Clericalized laity

[Wilhelm_Stoever]

With all the stories on EMHCs “Blessing Children” and Laymen imitating Priests and I story I read recently about a deacon “Celebrating Mass”, I have been wondering what kind of sins these would be, I realize that they are of varying gravity, but what sin are they?
Sacrelige?

if a layman imitated a Priest confering a blessing with the sign of the Cross in the air or a layman dressing up in what resembles a priests vestments, what sins would they be?

 

[Cluny]

I story I read recently about a deacon “Celebrating Mass”,

Can you be specific about this? When? Where? Who?

Or was he simply leading the Liturgy of the Word and distributing communion from the Reserved Sacrament?

In the Byzantine Churches, sometimes permission (especially in missions) is given for a Deacon to lead Typica (basically, the Liturgy of the Word with a few other prayers) and distribute communion from the Reserved Gifts.

BTW–Deacons are not laity, but have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders for the Diaconate.

 

[Newbie2]

I wonder if there was confusion between a deacon celebrating a mass or a communion service?

 

[Wilhelm_Stoever]

I wonder if there was confusion between a deacon celebrating a mass or a communion service?

No, this was in Austria, it was a deacon attempting to consecrate the bread and wine.

 

[Cluny]

**
if a layman imitated a Priest confering a blessing with the sign of the Cross in the air**

According to the rubrics in the Monastic Breviary (at least before V2), the Superior or Officiant makes the Sign of the Cross over the Choir–even if it be an Abbess or Prioress or religious of either sex.

 

[Wilhelm_Stoever]

**
if a layman imitated a Priest confering a blessing with the sign of the Cross in the air**

According to the rubrics in the Monastic Breviary (at least before V2), the Superior or Officiant makes the Sign of the Cross over the Choir–even if it be an Abbess or Prioress or religious of either sex.

Im talking about just a regular person with no ecclesiastical authority, like a EMHC.

 

[TheDoctor]

No, this was in Austria, it was a deacon attempting to consecrate the bread and wine.

It really depends.

A deacon attempting to do this is just waving their hands over bread and wine. Since the bread and wine are not sacred in and of themselves, that would not be sacrilege. Maybe it is no sin at all if he really believed he had the right to do it.

If the deacon were doing it as part of saying his own “mass” however, knowing that he could not but ignoring the Chruch anyway, then the act of “playing priest” would be profaning the Mass, IMHO, and that sin would be sacrilege.

An EMHC doing a blessing because they were never told they could not is a mistake, not a sin.

 

[stbruno]

A deacon receives holy orders. He is considered to be clergy. He is a permanent deacon, not a transitional one.

However, that said, he is not given the faculties to perform a mass ever! He may hold a communion service using already consecrated Eucharist that has been held in reserve in the tabernacle.

There is no such thing as "clericalized laity.
Either you are lay or you are clergy.

 

[Wilhelm_Stoever]

A deacon receives holy orders. He is considered to be clergy. He is a permanent deacon, not a transitional one.

There is no such thing as "clericalized laity.
Either you are lay or you are clergy.

I am well aware that a deacon receives holy orders, but his "celabrating "mass is absolutely wrong,

what I mean by clericalized laity is laymen who try to act like priests, like giving blessings and taking over the priests tasks, like distributing communion, at Mass.

 

[Wilhelm_Stoever]

what about those who (like “Womenpriests”) dress up like priests even though they are not? I think there is a name for the sin of a lay person acting like a priest.but I’m not sure what it is.

 

[Joannm]

what about those who (like “Womenpriests”) dress up like priests even though they are not? I think there is a name for the sin of a lay person acting like a priest.but I’m not sure what it is.

There is a big difference betwen “womenpriests” and laity functioning in appointed liturgical tasks. The former is sinful and an excommunicable offense, the other is not a sin at all. An EMHC is not acting as a priest but assisting the priest.

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

In my wildest imagination, I cannot picture a deacon believing he has faculties to say the mass. Deacons cannot consecrate the bread and wine. If they attempt to do so, it is invalid and sacrilegious.