Questions by Rev. Fr.

Joseph Aduedem (Navrongo-Bolgatanga Diocese):

My Lord, I have two questions: (1) Can a priest bless religious articles such as
rosaries, medals, scapulars, etc., using the medium of the phone or other social
media? What about praying for and blessing people over the phone and other
social media? (2) To what extent is clapping (applause) allowed in the Liturgy?
It is generally cautioned that there should be no clapping in the Liturgy. What
about Masses in which fundraising is carried out or donations are made? Can
one not clap to appreciate the generosity of the donors?
Answers by Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu:
Question One:
A priest can bless religious articles like rosaries, scapulars, etc., that are brought
by the lay faithful. In doing this, he may use a short blessing formulary. In
blessing rosaries, for example, he may use the following short formulary: “May
almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit bless + this rosary and
the one who uses it”. This formulary can also be used for other religious items
like small crucifixes, statues, or pictures that will be displayed elsewhere than
in a church or chapel. It can also be used to bless water. Such a blessing of
religious articles and water may also be given on the phone or on other social
media, e.g. Whatsapp.
It is also permissible to pray for and bless people on the phone or other social
media. Recently, a woman in the United Kingdom told me that her mother in
Kumasi was sick and asked me to pray for her. I was in Mampong, but I prayed
for her sick mother in Kumasi over the phone and gave her my blessing. She
appreciated the prayer and the blessing. We can pray for someone even without
a physical or virtual connection, for example, when we offer a decade of the
rosary for that person. If a blessing is considered a prayer, then a simple
blessing can be directly transmitted by electronic means if the priest’s intention
is to implore God’s blessing on those blessed. However, as I have explained
elsewhere before, the celebration of the sacraments, e.g. baptism, confirmation,
anointing of the sick, etc., cannot be done over the phone. It requires the
physical presence of the person or persons concerned.
Question Two:
Generally speaking, the liturgical rubrics of the Church do not prescribe
applause during the celebration of the Eucharist. However, it should be noted
that in some African American Catholic communities, it is normal for some
members of the congregation to clap occasionally while the homily is being
given. This is a way of acclaiming or affirming something just said and as a
general sign of support and encouragement for the preacher. This is proper if
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it is unprompted and if it encourages people’s participation in the homily
through active listening.
In some cultures, including our own Ghanaian cultures, an important part of
singing is clapping as a kind of accompaniment. This, too, could be an
appropriate way of promoting that full, conscious, and active participation in
the liturgy to which all baptized people are called. In this case, the clapping is
not for someone’s performance during the Mass; it is seen as accompanying the
singing.
There are at least two instances in which clapping is suggested in the church’s
liturgy. Sometimes, the liturgy gives an instruction like this, from the rite to
send those preparing for Baptism to the cathedral for the Rite of Election on the
First Sunday of Lent: “When appropriate in the circumstances, the celebrant
may also ask the whole assembly to express its approval of the candidates [for
the sacraments of initiation]”. A natural way to express such approval may be
for all to clap, making this kind of applause appropriate. Such applause is a
form of acclamation. We should also note that there are times when applause
is called for, as in the ordination ceremony when members of the congregation
are asked to give their response to the election of the candidates for ordination
by the bishop. The members of the congregation normally clap to show their
consent to the election of the candidates.
Apart from these instances, sometimes, we see or hear about people applauding
others during or at the end of Mass. The applause could be for the priest after
a homily, for a cantor, or even for the choir after the liturgy concludes. This is
liturgically improper. Perhaps the kind of clapping least appropriate to the
liturgy is the applause that an audience offers to performers. In the liturgy, all
baptized people are the “performers”. Indeed, there is no Church document
that specifies that the congregation should applaud as an appropriate liturgical
response to music, singing, homilies, or announcements of gratitude by the
presider.
Although the Church does not clearly state that applause is an improper thing
to do at Mass, that may be because such a restriction used to be enforced by
Western society. Traditional Western society tended to frown severely upon
applauding in church because church services were seen as worship offered up
to God and not entertainment to be appraised by the congregation.
On the question of whether it is appropriate to applaud for the priest after a
homily or the choir after Mass, it should be stated that it is absolutely not
appropriate, and parish priests should make sure that the congregation
understands this. Indeed, the choir is not singing to entertain the congregation;
neither is the conductor conducting to entertain the congregation. On this
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subject, Father Vincent Serpa, O.P., a well-known apologist of the Catholic faith,
says that liturgy “… is the worship of God, and it needs to be done in an
appropriate way as the Church sees fit”. He adds that it is good that the
congregation appreciates the choir, but they can thank them outside of
Mass. He says that applause is not appropriate during the Mass.
It should be noted that the church is not a concert hall and the liturgy is not a
performance. We are there to direct our attention to God – not to each other.
There is a time and place for everything. The church is for prayer – not
performances. It is important to show our gratitude for those among us who
volunteer their time and talent – especially the choir. This, however, should not
take the form of clapping for them in church. Our appreciation can be shown
outside of the liturgy.
We should note that some popes have expressed their views on this subject.
Pope Saint Pius X, who was pope from 1903 to 1914, said, “It is not fitting that
the servant should be applauded in his Master’s house”. As the faithful waited
for Pope Saint John XXIII’s arrival at a church outside of Rome, he said, “I am
very glad to have come here. But if I must express a wish, it is that in church
you not shout out, that you not clap your hands, and that you not greet even the
Pope, because ‘templum Dei, templum Dei.’ (‘The temple of God is the temple
of God’)”.
Before he became Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote this in
the 2000 publication of his book, The Spirit of the Liturgy:
“Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some
human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has
totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious
entertainment. Such attractiveness fades quickly – it cannot
compete in the market of leisure pursuits, incorporating as it
increasingly does various forms of religious titillation”.1

Anticipating that someone might point to the Zairean form of the Roman
Liturgy as contradicting what he was saying, the Cardinal added,

“What people call dancing in the Ethiopian rite or the Zairean form
of the Roman liturgy is in fact a rhythmically ordered procession,
very much in keeping with the dignity of the occasion. It provides
an inner discipline and order for the various stages of the liturgy,

1 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press: San Francisco, 2000), p. 198-99.

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 bestowing on them beauty and, above all, making them worthy of
God”.2

In our liturgical celebrations in Ghana, a place can be found for appreciating the
choir and other people who perform certain roles in church. This, however,
must take place after Mass. In our Ghanaian context, we normally have
fundraising, Kofi and Amma collections, etc., at the end of Mass on some
Sundays. In such situations, the priest should give the final blessing, followed
by the dismissal, after the Post-Communion Prayer. All that happens thereafter
will be Part Two. During this part of the celebration, people can show their
appreciation to the choir and other people who sing or perform certain
functions. Indeed, during fundraising and similar activities, people should
show their appreciation to the choir and those who make donations for a
particular cause. When there is a Part Two that comes after the Mass, the final
blessing should not be given at the end of Part Two but rather after the Post-
Communion Prayer, as indicated above. The blessing, with the dismissal,
concludes the celebration of the Mass.
For further explanations or enquiries, you may contact the author, Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu,
Catholic Bishop of Konongo-Mampong, on this number: 0244488904, or on WhatsApp (with the same
number).

2
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, The Spirit of the Liturgy , p. 199.