.

People's reactions to the sound of a ringing telephone can be quite interesting. More than once it has happened that I have had very welcome guests for dinner and the telephone had the impudence to ring during our animated conversation. If I ignore the telephone the dinner guests become remarkably upset. "Father, the phone's ringing!" "Yes; I can hear it." "Well, aren't you going to answer it?" "No." "Do you want one of us to answer it?" "Certainly not!" Drives them crazy.

If it's important; they'll call back. If it's not important, you may be certain that they'll call back!

Fr. Serge

My wife and I were at a Latin Catholic wedding once and the same thing happened. The priest skipped from the Our Father to Communion to the Nuptial Blessing and was out the door before the second picture could be taken. Never saw anyone skip so much and finish so fast in my life.

BOB

Father Bless!

I couldn't agree more! It drives my wife nuts, but I don't care if I get to the phone in time. We have an answering machine and if I don't get there to answer it, the machine will. That would be why we bought the machine, isn't it??

The same thing at work.My class was three hours long. My office phone would go off and the students all expected me to stop and answer it. When I didn't they would ask. And I would reply--The University spent thousands and thousands of dollars putting voice mail on everyone's phone. What right do I have to waste that money?

Tim

I used to describe to my classes a watch with which I had been entrusted and ordered by the bride to destroy should it make a sound. As this would have made me a hero back at law school, where it constantly interrupted classes, I looked forward to grinding it under the heel of my boot.

Unfortunately, it remained silent. I'm still waiting for my chance. Now, about cell phones . . .

I did acknowledge that males expecting a call on childbirth (of their own childe) should let me know ahead of time and leave them on, but that women were expected to figure this issue out on their own . . .

I only recall one phone going off in six years. My hands were full of large foam dice (a statistics class). I slowly started throwing them at her until it stopped.

(The next class, my boss was in for a review and sat next to her. He told me not to do that again . . . )

A day later, I realized that I should have taken the phone, and answered it with "Jenny's phone, Jenny's professor speaking. No, she can't talk right now; almost fifty people are waiting for class to start again."

hawk