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

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+