No hand holding or raised hands during the Our Father prayer at Mass, archdiocese says

The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, has asked laypeople to refrain from holding hands or raising their hands during the Our Father prayer at Masses in the archdiocese.

While the Catholic liturgy is fairly uniform across Catholic parishes, some Mass attendees raise their hands in the “orans” posture of prayer or hold hands during the Our Father prayer, while others don’t. The Archdiocese of Portland through an official instruction has asked laypeople to refrain from doing either.

“Over the last few decades there has been some confusion as to whether the lay faithful should extend or raise their hands (and even holding hands with others) when the Lord’s Prayer is prayed during Mass, as the priest does,” stated the announcement in the Archdiocese of Portland’s November 2026 issue of its Divine Worship Newsletter.

“Neither the deacons assisting at Mass, nor the lay faithful, are ever instructed to use this posture,” the announcement continued. “It is a liturgical posture that is proper to the priest. When the priest uses this posture, he is praying on behalf of the people.”

In arriving at its decision, the archdiocese cited various Church documents and instructions concerning…