Applause During Mass

[tinytherese]

At my parish, the congregation claps after a baby has been baptized during Mass while the priest walks the baby around the church. Also, recently after my priest gave the homily, someone from the congregation told us to give a round of applause to him since he will soon be transfered to a new parish. Is applause appropriate during the context of the Mass?

[cappie]

Cardinal Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict XVI wrote:

"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liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. " (Spirit of the Liturgy p. 198)

Regarding Baptism while I would never do it but I don't think it's entirely inappropriate. In other cases it is certainly not called for, although it can be conceded that during the ceremony of Ordination to the diaconate or priesthood the bishop asks the people do they approve and agree to the ordination and the customary response is applause.

If you should encounter applause during Mass in your parish do not panic. Immediately after Mass you could go out and get a copy of Pope Benedict’s book "The Spirit of the Liturgy" by Ignatius Press and give it to your pastor as a gift. Be sure to highlight the above passage on page 198. Yellow highlighter works really, really well.