Consumption of unconsecrated host

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Sk8ter

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Something happened at a Mass I attended recently that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen before. It occurred at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharistic, just after the vessel with the small unconsecrated hosts had been brought to the altar and presented to the priest during the offertory. While standing at the altar but before beginning the prayers of blessing, etc., he immediately took one of the small unconsecrated hosts from the vessal, broke off a piece (about 1/4 of the total host) and consumed it. Mass then continued on as usual. Is there a reason why this would have happened? Perhaps it has occurred before and I’ve never noticed it. Thanks for any information or opinions.
 
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Sk8ter:
Something happened at a Mass I attended recently that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen before. It occurred at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharistic, just after the vessel with the small unconsecrated hosts had been brought to the altar and presented to the priest during the offertory. While standing at the altar but before beginning the prayers of blessing, etc., he immediately took one of the small unconsecrated hosts from the vessal, broke off a piece (about 1/4 of the total host) and consumed it. Mass then continued on as usual. Is there a reason why this would have happened? Perhaps it has occurred before and I’ve never noticed it. Thanks for any information or opinions.
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That is a bit odd. Maybe he was checking to see if they were ok? Or maybe they didn’t look right to him?
 
Bro. Rich, I think you were right, he probrably saw something that he didn’t like so just removed the peice that was bothering him.

A little aside, for those of us who remember the Traditine Mass, the consumption of unconsecrated hosts was usually done by the alterboys unless the Nuns caught us.
 
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Sk8ter:
Something happened at a Mass I attended recently that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen before. It occurred at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharistic, just after the vessel with the small unconsecrated hosts had been brought to the altar and presented to the priest during the offertory. While standing at the altar but before beginning the prayers of blessing, etc., he immediately took one of the small unconsecrated hosts from the vessal, broke off a piece (about 1/4 of the total host) and consumed it. Mass then continued on as usual. Is there a reason why this would have happened? Perhaps it has occurred before and I’ve never noticed it. Thanks for any information or opinions.
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Ummmm? I’m stumped.
 
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Andrew_11:
Isn’t that a violation of the eucharistic fast?
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Possibly but maybe the Priest’s are exempt for this very reason. The fast is an offering in preparation of recieving the ultimate meal. I’m sure that the Priest saw an imperfection that made it unworthy to become our Savior and in the scheme of things, the Priest not making this offering was the greater good when compared to having a dirty/imperfect host consecrated.
 
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TOME:
A little aside, for those of us who remember the Traditine Mass, the consumption of unconsecrated hosts was usually done by the alterboys unless the Nuns caught us.
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I’m too young to remember the Tridentine mass, but not so young to never have been THAT guilty. The wine was unsecured too…
 
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manualman:
The wine was unsecured too…
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:rotfl:

In RCIA, we practiced recieving communion using non-consecrated hosts (“blanks”) before we were received into the Church (with the clear understanding that this wasn’t the real thing yet).

This brings me back…I’ll never forget my first communion day (and baptism and confirmation) 🙂
 
In RCIA, we practiced recieving communion using non-consecrated hosts (“blanks”) before we were received into the Church (with the clear understanding that this wasn’t the real thing yet).

This brings me back…I’ll never forget my first communion day (and baptism and confirmation) 🙂
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tell us about it
 
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Orionthehunter:
Possibly but maybe the Priest’s are exempt for this very reason. The fast is an offering in preparation of recieving the ultimate meal. I’m sure that the Priest saw an imperfection that made it unworthy to become our Savior and in the scheme of things, the Priest not making this offering was the greater good when compared to having a dirty/imperfect host consecrated.
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Priests are not exempt from the Eucharistic Fast. They are allowed to take something after the end of one Mass and before the beginning of a second one, but what the OP told us has nothing to do with that.

Further, if the Priest saw something wrong with an unconsecrated host there would be no need for him to consume it. All he had to do was remove it from the ciborium and place it somewhere, such as on the credence table, or to one side on the altar, since it is usual that only what is placed on the corporal is consecrated.

So - why did the Priest consume that unconsecrated host? I have no idea. Perhaps the OP should ask him.
 
TOME wrote:
A little aside, for those of us who remember the Traditine Mass, the consumption of unconsecrated hosts was usually done by the alterboys unless the Nuns caught us.
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First of all, in reality, there is no such Mass called the “Traditine” - or even “Tridentine” Mass! What you refer to is the Liturgy of Mass which was authorized by Pope St Pius V pursuant to the mandate of the Council of Trent. All ALL Masses the liturgy was performed in accordance with the Roman Missal.

Secondly, it is a falsehood to claim that “consumption of unconsecrated hosts was usually done by the alterboys unless the Nuns caught us.”

It is false because there never has been a customary practice (“usually”) for altar boys to do this, and secondly, if there was such a practice, it is possible that the abuse could be stopped by someone other than a nun.

As I am not almost 71 years of age, and was an altar boy from the age of approx. 9 to age 16 - and NEVER consumed an unconsecrated host and NEVER witnessed any of my co-altar boys doing this either - and have attended the Pian liturgy for close on 60 years - I can confidently refute the “usually” claim.
 
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