Non solum: Is Our Worship Too Extroverted?

A reader writes about this story in HuffPost, “10 Ways Introverts Interact Differently with the World.”

Among the traits of introverts, according to the article:

They withdraw in crowds.
Small talk stresses them out, while deeper conversations make them feel alive.
They get distracted easily, but rarely feel bored.
When surrounded by people, they locate themselves close to an exit.
They don’t take on the mood of their environment like extraverts do.
They literally shut down when it’s time to [i.e., when they need to] be alone.

The reader comments,

In worship environments I find, as an introvert, it can be difficult, when it seems like the entire crowd is aligned in a certain way or all exhibiting the same behavior. It is easy to think there is something wrong that I don’t have the same reaction or am not caught up in the same wave…

As a rather introverted monk, I’m sympathetic to this reader’s concerns. (When I read above that we introverts don’t readily take on the mood of our environment, I thought to myself, “Huh? My social environment has moods? I’ve never noticed that…” 🙂 ) I’m drawn to monastic liturgy with lots of chant and silence and nothing spontaneous or improvised. I’d rather hear a choir sing Latin polyphony than have to greet my neighbor.

The reader relates all this to deeper issues of liturgical renewal:

I wonder how much of the liturgical movement, which has largely occurred in the post-industrial age of larger crowds and urbanization, has been influenced by a more extroverted friendly culture. I wonder if we can become more aware of our differences, and less judgmental… Or, is it impossible for those who process the world so differently to be fed by a single way of celebration of liturgy?

What do you think? Is the reformed liturgy too much a thing for extroverts, and does it need to be more introvert-friendly? Can one liturgy be for everyone, or do we need more varied options to serve various personality types? Or do we need balance and diversity within one and the same celebration so it is accessible to all? Or do the introverts just need to deal with it?

awr

 

 

Anthony Ruff, OSB

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, is a monk of St. John's Abbey. He teaches liturgy, liturgical music, and Gregorian chant at St. John's University School of Theology-Seminary. He is widely published and frequently presents across the country on liturgy and music. He is the author of Sacred Music and Liturgical Reform: Treasures and Transformations, and of Responsorial Psalms for Weekday Mass: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter. He does priestly ministry at the neighboring community of Benedictine sisters in St. Joseph.

Please leave a reply.

Comments

30 responses to “Non solum: Is Our Worship Too Extroverted?”

  1. Therese D Butler

    I think that, especially for Sunday liturgies, there is need for a balance mindful of who might be in the pews. I also think that it is important that consistent care be given to prepare the liturgies well. I definitely empathize with those who identify as introvert and feel that they are being judged because they don’t fit in. When I am not serving as a pastoral musician, I tend to sit in the back on an aisle in view of the exit sign. One of the perks in serving, is that I have clearly defined space. I get claustrophobic sitting in the middle of the pew. At the same time, I do enjoy active participation as a member of the faith community. I enjoy being a part of a worshipping community that has been well prepared and the people around me embrace reciting the prayers and singing the songs. Blessings.

    Reply
  2. Sheila Kelly

    I am introverted yet I like an active, joyful liturgy with modern music. Should there be quiet time during liturgy-yes, but this introvert likes uplifting modern music. So please don’t stereotype all introverts. The definition of introvert is someone who gains energy (recharges) by being alone as opposed to an extrovert who gains energy from people. People drain an introvert, especially strangers. But being with folks you know and who know you can energize an introvert. So I recommend that introverts become active in their churches because once they know the other folks in the pews, they won’t feel as drained.

    Reply
  3. Charles Day

    With most of the people that I know who have lamented the changes in the liturgy over the past 50 years, the core behind their discomfort is pretty much their discomfort as introverts. It gets expressed in other ways – ‘the old liturgy is more beautiful’, ‘the old is more sacred’, etc. I know this because I am something of an introvert myself; I recognize the symptoms. After memorizing all the Latin responses of an altar boy (no girls back then) they went and changed them on me. Definitely not my favorite thing. And when I could no longer automatically respond in Latin, I was forced, however gently, to pay attention. And I had to greet my neighbor as if we were all one Body in Christ! *sigh*

    But as a result, I know waaay more about my faith than I ever thought possible in my youth, and I have embraced it. I do get to be introverted when I need to be: Eucharistic Adoration, praying the rosary, preparation for and receiving the Rite of Reconciliation – these and more are all “me” moments of faith and there’s nothing wrong with attending to the needs of “me”. But the Mass should be primarily about building the Kingdom – yes, that’s all of us – here on earth.

    Reply
    1. Jordan Zarembo

      @Charles Day – comment #3:

      With most of the people that I know who have lamented the changes in the liturgy over the past 50 years, the core behind their discomfort is pretty much their discomfort as introverts.

      +1 This is a summation of one crucial aspect of traditionalism.

      The reform has been most burdensome, even torturous, for the extreme extroverts who simply wish to place their hearts, burdens, and humble worship of the Lord before his sacrifice at a “silent” EF low Mass.

      What can be more beautiful than the sweet surrender to our Lord in the resounding and most noble song of silence? At EF low Mass I am not spoken to as if I am a child, with ridiculous introductions such as “welcome to our caring and sharing Catholic community” or similar degrading worthless phrases used to fill time and spew noise pollution. The welcome is the sign of the cross, not so-called gestures of “hospitality”.

      At EF low Mass, I know what the priest and servers are doing by their movement and gestures, and pray the server’s prayers quietly. This is my offering and preparation for the sacrifice. Why should I be bothered by my neighbor’s preparation? All converge before the Mystery.

      The innovations in the OF such as “Turn to your neighbor”, the exaggerated Pax, and deviations from the missal in order to make Mass more “friendly” drives not a few Catholics into liturgy where the Lord pierces heaven and earth with only the sound of the sacring bell. Perhaps many celebrations of the OF should embrace all opportunities for silence.

      Reply
      1. Sean Whelan

        @Jordan Zarembo – comment #15:

        Lord, save us. Now a good reason to resurrect the abrogated liturgy is to appease introverts???

        The liturgy is the work of the people. It is the public, communal prayer. If you want all this silence and personal prayer time, look elsewhere. Or rejoice in the portions of the Mass where silence is called for, but don’t twist it so it can become your personal holy hour.

  4. Todd Flowerday

    Another introvert weighing in here …

    I feel a personal nervousness when asked to wave my hands, to dance, or to shout out a spontaneous acclamation. Other introverts have lower thresholds.

    That said, introversion is not a country we inhabit as isolationists. Being an introvert means my energy is drained by being in crowds, with people, and even at Mass. I can choose to be with people, but I am aware I will need to recharge my batteries alone.

    Perhaps that is a deeper level of disconnect for traditionalist-leaning introverts. They were accustomed to recharging their batteries at Mass. And now they have to find something different.

    Speaking for myself, I appreciate when I can get to church way early, and charge up before Mass begins. I also find I do better with Mass if I can reflect, perform an Examen, or somehow find quiet time at the end of Sunday. As a liturgist and a staff person, this is nearly impossible right after Mass.

    As for the liturgy itself, I believe people can be invited to participate. It is impolite to the extreme to demand participation. Or conversely, to deny it.

    Reply
  5. Peter Kwasniewski

    This is why there was Low Mass and High Mass. Both can feed everyone, but they develop different spiritual virtues.

    Reply
    1. Anthony Ruff, OSB Avatar
      Anthony Ruff, OSB

      @Peter Kwasniewski – comment #4:
      No, Peter, I think that’s a different distinction than the one we’re talking about here between introverted “reflect on your own” and extroverted “greet your neighbor and then we’ll rehearse today’s responsorial psalm.”

      For much or most of the period when the Catholic Church had High Mass and Low Mass in its ‘ordinary form’ (to use later terminology), the people didn’t have to participate externally or interact with their fellow worships – this was equally true at sung Mass and spoken Mass.

      awr

      Reply
      1. Jordan Zarembo

        @Anthony Ruff, OSB – comment #6:

        Father, the issue of participation in the EF Low Mass is a bit more nuanced. You’re right that in celebrations of the EF no person is required to make responses. There is no rubric such as populus dicit as in the reformed Missal. Often people make responses at EF High Mass, even if they are not required.

        The daily OF said Mass in my parish is a reasonable fascimile of an EF dialogue low Mass in practice. About a third of the worshipers make responses. Others say the rosary, read a prayerbook, or (as in my case) travel off in to mental contemplation. Contrast this with many other celebrations of the OF where an over-microphoned lector or commentator assertively (aggressively?) speaks the responses. This style blots out an opportunity for silent contemplation. Instead, our parish practices a quiet and modest recitation of the responses without prompting. This multi-speed participation allows people like me to contemplate the mysteries in quiet. In this way, Mass rises above the sum of a person’s responses into a well-honed focus on the mystical union of heaven and earth. I do not see how the current emphasis on making responses heightens a person’s awareness of the sacramental reality taking place before them.

        In my opinion, populus dicit requires at the most two persons, either in the congregation or as altar servers (or both), to make the responses since at the very minimum two people make a group. All others in the congregation are then free to worship and contemplate as they are prepared to do. Since at least a third of my daily Mass congregation says the responses, I am free not to respond as populus dicit has been amply fulfilled.

        The quality of participation and sacramental awareness, and not the discrete action of a response, should be the metric for active participation in the Mass.

      2. Paul Inwood

        @Jordan Zarembo – comment #11:

        Contrast this with many other celebrations of the OF where an over-microphoned lector or commentator assertively (aggressively?) speaks the responses.

        Good Lord, Jordan. I’ve not seen anyone speaking the responses into a microphone for nearly 60 years (since the days when the Dialogue Mass [EF] came in and servers were told to do it to encourage the people), let alone aggressively. “Many” other celebrations? I have the impression that some of your views have been coloured by some very bizarre and atypical experiences.

      3. Jordan Zarembo

        @Paul Inwood – comment #19:

        There’s a lot of hurt here. I will not go very far.

        When I was a teenager I went to the neighborhood parish. The parish employed an excellent mezzo-soprano as the cantor. However, the sound-system offered no respite from the cantor. A person could sit in any pew and hear the cantor (but not always the priest and ministers) with a loud but not overmic’d sound. The church also only used three Mass settings. I remember having to stand in the vestibule at the communion to escape to reflect on the Mass or even just think past the repetition. This experience is why I am, in large part, hostile to postconciliar music. It’s not the music, it’s its often intrusive presentation and the inability of a person to step away from the setting when one needs to meditate. I considered myself excluded from Mass by what had become mere noise to me.

        It was not until I frequented daily Mass at Fordham when I found what (I thought) to be the best celebration of the Ordinary Form. There was some soft a capella singing of the ordinary, but still plenty of space to think in silence. I find it unfortunate that good liturgy is often hidden behind university gates. Still, my undergraduate years were a liturgical refuge. I wish I could go back frequently.

        Why not this model? A capella chant settings, performed without microphones by a small schola? Good English adaptations of the Graduale exist. I don’t understand why anyone would want or need anything else.

      4. Paul Inwood

        @Jordan Zarembo – comment #21:

        I am in agreement with you about over-mic’d cantors; it was mic’d lectors/commentators bellowing out the responses that I have rarely if ever met.

        I think that running from an over-mic’d cantor to a cappella chant settings of the Ordinary sung by a schola is going from one extreme to another. Does singing by the assembly not figure anywhere on the horizon?

      5. Jordan Zarembo

        @Paul Inwood – comment #23:

        Does singing by the assembly not figure anywhere on the horizon?

        Sure. I would hope that the assembly would be encouraged to sing along with the schola, at least for the ordinary.

        There’s a parish relatively near my house where the assembly sings the ordinary in English/Latin (Credo III being the exception), and the choir sings the propers (usually in English). I like worshiping there as I think it is a good compromise between the languages, and also because there is some participation. There is no cantor for the Mass, and still most people are able to follow along (new booklet every Sunday with musical notation!). The clergy and lector are amplified, but not the choir.

        I still have a personal reticence about singing in church, but I suspect that other people also are shy about this. That might have to do with introversion/extroversion, or other factors.

  6. Alan Hommerding

    I’m all for balance in the liturgy, but I think an underlying problem with the original question is the presupposition that the liturgy is, somehow, supposed to accommodate our personae. The introvert/extrovert accommodation seems, to me at least, to be a not-too-distant cousin of the accommodation of musical tastes/preferences.
    A lot of us who are somehow “in charge” of things liturgical tend to be introvert/intuitives; we have to remember that a lot of the folks we minister to are more extrovert/sensates.
    In all of these regards it might be better, for example, that I would say “I’m an introvert, so I have to grow and change a bit to participate in the pre- or post-liturgy chit chat” rather than “I’m an introvert, the liturgy needs a lot more silence.” Isn’t this a way of acknowledging that the Body is made up of lots of different types of members?

    Reply
    1. Karl Liam Saur

      @Alan Hommerding – comment #7:
      “In all of these regards it might be better, for example, that I would say “I’m an introvert, so I have to grow and change a bit to participate in the pre- or post-liturgy chit chat” rather than “I’m an introvert, the liturgy needs a lot more silence.” Isn’t this a way of acknowledging that the Body is made up of lots of different types of members?”

      I do that myself. That said, in my experience from seeing this dissected professionally in successive firms I’ve worked for, introverts tend to have greater awareness of the needs of extroverts than the other way around. Your sentiment here is a classic example of that. American culture places an extremely high value on extroversion; introverts who are not cute or adorable in some way tend to be viewed with suspicion.

      Reply
  7. Jan O'Hara

    As an introvert, I really like the sense of community and greeting that I find in my parish. Any hand-waving and dancing I may decline to do and I don’t feel uncomfortable doing so (and there IS dancing at the altar in my parish). My parish also offers Taizé services which nourish my introverted soul–as well as reminding folks to be silent before weekday liturgies for those who want to quietly pray. Which brings me to one of my biggest irritations: those folks who must pray the rosary out loud before (or after) Masses. There are so few opportunities to pray in any kind of church nowadays except before or after a Mass. Why does this time need to be dominated by one kind of prayer?

    Reply
  8. Philip Sandstrom

    Because of where I live in Brussels, I preside at Masses in English and French as well as being present for Flemish/Dutch and German. I find that my ‘inbuilt’ diffidence/introversion is much stronger in English than in French (where I tend to be more demonstrative/extrovert). For the others (and the English-speaking too) my Grandfather’s Norwegian ‘cultural genes’ come into play. Has anyone else noticed this variation in themselves? For example does Father Anthony notice this when in German or Italian Monasteries or other places where he is present? For others is there a noticeable difference in introvert/extrovert self-balance whether the liturgy is in English or Spanish or an other language — and this on a regular basis — not just for ‘tourism’.

    Reply
    1. Fritz Bauerschmidt

      @Philip Sandstrom – comment #9:
      Flanders may not be a great place for liturgy, but it’s a great place for introverts (Flemish joke: How can you tell when you’re in a conversation with a Flemish extrovert? He’s looking at your shoelaces instead of his own).

      Reply
      1. Karl Liam Saur

        @Fritz Bauerschmidt – comment #10:
        +1

      2. Philip Sandstrom

        @Fritz Bauerschmidt – comment #10:
        Deacon, Thanks for this Flemish image/joke. I do recognize its ‘general truth revelation’ — a bit like the one that says that in Flemish liturgies ‘all generally sit — and the body language says “Amuse Me”.’ And Jacques Brel has some rather fierce songs on Flemish cultural interactions — and he was Flemish himself. But I was referring to my own ‘introvert/extrovert’ reactions in slipping through and in these different cultures — and wondering if others had similar experience of their own varied reactions — and wondering a bit how they interpret it.

  9. Karl Liam Saur

    I am borderline I/E in MBTI typology; more introverted when I am more stressed. And I get stressed by excessive noise/sound – in the extreme, I can get an almost allergic reaction. So I take pains to get to church well in advance of Mass to recollect, reflect and pray in quiet. (I less and less persuaded that the busy-ness of a community gathering is necessarily is a good indicator of the fruitful lively-ness of a community, btw.)

    I remember a solemnity of the Sacred Heart that occurred during a year when I was doing the nine-month novena. I got to morning Mass well in advance to pray the prayers of the devotion. But a small group was praying the Rosary quite loudly and it was hard to concentrate; they finished about 5 minutes before Mass. Then the celebrant celebrated the feria of the Friday of the Nth Week in Ordinary Time instead of the propers of the solemnity. I guess I was being too individualistic….

    Reply
  10. Jordan Zarembo

    “The reform has been most burdensome, even torturous, for the extreme extroverts who simply wish to place their hearts, burdens, and humble worship of the Lord before his sacrifice at a “silent” EF low Mass.”

    Please replace extroverts with introverts. This mistake is clear in light of the following post.

    A comment on “At EF low Mass I am not spoken to as if I am a child, with ridiculous introductions such as ‘welcome to our caring and sharing Catholic community’ or similar degrading worthless phrases used to fill time and spew noise pollution.”

    There are also very serious and even somber OF celebrations. I apologize to people who like this introductory style. I still maintain that it is unnecessary, but I should not have used such vituperative words. Someone must like this practice (and find personal validation within it) if it is ubiquitous.

    Reply
  11. Terri Miyamoto

    Yes, there needs to be a balance of prayer “styles”. But there is more to our liturgy than Mass. Over and over, I deal with complaints that Mass is too much this or not enough that for someone. But if your only prayer experience is Mass, it’s not and never will be enough.

    Given that, I think the Mass done well has plenty of introvert time. We introverts, and I test at the extreme of that scale, can listen quietly to the readings with no expectations but a mumbled “Thanks be to God”. I love to sing, so the hymns and psalms are prayer experiences that carry me along without being asked to come up with social interaction. And of course, the Eucharistic prayer. I find going to Communion the most uncomfortable part of Mass – there’s all kinds of ways my I-Ness gets challenged -but after Mass I can pray quietly.

    Most of us are probably uncomfortabe with something about Mass, but as they say, “it’s not about you”. Nourish the contemplative side with contemplative prayer. Nourish the Body of Christ with Mass.

    Reply
  12. Paul Inwood

    The thing is, the liturgy is a communal activity, as compared with personal, private prayer which is an individual activity. If you want to be part of the Church’s liturgy, you have to be prepared to be communal, however introverted you are. We worship as a body, not as a collection of individuals who just happen to be in the same room at the same time.

    The problem is that for hundreds of years you weren’t able to be part of anything, since the EF was largely a “spectator sport”, done by the priest and ministers at a distance, with a passive congregation who only had to be there, not do anything in particular. This gave rise to an individualistic mentality, which is still perpetuated among devotees of the EF. I believe that a significant proportion of those devotees are in fact extrovert, but don’t realise it because they were conditioned by a different liturgical environment.

    In the OF those same people now want to be able to pray their private prayers and devotions and indulge in their own contemplative activity on the occasion of the Church’s public, communal worship. There is the fundamental disconnect. You can do all those things on your own, outside the liturgy. During the liturgy you can’t, if you are going to be truly engaged in what is taking place. You have to be a communal person. You have to be part of the Body of Christ. (That includes times of communal silence, of course. Anyone who has been to Taizé knows just how powerful periods of communal silence can be.)

    We still have a long way to go in discovering how our own personal prayers feed into the Church’s public liturgy, and how that liturgy feeds our prayers. But the answer is not in a simultaneous “performance”, which gives rise to nothing more than a parallel universe.

    Reply
  13. Sean Keeler

    Too extroverted? I can’t quite agree with that. But too intrusive? Yes.

    Mr. Zarembo says, ” I don’t understand why anyone would want or need anything else.” Therein lies much of the problem. That seems to be everybody’s opinion regardless of their flavor of Mass.

    Brought up in the 1950’s, I learned certain postures and behaviors I still carry today. I did and do pray with hands folded. By the 1960’s I was in our youth rock band (er, folk group). I did and do indeed shake hands with people at the Sign of Peace. But not with every stranger for 6 pews in all directions.

    Yet I am uncomfortable holding hands for the Our Father. I refuse to lift up my hands when we lift up our hearts. Sorry. Perhaps there’s nothing wrong with it. But it’s not how *I* pray.

    Overall, the challenge I think we face in the current Mass is not a question of introvert vs. extrovert. It’s that we’re supposed to all do the same thing, or we’re made to feel like outcasts. Makes no difference if it’s Ordinary Form, Extraordinary Form, or Interplanetary Form. Perhaps it’s just human nature we’re dealing with.

    Reply
  14. Alan Johnson

    The fact is that for most of us there is a rich diversity of liturgy within driving distance. In our deanery alone Sunday Mass ranges from said, with no singing at all apart from the gospel acclamation, via guitar/piano led music at “family” masses, to a tridentine parish where chant (abysmally done) is on offer and people are expected to remain silent. Most people will find a celebration to suit their taste.
    Our little patch can’t be that unique.

    Reply
  15. John Mann

    Introversion/extroversion is a disposition towards social interaction, not liturgical practices. Introverts don’t like the Sign of Peace for obvious reasons but from that it cannot be inferred that they prefer silence to Christian rock. Plenty of introverts prefer the stereotypical concert Masses that traditionalists find revolting. Plenty of extroverts don’t like singing. Some introverts like that Mass forces them to break out of their shells. Some extroverts like that Mass gives them a moment of stillness. I’m reminded of Jimmy Fallon’s famous (among Catholic liturgy warriors) interview with NPR where he says he tried to go back to Mass as an adult but was turned off by all the active and actual participation the Mass now demanded. That coming from an extrovert. I’ve brought friends to the Extraordinary Form many times and the reactions are completely unpredictable. Introverts who hate it, extroverts who love it, liberals who love it, conservatives who hate it, non-Catholics who love it, Catholics who hate it, young people who love it, old people who hate it…

    Reply
  16. Sean Keeler

    Sean Whelan : @Jordan Zarembo – comment #15: If you want all this silence and personal prayer time, look elsewhere.

    We attended an interdenominational event this past Sunday evening. I went with some Protestant friends, but there was no barrier at the door. Most likely there were Jews, Muslims, perhaps Buddhists and Sikhs for all I know.

    Much like going to church on Sunday morning, we found our own little area, but as more people arrived we were squished together until the place was pretty full. There was no “Stand and greet your neighbor” or communal hymn to kick things off. It just began.

    The entire presentation lasted over two hours, yet there was no talking among the congregation. (Had a cellphone rung the miscreant would likely have been lynched!) And in that time we learned about the human condition. About innocence lost. About the price good people must pay and the devastation wrought by evil as it seeks to dominate the world. And that in the struggle, some will have to suffer and die before there is triumph.

    At the end, we each huddled in our small groups as we departed. No singing, no hugging strangers. Just quiet discussions.

    Yes, it was a public communal event. But the people respected each other’s right to quiet. An unspoken but welcome propriety and decorum. Rather unlike some of the Catholic churches I’ve attended.

    The movie was Fury. Not a bad film.

    Reply
    1. Todd Flowerday

      @Sean Keeler – comment #28:
      Nice.

      You were luckier than I about that “just began.” When my wife and I attend in my city, as part of the prelude, we inevitably get a stream of announcements urging us to attend next week’s and next month’s interdenominational events.

      Reply
    2. Sean Whelan

      @Sean Keeler – comment #28:

      I probably didn’t word that properly. Please don’t think that I meant a different denomination. What I meant was look towards other forms of communal prayer that offer more quiet periods. Think public liturgy of the hours or exposition or holy hours. Apologies for any confusion.

      Reply

Posted

in

, , ,

by

Anthony Ruff, OSB

Tags:

Discover more from Home

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading