Awkward moments during mass

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vince2paul

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ever experienced one?

Last week, I attended daily mass in other parish, I didn’t know that the main celebrant was a priest that I knew well (from other parish also). During the holy communion, he was surprised and just stood there for a few seconds, it was so awkward, because I didn’t know whether I should smile to him or not. 🤷 Finally, he gave the body of Christ.

My friend also experienced something like that. The priest knows her very well, so when giving the host, he often says “body of christ, Jane” and my friend replied “thank you.” 😃 Then the priest just stared at her.

Once, there was no lector for daily mass, so after the opening prayer, the priest just sat down. After a few seconds, then he stood up and asked whether anyone could do the reading.

Once the celebrant lost the consecrated host. After the lamb of God, he couldn’t find it and he had to search for it and still he couldn’t find it.

any stories to share? 😉
 
My wife e-mailed me that at Mass this wkend my 3 yr old kept asking her which one (priest or deacon) was God. He kept repeating himself getting louder and louder. I guess I have my work cut out for me when I get back home.
 
I personally have not encountered any awkward moments at Mass, yet. I have attended Mass at different parishes, though. Sometimes I’m unable to make morning Mass for whatever reason, and my parish does not have evening Masses, so I end up going to a different parish. It’s actually kind of nice, going to different parishes once in a while, but I still feel kind of bad for not going to my regular church.
 
I was at a private Mass with a very well known priest I will not name, and about 20 other people. He forgot to turn his cell phone off, and it rang right in the middle of a most beautiful consecration. 😊 I felt sooooo horrible for him!! He was an older man, and was so flustered and disgusted with himself, and unable to wrestle it from out of his vestments, it just kept ringing. Some people there giggled, and he said out loud, please do not laugh, this is not funny. I just wanted to cry for him, he was so embarrassed.
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I attended my first Mass where Holy Communion was done by intinction.  It was the first time for me receiving Jesus on my knees as well.  I was so awe struck by the experience, and literally speechless, I forgot to say Amen, and just opened my mouth like a baby bird.  Father looked at me strangely, and just gave me Communion, and I didn't realize till half way back to my seat why he looked at me funny!!!  I wanted to rush back and say AMEN - but didn't think that would be a good idea either.  :blush: 
 
~Liza
 
I used to be an Alter server and I just wasnt very good at it…I could tell the Congregation didn’t like me.It was a horrible feeling,…I used to dread it…and once there was an Easter Mass and I couldnt do it right at all and it was just humiliating and I cried.:banghead: Even the Priest didn’t like me.I don’t go to that church anymore.
 
LtColUSMC said:
My wife e-mailed me that at Mass this wkend my 3 yr old kept asking her which one (priest or deacon) was God. He kept repeating himself getting louder and louder. I guess I have my work cut out for me when I get back home.
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I pray that you and all of the troops get home safely, SOON!

:blessyou:
 
My husband and I have had a few awkward moments at mass individually growing up.

From my husband - When he was in high school there was a priest that was sadly starting to go senile. During the consecration he said, “Behold the leg of lamb”. Another time he said at the end of the mass, “The a-- is mended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” He said that a part of him wanted to laugh, but he also knew how sad that was.

For me - When I was child, I would attend a tiny country church on the weekends at our mountain home. There was a parishioner there who was very large - a nice, middle-aged, dairy farmer who would attend mass every week. During the consecration one morning, everything was quiet, then suddenly this nice farmer let out a huge belch. Of course being a child having two other siblings next to me, we were trying with all our might to control our laughter. It was a small church and everyone knew each other, so it was hard to hide yourself. I looked up at the altar boys and they were also trying not to laugh. So, I bowed my head, closed my eyes and prayed to God not to make me laugh.

When I was an adult and cantoring, I had a phone that would sometimes turn back on if something touched it a certain way. I had left my phone up in the choir loft with the organist who was this little old lady and knew nothing about modern technology. During the homily, my phone went off. I knew it was mine because I had a Mozart piano concerto tune on it. The organist didn’t turn it off and I was all the way down the sanctuary. I just hoped to God that it would stop. It did. Then, it went off again during the Offertory hymn. This time, my husband (my then fiance) realized that it was my ring tone and ran up to the choir loft to turn it off again. I was soooooo embarrassed by this. The person who called? My mother - the one who knew that every Saturday I cantored at the same time. Oh well.
 
Teeliumtrozzle said:
I used to be an Altar server and I just wasnt very good at it…I could tell the Congregation didn’t like me.It was a horrible feeling,…I used to dread it…and once there was an Easter Mass and I couldnt do it right at all and it was just humiliating and I cried.:banghead: Even the Priest didn’t like me.I don’t go to that church anymore.
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That’s bad, well, I made lot of mistakes when I was one too.
Talking about altar server…

during a mass, the priest was holding the thurible when he made a sudden turn and hit the altar server with it. Ouuch! :eek:​

I remember once when the altar server next to me vomitted when we were kneeling (I think during the Eucharistic prayer). I didn’t realise it! :o Actually, If I do know, I also wouldn’t know what to do. 😊
 
LtColUSMC said:
My wife e-mailed me that at Mass this wkend my 3 yr old kept asking her which one (priest or deacon) was God. He kept repeating himself getting louder and louder. I guess I have my work cut out for me when I get back home.
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You reminded me of what happened when I was a kid (I think 4 or5y.o). My mum apparently fell asleep when she was kneeling, I was still young and innocent that I just imitated her when everybody else was already sitting/standing. :rolleyes: I think it last for a couple of minutes!
 
When I was a teenager, the church I attended had a Mass on Sunday afternoon, around 5pm, I think. People called it the last chance Mass.

It was a favorite of tourists and teenagers. Well, we live on the California coast and there is a lot of surfing. And, this one particular Sunday, there were a lot of surfers there at Mass. For some reason, they brought their surf boards into the church. (I guess they were afraid they’d be stolen otherwise?)

They were lined up against the confessionals in the back and during Mass, somehow, they all slid to the floor, making the most awful racket. Just like dominos, one after the other.
 
I was on the schedule to do the first reading at Mass one Sunday. So, I quickly found my name, found the page number in our family’s lectionary, and took it out the door with me to practice on the way to Mass. When I got up to the lecturn to read, I saw a completely different reading than the one I had read that morning. So I beckoned to the deacon, who came and double-checked that, yes, it was the correct reading. So I ad-libbed it. I realised later that I had forgotten to check the date next to my name on the schedule, and I was going to do the reading I had practiced in a month’s time. :o :rolleyes:
 
lizaanne said:
I was at a private Mass with a very well known priest I will not name, and about 20 other people. He forgot to turn his cell phone off, and it rang right in the middle of a most beautiful consecration. 😊 I felt sooooo horrible for him!! He was an older man, and was so flustered and disgusted with himself, and unable to wrestle it from out of his vestments, it just kept ringing. Some people there giggled, and he said out loud, please do not laugh, this is not funny. I just wanted to cry for him, he was so embarrassed.
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Well, Father could always change his ring tone to the sound of the Sanctus bells. 😃
 
There was one Mass I was at that was celebrated at the same time as some major sports event. After the winning point was scored about a dozen people’s cell phones went off nearly simultaneously from receiving the same automated text message.
 
Once at daily Mass Father accidentally began reciting the Apostle’s Creed, realized his error, and continued with the Nicene Creed – and then somehow lapsed back to the Apostle’s. It was an interesting combination of both creeds – and the funny thing was, the people recited it right along with him!

Another time, at a wedding, the very elderly celebrant omitted the prayers of Consecration and said the Lord’s Prayer twice. I felt so very bad for him.

Finally, one time at Easter Vigil our permanent deacon was giving the homily. Suddenly a man in the congregation started arguing with him, shouting things like, “How do you KNOW that Jesus rose from the dead,” and so forth. The man appeared to be a little addled. Our deacon, a huge, imposing man, continued his homily, walked over to the man, calmly got him to stand up, and escorted him to the back of the church (without missing a beat of his homily). There was a police officer attending the Vigil, and she took over from there. (Apparently the man was simply off his meds.)

'thann
 
During Mass one Sunday, the priest was lighting the incense, dropped the match, and the carpet began to smolder. Fortunately, he was able to put out the fire quickly, without too much fuss, and before any real damage was done.

At another Mass, part of the homily was about the Holy Spirit, and as Father began to talk about the Holy Spirit, a bat started flying around the church. This bat was really persistent, and started alternately dive-bombing the choir loft, the parishioners in the pews, and Father up on the altar. Every time Mr. Bat flew towards a group of parishioners, you’d see whole rows of them ducking (I was in the choir loft, and got a good view of the whole thing).

At still another Mass (daily Mass in my previous parish), it was a hot day, and the doors were open. A fly had perched on the edge of the chalice (after the consecration!), was apparently overcome, and fell into the Precious Blood. :eek: There was nothing for Father to do but fish it out and put it into a purificator. I’m not too sure what happened after that.
 
When my 2 boys were about 3 and 5, we did not go to church very often. But one Saturday I decided to make the effort. We went to a church that I had only been to once before - one of the churches associated with the school that they would be attending. I had taken in books in to occupy them. I sat a little more than half way up.

As Father started the homily - they decided they both wanted the same book. “NOOOOOoooooo,” one screamed when the other tried to take it from him. Father tried to make light of it, and kept on going. So did my kids. Finally he stopped - poor man. And I was sitting there with 2 screaming kids. The back doors were a long way, and I wasn’t sure where the side doors were. To get out and walk out would have probably caused more disruption, and I wasn’t sure how I would get BOTH of them out of there.

I was SO embarrassed. It was a long time before we saw the inside of a church again. Even longer before we went back to THAT church. It ended up being the church that we joined where the kids made their First Confessions and First Communions. They became altar boys and loved serving with Father. I often wonder if he remembered that Mass.
 
How about passing out on the altar before communion - literally swooning dring Eucharistic Prayer. Seen it happen, had it happen to me…

One time at a conference with 20 priests and 10 other congregants in a daily mass. Priest went skipped prayer of consecration, took up the Eucharistic prayer right after the memorial acclaim. When he finished and was waiting for everyone to respond Amen, he was gently reminded he might have left out a step or two…A really great priest though, so he just got ribbed about it a little bit. :rolleyes:
 
LtColUSMC said:
My wife e-mailed me that at Mass this wkend my 3 yr old kept asking her which one (priest or deacon) was God. He kept repeating himself getting louder and louder. I guess I have my work cut out for me when I get back home.
Click to expand...
I’m sure this story is making many in the parish smile!
 
This happened last night at the Assumption Vigil. When Father got ready to do the opening prayer and apparantley the page wasn’t marked and it took him about 10 minutes to find the right page. We all just stood there.

Then the other day at daily mass, our other priest was saying the Eucharistic Prayer and he lost his place and kept going um, um, um for a few minutes but he recovered nicely:)
 
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