Please, Turn off All Cell Phones in Church

[Editor’s Note: The following letter is in response to the article “A Parent’s Calling.”]

Dear Catholic Exchange:

I have thoroughly enjoyed your web site for several years now and up until now, have never found an article to be upsetting or outright wrong.

The article by Gina Giambrone (“A Parent's Calling,” September 5, 2006) made me see red &#0151 finding appropriate taking a call from her child while in chapel, with the rosary being prayed and thinking God will approve since she was being a good parent. How misguided, how very sad.

I attend several churches in New York City and it never fails that at Mass and usually during the Consecration, someone's cell phone goes off. I have been at Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and either heard people talking on their cell and in one instance, using the church and pew as an “office” &#0151 her appointment book and phone out. Where has reverence for the sacred gone? May I also add how did we exist and deal with life before the rise of cell phones?

Cell phones have their pluses but this action made taking a call from her son in the chapel to be of more importance than being in Our Lord's Presence. I am sorry but Ms. Giambrone is totally off the mark and am very surprised you let this one get online. If she had an email address, I would have written her directly.

Not only has this woman shown no reverence to the sacred Presence &#0151 she also had no consideration for others praying and became an occasion for sin. I have no patience for people who think using or receiving cell calls in church is fine. This is the one place where I don't want any worldly interference when visiting Our Lord. Lastly, someone at Catholic Exchange was asleep when Ms. Giambrone sent this article on to you.

Yours truly,

Catherine A. Dresch-Paolini