Gathering around the altar for consecration

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Irishgal49

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Last night I was in another town so I went to Mass after I finished work.

When I arrived everyone was very friendly…made me feel welcome. Then the priest introduced himself and explained if I was taking communion I needed to go up to this little table at the front and center, take the tongs, pick up a host with it and drop it into a brass cup with handle he called a ciborium. I was confused but did that.

The mass began in the usual way but no one bowed, genuflected or anything when they went to their seats. Then the priest called everyone up to the altar and everyone stood around the altar as he consecrated the hosts and wine. Then we all held hands around the altar and prayed the Lord’s prayer. No kneeling, just standing there. Then he stood off to the side of the altar and we filed around and received. Then we all filed back to our seats, I was shocked. :eek:

Is this allowed…I sure didn’t feel like I"d been to mass but the people were very warm and welcoming.
 
Irishgal49 said:
Last night I was in another town so I went to Mass after I finished work.

When I arrived everyone was very friendly…made me feel welcome. **So, people were not quietly praying, in preparation for Mass? There should be no conversations inside the church. **Then the priest introduced himself and explained if I was taking communion I needed to go up to this little table at the front and center, take the tongs, pick up a host with it and drop it into a brass cup with handle he called a ciborium. I was confused but did that. This is fine - it just means that the priest wants to make sure that he only consecrates enough hosts so that there will not be ane Holy Communion left at the end of Mass.

The mass began in the usual way but no one bowed, genuflected or anything when they went to their seats. Then the priest called everyone up to the altar and everyone stood around the altar as he consecrated the hosts and wine. This is very wrong. It should never be done. Then we all held hands around the altar and prayed the Lord’s prayer. **The people should all be in their pews during the Mass, and hands should not be held during the Lord’s prayer. ** No kneeling, just standing there. **Everyone who can physically kneel should have been kneeling (in their pew) during the consecration. **Then he stood off to the side of the altar and we filed around and received. **Well, since you were all around the altar, there was not much else he could have done! **Then we all filed back to our seats, I was shocked. :eek: I would have been shocked, too

Is this allowed…I sure didn’t feel like I"d been to mass but the people were very warm and welcoming.
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**Well, if the priest said the proper words of consecration and the bread and the wine were valid material (bread made of wheat flour and water, and grape wine), then you can rest assured that the Mass was valid, but it was very illicit.

The fact that the people were “very warm and welcoming” means nothing. Even if every single person there ignored you, it would not make the Mass less than the highest worship we can give to God. It may be nice to feel welcomed, but that is irrelevant. A Catholic Church anywhere in the world is home to each and every Catholic.

If I were you, I would not be returning to that church! I get very upset when Mass is messed up by priest or people changing things to suit themselves.
**
 
It was almost like I was being told, “well since there are only 8 of you, let’s be casual” and I was very shocked. No kissing the Gospel, no kissing the altar, very very strange. For a moment I thought I was in a Protestant Church.
 
MartyrForJesus said:
Is this a daily Mass? Liturgical abuses everywhere!
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That is totally liturgical abuse!
I remember when I was in school the priest would select a class to join him at the altar for the consecration. But that was stopped as soon as one of the other priest noticed this was happening because only the priest and assisting ministers should be in the sanctuary at that time.
 
Contact the Archbishop:

Archdiocese of Detroit
1234 Washington Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48226

Email: infodesk@aod.org
Phone: (313) 237-5800
Fax: (313) 237-4644
Office Hours: Mon - Fri, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

That is entirely unacceptable.

~Liza
 
Irishgal49 said:
Last night I was in another town so I went to Mass after I finished work.

When I arrived everyone was very friendly…made me feel welcome. Then the priest introduced himself and explained if I was taking communion I needed to go up to this little table at the front and center, take the tongs, pick up a host with it and drop it into a brass cup with handle he called a ciborium. I was confused but did that.

The mass began in the usual way but no one bowed, genuflected or anything when they went to their seats. Then the priest called everyone up to the altar and everyone stood around the altar as he consecrated the hosts and wine. Then we all held hands around the altar and prayed the Lord’s prayer. No kneeling, just standing there. Then he stood off to the side of the altar and we filed around and received. Then we all filed back to our seats, I was shocked. :eek:

Is this allowed…I sure didn’t feel like I"d been to mass but the people were very warm and welcoming.
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Boy, Jesus was there in the Bread and wine. There was consecration. What else do you want?
 
Pfaffenhoffen said:
Boy, Jesus was there in the Bread and wine. There was consecration. What else do you want?
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Yes! there’s no doubt there was consecration.
What else do you want?
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What kind of statement is this? You make it seem like everything the OP describes is nothing to speak about.:confused:

I would have felt the same as the OP.

The only person at the Altar of Consecration is the Priest himself.
If there is a deacon he stands a few feet in back to the side of the priest.
 
Pfaffenhoffen said:
Boy, Jesus was there in the Bread and wine. There was consecration. What else do you want?
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Perhaps you should ask our Holy Father in Rome. He does not share your sentiment. He is well aware of liturgical abuses such as this that are prevalent in parishes around the world, especially in America. Abuses born from modern, protestantized perversions of the Mass and free-lance, erroneous interpretations of Vatican II’s liturgical reform. He is well aware of it, and calls for a reform of the reform, bringing the Mass back to the authentic interpretation of Vatican II.

This is just another sad and pitiful example of an overly effeminate and protestantized influence on our beautiful traditional liturgy, OF and EF alike.

Makes me nauseous.
 
charliedrake said:
Was this a wealthy or an poverty stricken area?
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What does this, even in the most incalculably infinitesimal bit, have to do with anything?

Anyways, I normally would not recommend reporting a priest to his bishop unless you see the abuse reoccur, but these abuses are so grave that it is nauseating to think of anything but recommending you very strongly to write the bishop an extremely honest letter at once, following through with a phone call to him, his Vicar or Chancellor. This is no small matter. It is extremely urgent and requires the utmost effort in resolution. These kinds of things lead to other “kinds of things,” if you know what I mean.

I pray for all people, especially priests, who tolerate passively and promote actively the destruction of the liturgy through all means possible. I would be infinitely ashamed of myself if I, as a priest, allowed myself to do these kinds of perversions, and I have nothing but pity for those who do.
 
Going up around the altar for the consecration is definately an abuse. Is this a town you visit regularly for work? If you are going to be there again, I’d suggest you talk to the priest. If you aren’t, a letter to the priest and cc the bishop is in order. The issue that you need to focus on is the priest calling the people up to stand at the altar. Don’t confuse the issue with other things that happened becuase they aren’t abuses - some are not very reverant, but not abusive.
 
The parish I attend doesn’t have daily evening masses, just morning. Maybe this was some kind of Charistmatic Service.
 
Isn’t the only thing you HAVE to do to make it a Mass is the consecration? I know there is a set Mass, but can’t you leave parts out and it’s still fine (as long as you don’t drop out the consecration). I’ve been to Masses that drop readings, drop the creed, drop the penitential rite, drop any kind of entrance/exit hymn. These are still all valid. These people are for sure way out there on what they are doing with the Mass, but is it technically wrong?
 
pilots13 said:
Isn’t the only thing you HAVE to do to make it a Mass is the consecration? I know there is a set Mass, but can’t you leave parts out and it’s still fine (as long as you don’t drop out the consecration). I’ve been to Masses that drop readings, drop the creed, drop the penitential rite, drop any kind of entrance/exit hymn. These are still all valid. These people are for sure way out there on what they are doing with the Mass, but is it technically wrong?
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Umm. Valid, yes, but hardly licit. The Mass completes your Sunday obligation when the priest has received.
 
Irishgal49 said:
It was almost like I was being told, “well since there are only 8 of you, let’s be casual” and I was very shocked. No kissing the Gospel, no kissing the altar, very very strange. For a moment I thought I was in a Protestant Church.
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I would also be shock, if I was present at this casual cermony. Have you done some reasearch to see if it was a catholic church! Cause you know if it was surely some one would have reported it to the Bishop

Praying for you
 
Luvtosew said:
The parish I attend doesn’t have daily evening masses, just morning. Maybe this was some kind of Charistmatic Service.
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It doesn’t matter what someone wants to call it - Mass is Mass. And what was described in the OP is completely wrong and unacceptable behavior of the priest, who should know better. Sorry - I don’t give him a pass for any reason - it is his JOB to know how to say a LICIT Mass.

This is a perfect example how such behavior causes confusion and scandal in those who attend.

~Liza
 
According to this link, 1) you have the right to attend a valid AND licit Mass, 2) This Mass definitely was not licit (there were liturgical abuses in it, and 3) it might not even have been valid.

Did ANYONE other than the priest co-consecrate the host? Did the priest allow them to? If he did, he allowed you (the laity) to invalidate the entire proceedings. :mad:

NOTE: It’s not your fault as a layman if he allows this (unless you know you’re not supposed to). It’s his job as a priest to provide a LICIT and VALID Mass. So tell him that, and provide evidence for it. (You can find citations in canon law and other writings in the link I provided.)
 
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