The efforts by some to foster “community” among parishioners have been rather childish and probably have turned some people away. Some priests, at the start of Mass, tell people to turn to the people around them and introduce themselves. One parish by me has a priest who asks if anyone is celebrating a birthday or anniversary and people shout out their answers and then everyone applauds. This caused me to stop going to that parish, I felt like a child and I really didn’t care if it was someone’s cousins’ 45th birthday. Some parishes encourage people to talk in Church before Mass. All these things are terrible but they are at least efforts to get Catholics to act like a real community. Long Island has very large parishes where it is common for most parishioners to know few of the people in the pews. I guess smaller parishes don’t have this problem. I think people should allow people to pray in Church before Mass and so talking is a bad idea. The older people are the worst, they think they are whispering but you can hear them 15 pews away. I read the readings before Mass and have been annoyed when people around me carry on conversations. I once heard an older couple discussing what type of cereal they should get at the supermarket, corn flakes or bran-flakes. I resisted the urge to turn around and throw my missalette at them. The missalette is so flimsy it wouldn’t have hurt anyway. There should be some ability to talk, converse, discuss, catch up, socialize, encourage each other, discuss cereal options, but not in Church. Churches should have some sort of vestibule suitable for people meeting and greeting. Some newer Churches and some older Churches have this. I have seen Cathedrals and Churches with nice gardens or squares in front of them and this is good for the nice weather. The traditional latin Mass in our diocese is held in a former school chapel, so the cafeteria is used for a nice breakfast after each Mass. This is the perfect opportunity for people to get to know each other. Many parishes could set up their basement or another room for a meeting spot before or after Mass. Any of these would be preferential to people interrupting the prayer and preparation time before Mass.