Can someone give me the Catholic idiot of the year award?

[mommyof4]

A while back ago, I was at mass, and the priest stared saying one of the prayers (don’t know what they’re called- the ones immediately after the gifts are brought up), and he stops and says “I’ve lost my place.” Of of the cantors prompted him with his lines, and he got back on track again.

 

[Cristiano]

Today after Mass I was looking in my catechist bag because I need to bring Communion to the homebound. I was frantically looking in it and looking at my son going “Where is the ciborium?” and in front of all the people left in the Church my son said “I hope is not in there? But you should look for your pyx!”

I felt like an idiot considering that I spend so much time to make sure he uses the appropriate terminology.

 

[THurifer2]

I have been looking forward to today for a very long time and I just feel bad. .

Thank you for performing you duty and no harm was done. But I am curious why would you look forward to somthing that is actually a sad necessity? (in some cases not a necessity)

The reason we have EMHCs is because there isn’t enough Ordinary ministers of communion… How can that be somthing to look forward to?

 

[SeekerJen]

Thank you for performing you duty and no harm was done. But I am curious why would you look forward to somthing that is actually a sad necessity? (in some cases not a necessity)

The reason we have EMHCs is because there isn’t enough Ordinary ministers of communion… How can that be somthing to look forward to?

Not the place to bash someone. Go start your own thread if you want to do that.

 

[LilyM]

Never been an issue…have a great priest that actually makes no flubs during mass. But I do understand that there are some out there that do make mistakes/errors/flubs.

If you think so then it’s either because he hasn’t said very many Masses or you’ve not heard all of 'em - any actor can tell you mistakes are unavoidable no matter how well-rehearsed you are.

Try having 11 Masses of a Sunday - if each of them ran 5 or 10 minutes over it’d be a total disaster.

 

[pammie]

Thank You SeekerJen–I didn’t know how to respond.

 

[lak611]

Priests make mistakes, too. One time, in the spot where we say the “Our Father,” our priest started a “Hail Mary.”

Once time in my parish during the Offertory, the priest said “Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer . . .” while holding the chalice in his hand.

 

[lak611]

When I was a kid, one of the readers mispronounced the word “brazier”. Yep, a flaming “brassiere”. I thought the altar boy was going to pass out and fall off of his chair, he was trying so hard not to laugh out loud.

A reader in my parish said the same thing!

 

[Extraordinary]

Your action isn’t even in the top 10. Two that come to my mind:

When I first learned how to serve I had forgotten to light the altar candles. No one else noticed either. A couple processed the gifts into the sanctuary. The man, a rather urbane fellow simply took his gold cigarette lighter and lit the candles with the grace of a maitre d’ at Le Cirque. I felt like melting on the spot.

Another time after setting-up for Mass I went outside the sacristy to my car to grab my alb and stow my coat. At the very moment it was time to open the tabernacle during the Mass, it flashed where its key was – in my coat, in my car, outside the sacristy.

 

[Extraordinary]

Try having 11 Masses of a Sunday - if each of them ran 5 or 10 minutes over it’d be a total disaster.

If you actually have 11 Masses each Sunday you have a serious problem. It’s even more serious if programming the Masses that tightly trumps all other considerations.

Until you can construct or purchase additional facilities, I would look into using a second rented or borrowed facility in conjunction with your current parish church.

 

[Karenanna]

I completed my training for EMHC and attended- not the required one- but two hands-on training sessions. Today was my first day on the alter and I was quite nervous–big Mass, lots of people. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would be with me and I would be worthy of my role in handling the precious body and blood of Jesus. I took my place and carefully passed out the Body of Christ by saying “Bread of Christ”!!! I am fairly certain that I said this to at least half of the people who came to me before I heard Father saying “Body of Christ” to the right of me!

We were trained to refer to the host as the Body of Christ and not bread in our training sessions. I was thinking about this as I went to the alter–perhaps it was in my head as a result.

I really feel like an idiot as I have been a Catholic all my life and have received communion thousands of times! I know better. I have been looking forward to today for a very long time and I just feel bad. I have not been inundated with calls or asked to leave the church ( just kidding ) nor was it even mentioned by anyone. I think I am punishing myself enough for everyone.

I don’t know why I am posting other than to get it off my chest. I will be much better next time. Not sure I even want to mention it to my trainer out of pure embarrassment.

Don’t worry. We all have times when we make mistakes.
It will pass. You will survive this ordeal. Forgive yourself for being part of the human race!

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[LilyM]

If you actually have 11 Masses each Sunday you have a serious problem. It’s even more serious if programming the Masses that tightly trumps all other considerations.

Until you can construct or purchase additional facilities, I would look into using a second rented or borrowed facility in conjunction with your current parish church.

Umm, thanks. When I’m Pastor I’ll be sure to consider your fine suggestions … mind you, that may not be for some time, considering I’m a) a lay woman and b) a frequent but not regular attendee at that particular church.

On second thoughts, I might mention it to the Pastor there anyway, since I’m sure no-one’s ever ever suggested it to him before and that he’s never ever thought of it himself before, either

 

[wifeandmomoftwo]

Try having 11 Masses of a Sunday - if each of them ran 5 or 10 minutes over it’d be a total disaster.

for whom?

 

[LilyM]

for whom?

If I wanted to attend the 8pm Mass and it didn’t begin until 8.30 because of delays and overlengthy Masses earlier in the day, yeah it’d be a disaster. People do have plans, lives - things they have to do and places they have to be apart from church. Even on Sundays y’know

Even worse - what if I was rostered on to read or be an EHMC at that 8pm Mass and it was delayed until 9 or something because so many of the earlier Masses had gone overtime? I’d have to go an hour late or else they’d not have a reader.

 

[Extraordinary]

Umm, thanks. When I’m Pastor I’ll be sure to consider your fine suggestions … mind you, that may not be for some time, considering I’m a) a lay woman and b) a frequent but not regular attendee at that particular church.

On second thoughts, I might mention it to the Pastor there anyway, since I’m sure no-one’s ever ever suggested it to him before and that he’s never ever thought of it himself before, either :

11 Masses each Sunday? How long has this been going on? Unless some remarkable evangelization has taken place, this problem was a long-time in coming. To be honest, any pastor operating within that model either has not thought about options or has deliberately declined improving things. How come the laity has not helped in building/acquiring a second building?

06:00, 7:15, 8:30, 9:45, 11:00, 12:15, 1:30, 2:45, 4:00, 5:15, 6:30…yeah, that’s 11…

 

[LilyM]

11 Masses each Sunday? How long has this been going on? Unless some remarkable evangelization has taken place, this problem was a long-time in coming. To be honest, any pastor operating within that model either has not thought about options or has deliberately declined improving things. How come the laity has not helped in building/acquiring a second building?

06:00, 7:15, 8:30, 9:45, 11:00, 12:15, 1:30, 2:45, 4:00, 5:15, 6:30…yeah, that’s 11…

Glad you can count and tell time. Your point?

This parish is in the CBD of a city of 4.5 million people - not exactly a huge choice of convenient and reasonably-priced sites available to build a new church on.

Then there’s the little matter of making sure there are enough clergy and staff to keep this new operation running. Certainly a huge advantage of current arrangements is that there’s only the ONE set of staff necessary and they’re all on the one site.

Clearly the laity have no problems with the current arrangement either. Nor should they. In the days when all Masses had to be said before noon, it would be common to have not just hourly Masses, but even more frequent Masses running simultaneously or overlapping on more than one altar in the same church, in order to cope with the number of attendees. No-one complained about it then.

 

[jmcrae]

11 Masses each Sunday? How long has this been going on? Unless some remarkable evangelization has taken place, this problem was a long-time in coming. To be honest, any pastor operating within that model either has not thought about options or has deliberately declined improving things. How come the laity has not helped in building/acquiring a second building?

06:00, 7:15, 8:30, 9:45, 11:00, 12:15, 1:30, 2:45, 4:00, 5:15, 6:30…yeah, that’s 11…

It’s a lot more likely that what’s been happening is a reduction in the number of priests available to serve a three- or four-parish point, which then got reduced to one parish, due to the fact that there is only one priest left. (The others having either died or been transferred out to more needy areas.)

I’ve seen this happen before, and I don’t know of any quick fixes - even if every boy in the parish gets a vocation, you’re still looking at years and years of education before they can come back and serve.

 

[Extraordinary]

It’s a lot more likely that what’s been happening is a reduction in the number of priests available to serve a three- or four-parish point, which then got reduced to one parish, due to the fact that there is only one priest left. (The others having either died or been transferred out to more needy areas.)

I’ve seen this happen before, and I don’t know of any quick fixes - even if every boy in the parish gets a vocation, you’re still looking at years and years of education before they can come back and serve.

Not in this case. It would take at least 2, and likely 3-4 priests to celebrate 11 Masses in one day.

11 Masses/day are already being celebrated. The priestly resource is obviously available. Now what’s needed are additional facilities so Masses can be celebrated in parallel AND/OR fewer Masses in a larger facility.

 

[jmcrae]

Not in this case. It would take at least 2, and likely 3-4 priests to celebrate 11 Masses in one day.

Do we know that for a fact? If one priest is celebrating all of the Masses, then he is probably taking meal breaks in between, and then allowing sufficient time for the Eucharistic fast. (And even if there is more than one priest on site, they all still need to eat on a regular schedule, in order to maintain their health.)

11 Masses/day are already being celebrated. The priestly resource is obviously available. Now what’s needed are additional facilities so Masses can be celebrated in parallel AND/OR fewer Masses in a larger facility.

Well, as the lady said, it’s good that you know all the answers!!

 

[whatevergirl]

YES! We should be looking at the bright side of this conversation–sheesh!