Lingering after Liturgy: Practical Tips to Make It Happen

AnneMarie Miller discusses obstacles that make it difficult to pray after Mass and offers simple ways to help us in this practice.

I recently explored the benefit of lingering in the church after Mass. However, it can be hard to actually practice this. Many different commitments and desires tug at us, and when Mass ends, it is easy to join the hubbub of activity instead of praying or quietly exploring the church. If we’re struggling to pray after Mass, here are some ideas we can try:  

Kneel and pray as a congregation.  

At some parishes, the entire congregation kneels after the priest processes out. Then, they either have a short period of silent prayer (ending at a specified time, for example: “when the altar servers have extinguished the candles”) or they say a specific prayer together, such as the Prayer of St. Francis or the St. Michael prayer. This is a simple, effective way to help parishioners spend a moment in prayer before charging off to other activities.   

Do a “holy huddle” as a family.  

Even if the rest of the congregation bounces into noise after Mass, individual families can pause to pray together. We can huddle together to say a short family prayer, or we can simply kneel in silence for a brief period.  

Delay the donuts. 

If we (or our kids) are excited about the post-Mass donuts, it can be really tough to prayerfully linger in the church. Not only do we want to eat, but we need to grab donuts before they are gone! Some parishes ensure that as soon as Mass ends, coffee and donuts are already laid out and ready to consume.

However, I’ve attended a couple different parishes that delay the donuts. When I visited these churches, I noticed that once the liturgy ended, volunteer hosts laid out the food. Then, the parishioners would pray together and eat. Before the food was ready, they could either pray in the church or visit with each other. Not only does this practice encourage the congregation to spend time in prayer after Mass, but it also helps the volunteer hosts participate in Mass. When I helped with coffee and donuts in the past, I was always instructed to leave Mass early so that I could have everything ready before Mass ended. Delaying the donuts avoids this problem! 

Adjust the religious education schedule.  

At some churches, religious education classes are scheduled to occur in between two Masses. This way, families can attend Mass before or after classes. Some churches even offer adult formation while the kids are in class. This idea makes sense. However, if the classes and formation are scheduled to begin immediately after Mass, people tend to dash out of the church so they can grab a donut and rush off to a classroom.

Shifting classes to start slightly later creates time and space for people to more peacefully pray before exiting the church. Alternatively, parishes can offer these formation opportunities and classes at another time. I’ve been a parishioner at two different churches that held classes on Wednesday evenings. This freed up Sunday morning for Mass, prayer, and rest.  

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If we want to spend a few peaceful moments after Mass in prayer with God, we can find a way to make it happen. #CatholicMom

If we want to spend a few peaceful moments after Mass in prayer with God—whom we just received into our bodies—we can find a way to make it happen. We may need to try different approaches, and we might struggle. Thankfully, God knows our hearts and will help us.   

What are other ways we can make it easier to linger after the liturgy?  

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Copyright 2024 AnneMarie Miller
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