Have you ever gotten so upset at a real or perceived liturgical abuse that you got up and left in the middle of Mass?

[maherite1977]

The only time I have left during a Mass was when a visiting priest felt it fit to begin discussing politics during his homily. Myself, along with another gentleman, left during this display.

I go to church to hear a message of salvation, forgiveness, and healing, not to hear what I can hear perfectly well on the 6 o’clock news. Sometimes I need a break from the world - being in church offers me this break. I want to be able to take back at least 1 hour a week from what our crazy world throws at us. I don’t need to have politics thrown at me while sitting in a pew.

 

[Fred_4]

Once I almost did. It was in 2003 just after the US invaded Iraq. The priest was giving his homily and was railing against the “Shock and Awe” campaign… remember that? He stated that it was obscene as 40% of the population of Iraq was women and children. I barely contained myself, but there were usually police at our church so didn’t want to make a scene. But what I wanted to do was stand up and scream out that 50% of ANY population is going to be women, and, depending upon one’s definition of children, something very close to 70-75% of the population anywhere will be “women and children.”

I wanted to tell the priest that if he was going to dare to give a political speach before the altar of Almighty God, he should at least try to get his facts straight.

But again, it was an almost situation…

 

[CarrieH]

I have never walked out in the middle of Mass, but I came close once. It was All Saints Day and I went to the morning Mass at one of the two parishes in this town which has a Catholic school. I was already feeling tired and cranky because I was just coming off a 12-hour night shift at the hospital. The school kids did the music at this Mass, and it was all the contemporary pop-rock dreck which is so popular with that age group. The straw which almost broke the camel’s back for me was the fact that they had a kid there playing the drums, not in an appropriately-restrained manner, but carrying on as if he were playing a gig in a heavy-metal band. I can barely tolerate drums at Mass when they are subdued and I am well-rested, but after having been up for almost 24 hours, I just couldn’t take it. If there had been anything the least bit wrong about the liturgy itself, I would indeed have walked out. Instead, I did something I almost never do: I received Communion and then kept right on walking, out the door. :dts:

 

[Carolinagirl411]

Being so new to the Church I haven’t had a chance to experience these abuses and probably wouldn’t be brave enough just to walk out unless they were blatant. But dear Lord, I didn’t know stuff like this went on in Catholic Churches. I thought my parish was run of the mill, normal, but now I’m grateful that all the parishes I have visited have been so wonderful. I don’t know what I’d do if I encountered some of these situations.

About the previous post…one of the reasons I hated protestant churches, when I was one, was the pop music they spent so much time focusing on and the video screens showing random Christian images and playing nonsense music. I think I would be appalled to see that in Mass. I love the Mass b/c I can focus on Christ and that’s all and I always feel at peace. To have people dancing inappropriately or playing distracting music would be a great trial.

I still don’t understand the whole dancing thing…

I’m currently looking for a different parish b/c i"m moving to a different state…I just hope I don’t have to deal with any of that mess in searching

 

[Simon_X]

Being so new to the Church I haven’t had a chance to experience these abuses and probably wouldn’t be brave enough just to walk out unless they were blatant. But dear Lord, I didn’t know stuff like this went on in Catholic Churches. I thought my parish was run of the mill, normal, but now I’m grateful that all the parishes I have visited have been so wonderful. I don’t know what I’d do if I encountered some of these situations.

About the previous post…one of the reasons I hated protestant churches, when I was one, was the pop music they spent so much time focusing on and the video screens showing random Christian images and playing nonsense music. I think I would be appalled to see that in Mass. I love the Mass b/c I can focus on Christ and that’s all and I always feel at peace. To have people dancing inappropriately or playing distracting music would be a great trial.

I still don’t understand the whole dancing thing…

I’m currently looking for a different parish b/c i"m moving to a different state…I just hope I don’t have to deal with any of that mess in searching

CarolinaGirl,

If it helps at all, I ve been going to Catholic Church my whole life and have yet to see this dance thing or any real abuses. I know they happen, but just search out a parish where they follow the norms and exercise common sense and you’ll be fine.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

I walked out of a Mass only once. This was a parish (which will go unnamed) where the priest had a male, non-ordained “friend” living in his rectory for many years and this was public knowledge by Catholics in the area. His demeanor was rather effeminate and the music was awful. During the Mass, nearly every prayer was changed, and he used patchouli in the thurible. At the consecration, he changed the words of Consecration so much that only “This is My Body” was intact (“This is My Blood” was not said in that order).

After about five minutes of a completely unrestrained Sign of Peace, I walked out and drove to my home parish, where I told my pastor everything. After explaining about the validity of the Mass, he sighed and said “I’m sorry to hear that. He used to be the vocation director.”

 

[drafdog]

Never walked out on Mass. Father missed part of the consecration one day that I recall, but he was quite old and we all knew he wasn’t as alert as he once was. I’m there to pray, not engage in critiquing other people. You only let yourself be distracted from your prayer. We ought to be confessing letting ourselves be distracted that way.
As for the video taped homily, the bishop sends a tape out two or three times a year, the local ministry to a sister parish in the west Indies presents a synopsis of their work. The priest always says a few words in introduction, as I’m sure your own pastor has done at such times. No abuse as far as I can see.

Matthew

 

[scylla]

Sounds like a letter to your bishop is in order.

I wish that would help…
The Bishop appointed her, he knows what is going on when you have to hire out sisters to run parishes and juggle priests. The priests are then under the authority of the sisters and have to do what they want, or else they are not welcome back.
The parishes are then formed to the desires of the sisters, and really what can the people do? They can just be faithful, have large families, catechize themselves and hopefully raise some good strong holy Priests. The laity will have to raise the next generation of strong holy Priests because many of the parishes in my diocese are breeding grounds for the death of the Priesthood.

They do not strongly promote vocations or want them, they want a woman priesthood and slowly seek to modify our belief to accept it. Abuse is almost always rooted in this thinking, to modify our beliefs. A desire for Woman Priests, also Dissent from Catholic morality and Homosexual agendas, they are the main causes of liturgical abuse.
The Bishop seems to allow it, so complaining doesn’t help, we just need to get busy, pray, be involved and be faithful.

In Christ
Scylla

 

[Beachcomber]

I did once. I really don’t like the Sign of Peace and at this particular Mass, it was way out of control. Everyone running everywhere; strangers trying to hug me; I couldn’t put up with it. So I slipped out. No one noticed because they were all running around anyway.

I don’t know what I’d do if faced with liturgical dancing.

 

[Ray_Scheel]

What happened?
Or if not a bona fide abuse, something that you just couldn’t stand any longer.

There was a youth mass once at a parish out of town, billed as “Life Teen” and years ago, before LT finally assented to following the rubrics and trying to maintain a semi-dignified liturgy. When the priest started ad-libbing modifications to the consecration, after I had already tolerated the theologically questionable “We believe” and some liturgical dancers, I left.

 

[Spiller]

I wish that would help…
The Bishop appointed her, he knows what is going on when you have to hire out sisters to run parishes and juggle priests. The priests are then under the authority of the sisters and have to do what they want, or else they are not welcome back.
The parishes are then formed to the desires of the sisters, and really what can the people do? They can just be faithful, have large families, catechize themselves and hopefully raise some good strong holy Priests. The laity will have to raise the next generation of strong holy Priests because many of the parishes in my diocese are breeding grounds for the death of the Priesthood.

They do not strongly promote vocations or want them, they want a woman priesthood and slowly seek to modify our belief to accept it. Abuse is almost always rooted in this thinking, to modify our beliefs. A desire for Woman Priests, also Dissent from Catholic morality and Homosexual agendas, they are the main causes of liturgical abuse.
The Bishop seems to allow it, so complaining doesn’t help, we just need to get busy, pray, be involved and be faithful.

In Christ
Scylla

YIKES that WOULD NOT play around here. Any number of laypeople can be hired to “manage” a parish. If they treated visiting or resident priests poorly they would be TOAST.

If I was a priest and any layperson tried to influence me to celebrate the Mass in a manner not approved by the Church, there would be a hard train wreck until either the laypersons backed-down once and for all or I left. Nothing else would be acceptable.

 

[ethelzguy]

I don’t think I’ve ever walked out of Mass over an abuse, real or perceived. I have got up and walked out of Mass several times when someone sits near me that doesn’t know how to properly adjust their hearing aid(s). The high-pitched squeal is more than my ears can handle.

I did almost walk out of my first Life Teen Mass, as the priest was up front singing and swaying with the musicians at what I thought was the beginning of Mass. Then he walked to the back of Church, the music stopped briefly, and the Lector announced the opening hymn. Then I realized that he hadn’t actually started Mass yet.

 

[Cat]

No and I doubt I ever will unless the priest gets nekkid or something equally awful happens.

I spent over 40 years in the Protestant churches. Now that I am Catholic, I would never walk out on the opportunity to receive my Lord Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I have 40 years of missing Him to make up for.

I have seen people walk out of Mass a few times. Our priest was doing a fiery homily condemning abortion and artificial contraception, and a crowd of people stood up and walked out. This happened during all of the Masses that weekend that the priest presided over. It was the talk of the parish for weeks!

Also, we had a controversy in our parish when a music minister was fired after he publicly admitted to practicing homosexuality with a partner with whom he planned to adopt a child. During one of the Masses, a protest was staged and a group purposely stood and walked out to express their outrage over the dismissal of this man. I believe they wore some kind of garment or something that made it clear they were part of the protest (a rainbow something or other?).

But I know of at least one family that returned to the Catholic Church after a twenty-year absence (they attended evangelical Protestant churches) specifically because of the brave actions of our parish that fired the openly-gay music minister. So even though some people walked out, others WALKED IN! Praise God!

 

[peregrinus_WA]

Once. It was when a priest did not do a homily and woman gave a talk.

I did leave one before when the “Music Minister” introduced the “Mass Setting” for advent.

 

[japhy]

I did leave one before when the “Music Minister” introduced the “Mass Setting” for advent.

Was it the Missa Emmanuel? While I find that setting intolerable for my ears, I wouldn’t say it’s something to leave Mass for. I’ve never left a Mass, and I wouldn’t leave if the music was horrendous: I would probably not sing it, and I would pray for the parish and the people and myself instead.

 

[gemtwin84]

I’ve never actually walked out of a Mass because of liturgical abuses I’ve seen. I know I’ve only seen liturgical dancers once and was so confused and mystified by why this was happening during Mass. There must of been a lot of complaints as it has never happened again. I did have a professor advocate for such silly things at Mass when I took a Liturgical Year class for my master’s studies. I can see where maybe this might be appropriate in some cultures new to Catholicism but in the Midwest??? not so appropriate IMHO.

I work in a high school and hear horror stories from former students of liturgical abuses at the colleges and universities they attend…even supposed Catholic universities. Things like using paper napkins as purificators or using pita bread or even a jalopeno muffins for communion. Yikes!!! What are some of these priest thinking?

I would have a VERY hard time in these incidences.

 

[Felicity_in_TX]

I’m a new convert, so I haven’t personally witnessed any terrible abuses (despite the fact that I travel a lot and visit parishes all over the country). I guess I’ve just been lucky!

There is a parish in my hometown that raised quite a scandal shortly before Lent this year when a woman (a Nun, I believe) gave the homily despite the fact that there were two Priests and a Deacon present. Apparently several people walked out immediately, and the Bishop was contacted pretty quickly. That parish had been in a great deal of trouble with the previous Bishop for various liturgical abuses so I’m certain that whatever reprimand the Pastor received was not gentle by any means.

 

[Rtista]

I only left Mass once because of liturgical abuse. Mass had begun with the usual Sign of the Cross. Then, the priest proceeded to stand in front of the altar and preach for 45 minutes about whatever he wanted to. There was one “Lord Have Mercy” in there, but other than that, no structure, no readings, no prayers. Mainly just jokes, people clapping, and hand-raising. This was an 11am Mass on a Sunday at the Cathedral! They had a Mass to follow at 12, and knew that if he was preaching for 45 minutes, that he would have to FLY through the Liturgy of the Eucharist in order to be done for the 12pm Mass. I couldn’t bear it, so my family and I walked out after hearing the priest improv for 45 minutes. It made me so sad.

 

[sphilomena]

I wanted to leave, but offered it up in reparation, when “liturgical dancers” waltzed down the aisle at a Los Angeles conference - you know who presided at Mass, don’t you? The whole Mass was a penance. It was years ago, and I’d never go to those conferences any more.

 

[Jimdandy]

Only when I attended the (Catholic)2008 Los Angeles Religious Congress.
Ist one began with the priest sitting down and a dancer danced all around him and the altar.
2nd one began with dancers prancing up the aisles.
3rd one (celebrated by the Bishop and con-celebrated with multiple priests) had dancing, and carrying of huge bowls of burning incense-dancing all around the altar-then a woman recited part of the Gospel and that was it for me trying to find a valid Mass at that Congress.