Knoxville Bishop Explains Ending Collective Prayers Before and After Mass: Making Room for Silent Prayer
In an interview published by the Catholic news outlet The Pillar on October 24, 2026, Bishop Mark Beckman of Knoxville, Tennessee, explained his decision requiring parishes to stop adding collective prayers before and after Mass. Beckman said the move is meant to respect Catholics who wish to pray silently in church, and that he hopes priests will offer good catechesis as the change takes effect.
The background is Beckman's October 16 letter to his priests: during parish visits he had noticed some parishes adding collective prayers — including the St. Michael prayer, the St. Francis prayer and a prayer to the Holy Spirit — before the opening chant or after the dismissal. He said it is “not appropriate” to add prayers on top of the Mass celebration itself, and asked priests to lead the faithful in gradually ending the practice of reciting such prayers collectively before, during and after Mass. Beckman stressed that he is not trying to discourage prayer itself, nor has he banned the faithful from reciting the St. Michael prayer privately; the decision concerns only collective prayers added to the Mass.
Source: GSM · America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：诺克斯维尔教区主教座堂——至圣之心主教座堂（Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus）外观。照片：Nheyob，CC BY-SA 4.0，取自 Wikimedia Commons。The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville, seat of the diocese. Photo: Nheyob, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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