Possible he has a medical condition?
Not to my knoledge, but I suppose it is possible. I dont belong to his parish I travel in my job and when I’m in that area I attend his morning Mass.
I don’t think this supposed to be on the altar though. Wouldn’t the credence table be a better place?
There is an elderly retired Priest who is obviously not in good health. Whenever he says Mass, he has a glass at the Lectern, on the altar and at his chair. While it doesn’t appear he drinks much quantity, he does seem to sip alot. I think the best place is whereever he thinks he is most likely to want to take a drink in a way that is the least distracting. To have to turn in the middle of the Eucharistic Prayer and walk to the credence table would not be the least distracting.
Well our priest coughed quite a bit trying to make it through the Eucharistic Liturgy so I know it helped to have that glass of water within reach in between his parts. I know it pained him to have to do that, honestly, but the mass had to go on. He also kept in on the far lower corner, no where near the corporal cloth and vessels.
I’ve seen the Priest sipping bottled water throughout the Mass, setting it down on the altar, excuse me, table, between swigs. Of course, as was pointed out to me that is perfectly all right because Priests have been known to keel over from dehydration, and that here was no way that I should have a problem with it. And in retrospect, I agree, after all, it just a community meal, nothing special and surely not something that would require any reverence or discomfort as it were?
. I cannot believe that there are those who actually think the Mass is nothing more than a community meal. Guess I’m just out of touch with the times, behind the curve so to speak.
Ahhh, so you understand that “altar” is Latin for “table”, good for you.
Just out of curiosity, it seems to list what normally will be needed, yet does not limit to those items?
Inasmuch as the Council of Trent requires all Catholics to believe that the Mass is a “true and proper sacrifice” and a “propitiary sacrifice” (Session XXII “Doctrine on the Sacrifice of the Mass”, Ch. IX, Canon I and III) AND the Liturgy of Paul VI IS the normative Mass of the Roman Rite - I find it highly offensive to hear you sarcasticly demean the Liturgy of Mass as being a “community meal”, and wonder why you ought not be subject to the Anathemas attached to the denial of the normative liturgy as being only a “community meal”?And in retrospect, I agree, after all, it just a community meal, nothing special and surely not something that would require any reverence or discomfort as it were?
Just a meal like any other
I didn’t say it was a community meal, I said it was sad some people think it is.And as far as that goes, I can’t remember the last time I heard somebody call the Mass a sacrifice, usually it’s the meal or the banquet. Or is your church somewhat different? I hope so. And yes, I did not notice the % sign strategically placed behind the 0.1, mea culpa, mea culpa, so you can bash me all you want if it makes you feel good. And anyway, since I don’t think you have much to say about anathemas, or anything else for that matter, I’ll just leave it at that. By the way, without the % sign after 0.1, what is it?
Probably just plain ignorance. After all, not being enlightened as so many here are, I can do no better. It is funny though, I remember priests used to celebrate several Traditional Masses in one day, yes I assisted, which as you may or may not know, have a lot more speaking by the Priest than the Novus Ordo mass does. I don’t seem to recall them having to sip water throughout the Mass. But then again, I don’t remember them wearing tennis shoes and blue jeans to mass either, which happens a lot these days as well, nor do I recall them inventing their own prayers or having lay people give the homily or commune each other. So I guess many things have changed.
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) could be placed along side of it upon which the priest can set his cup. What would bother me is not necessarily the presence of a cup, but a dixie cup… or a bottle… or coffee mug. These things would look out of place. A glass would probably be better, as it is less visible, and sold nto take away from the dignity of the celebration.
AltarMan:
You beat me to it Palmas!
good for you, This guy is beginning to sound a lot like another poster. To bad the intended sarcasm, backfired.
I will tell you that someplace there is a provision for exceptions to accommodate legitimate health issues or there is a general understanding that accommodations are excepted/accepted when necessary. For instance, I’ve witnessed a Mass by a Priest in a wheelchair. Rather than the Readings being read from the Ambo as required in the GIRM, a server brought the Lectionary over to the Priest as it was physically impossible for him to access the Ambo. I think that considering there were three choices in this situation (No Mass, the Gospel read by an altar boy or non-trained person from the Congregation, or the Lectionary brought to the Priest), the interests of the Church and the faithful was served by the choice made. I think if a Priest who fully understands the magnitude of having a non-approved vessel on the altar such that if he deems in necessary because of his situation and to protect the dignity of the Mass, the rest of us need to be supportive and not be excessively diligant regarding the GIRM.