Homilies delivered on Sundays and feast days are clearly an essential component and feature of the Mass celebrated on these days.

It is precisely for this reason that homilies delivered by the celebrant either attract or repel the faithful from attending church services – especially on such ‘obligatory’ days of attendance.

Unfortunately, it so happens that according to recent statistics the numbers attending Mass is still on the decline even on such days.

The first essential that affects attendance seems to be the length or conciseness of the religious message as well as the quality and substance of the content transmitted for the guidance of the congregation.

The unfortunate habit of some priests to get lost in unessential verbosity and not to practical thinking and interesting delivery basically affects the homilies (and attendance) negatively.

Homilies that are well written and engineered to teach the listener can also surely be made to be interesting and enjoyable.  Surely such homilies would be welcomed by the great majority whose interests lie not in hearing repetitive points already read in the day’s gospel but in developing their intellectual viewpoint of understanding correct and practical ways of Catholic living - shorn of any unnecessary frills of thought and function.

The pitch of delivery on the microphone system is also of importance. Excessively loud delivery is highly annoying while a too low sound emission causes discontent to the hard of hearing.

Everything considered, it appears highly desirable and beneficial that all priests should be trained and educated specifically in the art of homily deliveries and that those considered to be naturally disinclined to talk clearly should be excluded from celebrating Mass on days of obligation.

While it must be admitted that certain homilies directed at the young are so well delivered in content and subject matter that they also sound pleasant and instructive to the ears of adults, I believe that Masses for children should not take place on Sundays and feast days when adult attendance is at its peak.

 I am also convinced that clapping, unlike in an opera house, is inappropriate in a House of God.

 Surely there are certainly sufficiently intellectually evolved brains at the Curia to introduce the necessary reforms as early as possible to alter the present state of affairs and halt the decline in church attendance.

Edwin Calleja

BALZAN