Catholic Review answers question on holding hands during Our Father at Mass

Holding hands or raising hands during the Lord's Prayer at Mass is not what the Church envisions for the assembled faithful, according to Jenna Marie Cooper in the Catholic Review.

Cooper explains that while personal prayer and various devotional practices are welcomed, liturgical prayer is the official prayer of the Church. Sacrosanctum Concilium states that liturgical services are not private functions but celebrations of the Church, which is the sacrament of unity. Because of this official character, the Church provides specific details on how liturgical functions should be celebrated.