Church Etiquette

Thank you for your presence here at Our Lady of Lourdes. In order to make our weekly celebrations more conducive to prayer, to preserve the sacredness of our liturgies and to ensure the comfort of all those who are gathered, the following are some gentle reminders of simple church etiquette:

Chewing gum or sucking on anything other than a cough type drop breaks our required Fast before receiving Communion.

Arriving on Time:

We ask that you make every attempt to be on time (even early) to Mass. Remember to allow yourself enough time for parking and extra time to prayerfully settle into the church and prepare yourself for the celebration of the Mass.

Due to circumstances out of our control, we understand that there are times tardiness cannot be avoided. If Mass has begun, please enter through the south entrance doors. Remember that it is better to be present, even if late, than it is to be absent from the assembly. An alternative would be to wait until the next Mass.

Leaving Before the Final Blessing:

Leaving church before the dismissal ignores another important part of the Liturgy. At the dismissal, we celebrate our commission as set forth by Jesus Christ himself. In that, Jesus’ last words to his disciples were “Therefore, go out and make disciples of all nations….. And behold, I am with you until the end of the age.” Matt 28:19-20. Our liturgy has a beginning (“In the name of the Father …”) and an end ("Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord…").

Resist the temptation to leave after receiving communion as you are cheating yourself of the graces we receive in our “being sent forth.” Allow yourself the time to reflect after receiving Jesus to thank him for all that he is doing in your life and the lives of those you love.

Clean-up and Making Order of the Pews:

Take the time to put away the music issue and the missiles that you may have used during Mass. Also, for those with toddlers who can’t go without a snack during Mass, please make sure to clean up any crumbs and wrappers from where you were sitting. This goes for dirty Kleenex, and the Envelopes the children write on during Mass as well.

Proper Attire:

Remember the time when people put on their "Sunday best" to go to church? In fact, dress clothes were often referred to as Sunday clothes in some parts of the country. Too often, dress in church has become very casual. In all areas of our lives, we should offer Christ our best, and the same is true of our dress. We should offer Christ our “Sunday best". We should dress modestly, not in a flashy way that would bring attention to ourselves. Our dress should always be becoming of a Christian - especially at church. For those who are Ministers in the Mass, proper care should be given that what you wear is a real example of our "Sunday Best" for all the community to see.

Phones and Pagers:

Please remember to turn off all cell phones and pagers before entering the church.