Bishop Cullinane: Greetings before Mass are OK, chatting is not

Palmerston North Bishop Emeritus Peter Cullinane wrote an article titled “More on Learning from the Roman Missal” in the March 2025 edition of Auckland Diocese’s Liturgy magazine. Referring to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (45), Bishop Cullinane noted that sacred silence is envisaged as part of the celebration.

“The nature of the silence differs according to the different parts of the Mass where it is needed,” Bishop Cullinane stated, again referencing the GIRM.

“Its purpose at the penitential rite is for recollection […] After the reading or homily, silence is for the purpose of reflecting on what has been heard. After Holy Communion, it is for personal prayer.”

Silence before the celebration is for personal preparation, Bishop Cullinane noted, “but it is in preparation for participating in worship by the community (liturgy)”.

“The kind of greetings and courtesies that are natural when we gather to be a community (carried out in a subdued manner) properly belong to the occasion,” he wrote. “General conversations do not.

“Liturgy is neither a private time, nor a social occasion. It is a communal time.”

In the Liturgy magazine article, Bishop Cullinane also noted that the rubrics of the Missal allow for “a small bell” to be rung, “if appropriate”, “as a signal to the faithful” (150).

When the Mass was celebrated in Latin and the priest faced away from the congregation, the ringing of bells “used to be appropriate at every Mass because its purpose, as a signal, was to let the congregation know when certain moments of the Mass had arrived”, Bishop Cullinane wrote.

“Today there may be times when the congregation, or parts of the congregation, cannot see or hear, which makes this signal appropriate,” he added.

“It has no other purpose. It is not part of the ritual of the Mass. Nor is it part of our adoration. In fact, our adoration at the time of the consecration is best supported by a deep silence as we watch and listen. A bell or gong at that time shatters that silence.”

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March 2025 Liturgy Magazine by liturgycentreCDA – Issuu (Liturgy Magazine)