Is it wrong to leave before receiving communion if the consecration is not done properly?

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ELDEN_S_WIFE

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I have on occasion felt the need to leave, and have left mass during the consecration/communion rite. Is this a mortal sin?

Let me explain: On these occassions something came up that made it impossible for me to attend Sunday morning Mass and it is too late to go to Saturday Mass. Since the local Oratory celebrates a 6pm Sunday Mass I have gone there on these 3 different occasions. It would be months, if not years between these visits and there are 3 priests in residence so I assumed that any one of the three would be the celebrant. As it is, all 3 times the same priest celebrated the mass. The abuses are many but I will just tell you about the ones that most bothered me this last time I attended.

First, the priest would only refer to God as “Creator God”, never God the Father and all references to Him being a He are removed to be generic, such as Creator God.

Then, there was the female, dressed in street clothes who grabbed a pine bough, the priest grabbed another, and they both proceeded to dip them in holy water and go throughout the church blessing the people, remembering our baptism.

Then, there is communion. The loaf of bread (think french or italian). The words of consecration are not said properly, although I cannot remember the exact words used, but they are not what I have heard every Sunday for the past 46 years.

It is at this point that I feel that I have totally waisted my time again and that going forward to receive would be a farce and that it would be an act of approval for what had just happened.

I ususally say a prayer for the priest, the laymen and myself and ask God for his forgiveness, and leave. Since this is a small church, I know the priest has seen me leave at least on two of the occasions. (I don’t try to draw attention to myself, but I notice some people look confused as to why I am leaving before communion.)

This has occurred over the 7 years I have lived here. I assume that everyone else has no problem with it, maybe it is just me.

After this last time I went to confession to one of the other priests who reside at the oratory and I told him I had sinned by having critical, judgemental thoughts about this particular priest, due to what I thought were abuses at the mass, and I asked for forgiveness. The priest told me that he was glad I did not talk to others disparagingly about the priest and add to my sin, and he implied I did not know all the facts around the celebration of mass at the oratory. He did not go into details. Is it possible these abuses have been approved by the local bishop?

Have I committed a mortal sin? Should I report these abuses?

Sorry again for being so long but this has been bothering me since the first time it happened 7 years ago.

Respectfully,
Mary
 
Hi,

Yes, it is not appropriate to leave Mass before the dismissal. Though illicit (not according to the liturgical norms) the consecration sounds valid. So you owe the Eucharist the respect that is the Lord’s due.

But don’t go there again. Make sure you attend Mass in the morning!

I don’t see any serious sin here because you didn’t realize that it was a valid Mass.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.
 
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