I was hoping the swine flu epidemic would cause it to be cancelled altogether, at least, as it is practiced in the U.S.

There are various rumors that it will be moved but I doubt there is anything to them. Of course the public sign of the peace is optional and any pastor can easily phase it out if he wanted to.

My choirs are always under strict orders NEVER to engage in skin-to-skin contact of any sort before and during rehearsals and liturgies, H1N1 or no H1N1.

interesting! What's your reason for that policy? The handshake (although it is really a secular gesture) is the gesture approved by the competent authority (the USCCB) for the Sign of Peace, is it not?

You could do light bow with two hands fold together - (Korean style)

The passing of the peace was introduced without one but of instruction. I comes from the ritual passing of the peace in the Solemn High Mass, something which most post Vat. II types had never witnessed. It was passed from the priest to deacon first - both persons arms simply extended, the "passer" with his palms downward and arm above the recipient's whose palms upward to receive the peace. The deacon then turned, palms downward, to the sub-deacon, whose palms were upward. And so the passing progressed through to ordained ministers in choir. It was not shared by the laity, though it probably was over 1,000 years ago.

So, no specific ritual was designed or instituted with the Vat. II reforms, but the secular hand-shake crept in, even from seminarians home visiting for the summer. Everything seemed to simply slip in, like a whole herd of camels with their noses under the tent.

Mia, I didn't know yoga was Korean~! That sounds just like the way the instructor greets the students at the beginning of class. Then she says, "No más, Che." Or something like that.

And it's bad all the way to the core of people who really try to get "into it". A fellow musician I have occasion to work with (from the height of the 70s style) always says "God bless you", and even occasionally tells me I'm a good person, or even compliments my tie! It is the passing of CHRIST'S PEACE, just like the Deacon says. Is that so difficult to digest?

My own parish is a bit out of date. We aren't talking about Swine Flu. The prayers of the faithful this morning said something about 9-11. Everyone looked around in confusion, like the guy at the microphone had been digging through the archives. Really, for the prayers of the faithful, shouldn't we be reading from the day's newspaper or even have a Google News Feed running on the lectern?

My 'no touching' rule has to do with the spread of colds, etc.
Also, they are almost always holding the music for the Agnus Dei.
And, of course, I detest any sign of peace at the OF/NO which last more than, say, 4 seconds.

I begin the intro for the Agnus Dei as soon as the priest announces the sign of peace as though saying "we should take no more than 3 seconds folks!" Seems to work well. What truly bothers me is when the priest wanders off the altar and leaves the Sacrament abandoned.

Last week, I was out of town and the church I attended actually had a little song for this. "Let us offer each other the sign of peace" repeated over and over till everyone was done. I had never heard such a thing before.

Steve Collins, at my parish, there was elaborate instruction when the congregational sign of peace was introduced (late 60s). At first, it was a quite formal extension of something like the peace at Solemn Mass. The priest shook hands with the altar boys, who then proceeded down the center aisle shaking hands with the first person in each row. These would then turn to the next person, and the next, and so on across each row. Instruction from the pulpit was given the first couple of weeks when this was new. Beyond that, my memory is a bit vague, but this procedure lasted perhaps a year or two before shifting to the free style we recognize these days.

Another thing that's worth mentioning, is that the general sharing a sign of peace is optional. From the rubrics: "Then the deacon (or the priest) MAY add: Let us offer each other the sign of peace." (emphasis added).

Even in the Eastern liturgy, the priest exchanges the peace greeting with the deacon and those around the altar. But there it stops. It is not something the congregation does. Perhaps it was curtailed in medieval times in the west because of abuses then. It kind of sounds like history repeating itself.

I've been to many Orthodox parishes where the sign of peace is a congregational thing. In most places it is a simple handshake, and one says "Christ is in our midst," and the other says, "He is and ever shall be." (During the Paschal season: "Christ is risen," and "Indeed He is risen"; and during Christmas, "Christ is born" and "Glorify Him.") In my home parish they exchange hugs. Some parishes do three kisses. One parish I went to they do a metania to each other (profound bow) and THEN three kisses and then another metania.

I think as long as it is short and people are saying something reverent rather than conversational ("Peace of Christ be with you" or "Christ is in our midst," etc.) then there's nothing wrong with it. It does have historical precedence... and scriptural. "Greet one another with a holy kiss," right?

Well, the friendliest one was an Antiochian parish, which started out as a pan-protestant group associated with Campus Crusade for Christ. Long, awesome story concerning their conversion as multiple congregations in California and Alaska into the Antiochian archdiocese in America. I bet their friendliness is a bit of leftover protestant sentiment.

The congregation which does the metania-kiss-metania is under the Bulgarians, actually. Most three-kiss places I think would be Greek or Arabic (Antiochian) but I actually haven't been to a Greek church yet.

In the Sarum Use, the Pax Brede was used to express the Peace and Presence of Christ in the midst of the congregation. There are a few Anglican and Scottish Episcopalian parishes that have tried it, but I do not know of a parish currently using the Pax Brede.

My happiest experience of the exchange of the Peace was among Japanese Catholics (like the Korean example above) who folded their hands and bowed to each other with simplicity. A religious sister told me that they do not bow towards each other but rather each bows toward the other recognising Christ present within each other. 'The Passing of the Peace' as used in some of the US Episcopalian churches I have visited struck me more like an Interval at a sporting event or a theatrical performance in which one might expect someone to come out hawking snacks and drinks. However, with proper Catechesis, this moment could be a liturgically meaningful aspect of the assembly's participation in the celebration regardless of its location in the Mass.

In the current edition of the Mozarabic Mass (and something similar in the version before Vat. II), the Rite of Peace is immediately before the Sursum Corda. It is a very lovely rite in which the Sign of Peace is shared whilst the choir sings the 'Cantus ad Pacem':

Pacem meam do vobis, pacem meam comméndo vobis.
V. Non sicut mundus dat pacem, do vobis.
R. Pacem meam do vobis,pacem meam comméndo vobis.

V. Novum mandatum do vobis ut diligátis vos ínvicem.
R. Pacem meam do vobis,pacem meam comméndo vobis.

V. Glória et honor Patri et Fílio et Spíritui Sancto, in sæcula sæculórum. Amen.
R. Pacem meam do vobis, pacem meam comméndo vobis.

We do begin Great Lent with Forgiveness Vespers

At my home parish, for Forgiveness Vespers we actually make prostrations to each other. I like the beginning of Lent there because they clear out all the rows of chairs no one uses anyway.

rwprof, I'm guessing you're either Orthodox or Eastern Rite Catholic?

Ho! That makes two of us Orthodox folks here. I thought I was the only one.

Going to Franciscan University right now. When I tell people I'm Orthodox, they're usually like, "um... you mean, like... Byzantine Catholic?" (If they even know what that is.)

Liturgically conservative folks here, however, generally know exactly what I mean (or converts who studied a lot of church history before becoming Catholic).

Back to the topic at hand--! I don't think there's anything wrong with handshakes so long as it doesn't turn into some kind of social hour. There are some people might be inclined to that in my home parish, but the choir director just starts us singing and that's the end of that.

"Honk 40 times if you love Jesus."

That's funny right there! Or, as we say, if it's worth doing once, it's worth doing three times.