MyCatholicSource.com - 'Quick Help' Page: Noise In Church After Mass

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It does seem like it might a good idea to try to get the priest to say something. Since you indicate that this problem is limited to after Mass, it might be helpful to discuss with the priest the fact that the noise may prevent parishioners from making a proper thanksgiving after Holy Communion. For example, consider this quote...

"When the Mass, which is subject to special rules of the liturgy, is over, the person who has received Holy Communion is not thereby freed from his duty of thanksgiving; rather, it is most becoming that, when the Mass is finished, the person who has received the Eucharist should recollect himself, and in intimate union with the divine Master hold loving and fruitful converse with Him. Hence they have departed from the straight way of truth, who, adhering to the letter rather than the sense, assert and teach that, when Mass has ended, no such thanksgiving should be added, not only because the Mass itself is a thanksgiving, but also because this pertains to a private and personal act of piety and not to the good of the community. But, on the contrary, the very nature of the sacrament demands that its reception should produce rich fruits of Christian sanctity." (Pope Pius XII)

Also see below for some quotes that you may find useful.

BTW, I know one parish that has a rather large sign above the entrance that says "Silence is Golden in the House of the Lord". Signs like that can be really helpful.

Regarding people blocking the exits, this could be a safety concern / fire hazard. If you phrased it to the priest in such a manner, I would hope he would see the need to speedily resolve this. If you find that the priest will not say something to resolve the issue, maybe an usher or other tactful fellow parishioner could perhaps say something?

If you can't get a resolution at your parish, you might also consider taking the matter up with the bishop.

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[Note: The following were taken from this page.]

After Holy Communion, one should make a proper thanksgiving, even staying after Mass...

"Thanksgiving after communion is also necessary. The prayer we make after communion is the most acceptable to God, and the most profitable to us." (St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)

"After Mass we should give God thanks for having allowed us to assist at this great Sacrifice, and we should ask pardon for all the faults we may have committed while assisting at it." (Catechism of Pope St. Pius X)

"After Holy Communion we should spend some time in adoring our Lord, in thanking Him for the grace we have received, and in asking Him for the blessings we need." (Baltimore Catechism)

"We should spend sufficient time in thanksgiving after Holy Communion to show due reverence to the Blessed Sacrament; for Our Lord is personally with us as long as the appearance of bread and wine remains." (Baltimore Catechism)

"[T]he divine Redeemer is most closely united...with each and every one of the faithful, and He ardently desires to speak with them heart to heart, especially after Holy Communion" (Pope Pius XII)

"Thanksgiving after Communion consists in keeping ourselves recollected in order to honor the Lord who is within us; renewing our acts of faith, of hope, of charity, of adoration, of thanksgiving, of offerings, and of requests, especially for those graces which are most necessary for ourselves and for those for whom we are bound to pray." (Catechism of St. Pius X)

"After Holy Communion Jesus Christ abides within us by His grace as long as we commit no mortal sin; and He abides within us by His Real Presence until the sacramental species are consumed." (Catechism of St. Pius X)

"The body of Christ remains in this sacrament...so long as the sacramental species remain" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")

"Wherefore, if there is no time when we must not offer God thanks, and if we must never cease from praising Him, who would dare to reprehend or find fault with the Church, because she advises her priests and faithful to converse with the divine Redeemer for at least a short while after Holy Communion, and inserts in her liturgical books, fitting prayers, enriched with indulgences, by which the sacred ministers may make suitable preparation before Mass and Holy Communion or may return thanks afterwards? So far is the sacred liturgy from restricting the interior devotion of individual Christians, that it actually fosters and promotes it so that they may be rendered like to Jesus Christ and through Him be brought to the heavenly Father; wherefore this same discipline of the liturgy demands that whoever has partaken of the Sacrifice of the altar should return fitting praise to God. For it is the good pleasure of the divine Redeemer to hearken to us when we pray, to converse with us intimately and to offer us a refuge in His loving Heart." (Pope Pius XII, "Mediator Dei")

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Did you know? Those wishing to avoid harmful post-Vatican II novelties such as noisy churches may, thanks be to God, still lawfully attend the Traditional Latin Mass. The Traditional Latin ('Tridentine') Mass differs from the 1960's Novus Ordo Mass in many & significant ways (try here for more information). To locate a Traditional Latin Mass in your area, try here.

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