The Our Father and the "orans" posture

It's already everywhere in US. The number of Catholics in regular parishes who pray that way are legion and have been for years. I've never heard a priest at a US parish say anything about orans or not orans. They must be more strict in the Philippines.

It doesn't bother me as long as I'm still allowed to pray with folded hands or hands at side, and no strangers go grabbing my hands to pray. COVID fortunately kiboshed most hand-holding and touching.

Here in US we have had dioceses tell us not to kneel before and after communion, and tell us we all need to stand instead, but it's not enforced at all so people just do what they want.

I have never raised my hands in the Orans position during the recitation of the Pater noster. At my parish, most people either keep their hands by their sides or fold them together. The only people who hold hands or use the Orans posture tend to be Filipinos. 

At my old parish, though, the majority used the Orans position.

My view is that during the celebration of the Holy Mass, the Orans positions is proper to the celebrating priest(s). 

Homeschooldad raises an important point about Extraordinary Ministers. I much prefer to refer from the consecrated hands of the priest. Also, I receive on the tongue and most priests are very good that way as they usually have experience giving communion on the tongue, whereas Extraordinary Ministers tend to have little training in that regard and you often feel the edge of their finger touch your tongue when placing the sacred host on your tongue.

However, I do not usually change lines. Usually I receive from whomever is distributing communion on my side of the church.

Homeschooldad - I can't imagine you looking scary. You come across as the opposite of scary on these forums. John Fetterman does look somewhat intimidating though. Interestingly, I would say I come across as more of an intense personality online when in person I am actually quite friendly and easy-going and certainly as far as I know don't look scary. It's strange how one's tone often filters through online discussions in completely the wrong way. That is one of my main issues with online discussion forums - it is easy for one's tone and approach to come across as aggressive when in fact that is never intended. 

By the way - if you are ever in New Zealand and see at Mass a young man in a suit (because invariably that is what I wear to Mass), on the taller end of "average height", with straight brown hair parted off to the side - there is a chance it might be me.   

Some Americans did visit my parish recently. They were speaking in raised but amicable voices outside the church after Mass ended. Their pastor (I assume it was theirs, unless other Americans came to the parish at a different time) in Michigan also posted some pictures of our parish online, noting that they were taken by parishioners of the parish on holiday in New Zealand.

"Catholic Church embraces varied gestures for 'Our Father' prayer, CBCP says"

www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/07/15/2281293/catholic-church-embraces-varied-gestures-our-father-prayer-cbcp-says



Related:

ecatholicteachings.com/the-orans-posture-a-wrong-way-of-praying-the-lords-prayer-during-the-holy-mass/

I can see a priest wanting to crack down on people doing it in the front pew as an “in your face” while they flash their cash.

In US, there’s usually two kinds of people praying Our Father in this way:
1) US people who lean charismatic, usually of baby boomer age, and some of whom who might even practice Franciscan spirituality which often uses orans; and

2) Latin American immigrant or heritage people, again they’re often associated with Franciscans in some manner and may lean charismatic or “tradismatic” - you’ll see the latter praying Our Father with orans, but then kneeling to receive COTT because that’s what they do back in Mexico. One of the big Spanish parishes around here is run by Franciscans and I see this fairly often.

If somebody was doing orans during the consecration and trying to pray those prayers along with the priest, he might take them aside after and say something, although if they were being quiet and in the back pews he might just write them off as mentally not all there.
But if they’re just doing orans to pray stuff they’re supposed to pray, such as Our Father or Lamb of God, then no priest at a regular OF parish is going to bother about it.

I’ve also seen some churches (often progressive congregations at monasteries) where the norm is to pray in Orans position and even Orans holding hands with the total stranger next to you. Before the pandemic, if you insisted on folding your hands instead of joining in the Orans or hand-holding, you’d get the fisheye from the regular attendees.

This couple caused a fair bit of grumbling. The guy wears bright blue checked suits and enough gold and gems to outfit a small jewellery store. The wife tends to wear high-end designer dresses and shoes and they always choose the front pew and several elderly people complained about them blocking this up as they put their laptop case and brief case on the seats and give people sniffy looks if they sit down next to them. My dad's friend who is an older African lady noted there was room for several more people to sit there and could they please tuck their stuff away as crippled and disabled people used this pew so they are close to the front for Communion.

We have a lot of Latino heritage people in the area, some of them do use the Orans posture but knocked it off after the priest put that in the bulletin. To be fair they weren't disruptive but this couple were and almost had, 'look at me aren't I so gorgeous' signs pinned on them. One of them tried to step in front of my father when he wanted to sit on that pew and I noted very firmly, 'He got married in this Church, he's old and he's disabled, he is sitting there.' They had clashes with numerous parishioners and have stopped attending this Church. It's a pity but the Church is not the place to do showing off and blocking up seats used by vulnerable parishioners.