Mass last night - strange thing happened

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StPio1

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(Not sure where to post this). At the 5:30 PM mass last night, we heard the usual announcement as to who would be conducting mass. And then the music played and a visiting priest walked up to the altar alone. He was not accompanied by anyone or the cross with Jesus. No candles had been lit on altar either.
Then he spoke the opening words and added a lot of other remarks not like the usual procedures. Finally, an extraordinary minister hurriedly joined him and it was obvious that it was a last minute thing. Then apparently someone found someone to act as an altar boy and he went up. Then at some point one of the ladies (extraordinary minister) ran over to him while they were doing some more announcements gesturing about the unlit candles! Someone finally lit them. But it was all very strange. He was there on behalf of Cross Outreach to ask for donations. But it was like our church had ignored his presence. No arrangements had been made for altar boys or the usual things.

I’m still a bit shocked/confused by it all. How could our church ignore a visiting priest like that and not make arrangements for altar boys, etc.?
 
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In my (Reformed) parish, we have been discussing a document we could give visiting pastors so as to avoid this kind of things. When you get used to how getting ready for service works in a particular place, it’s amazing how you see things as self-evident and tend to forget passing on crucial information to visitors.
 
I do a quarterly schedule for lectors, altar servers and EMHC so everyone is in place regardless of who is celebrating Mass.
 
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Announcements, commentary, and introductory remarks are permitted and quite common with visiting priests, especially fundraising ones.
 
It sounds like someone didn’t show up who’s normally there or was expected to attend to these things. There’s nothing inherently wrong about the priest (you don’t have visiting pastors - there’s one pastor per parish) processing in alone or being in the sanctuary alone if there are no ministers to assist - but they really shouldn’t join him once Mass begins. The candles should be lit discretely once noticed by whomever can get it done.
 
Then perhaps you should refrain from interjections that confuse the issue.
 
No. The man who joined him to hold the book, etc. was not a deacon. He is one of the extraordinary communion ministers, not a deacon. Normally they have altar boys light all the candles before the priest ever comes up to altar. He was on altar giving remarks before the candles were lit. As I said, it was all mishandled. Once he started mass, it seemed all proper but it was a rough start. Just seemed like he had no assistance from our local church. (I meant visiting priest - not pastor)
 
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I recall once with our regular pastor when I was relatively new to the sacristan role, we noticed the candles weren’t lit — at the end of Mass! 😱
He jokingly said while patting me on the back, “Oh, it’s alright - you only invalidated the whole Mass for everyone here, but it’s fine.” I knew he was kidding, but I’ve never forgotten the candles again (even if I’m not in that role!).
 
It all sounds very disorganised. I suspect everyone thought “someone-else” would be doing what they usually do. Officially, it’s the role of the “Instituted Acolyte” to light the candles, but they are a rare breed even in those provinces that have permanent Instituted Acolytes. In the absence of an Instituted Acolyte, an altar server or sacristan should light the candles although often they get forgotten. I have found myself very reverently lighting the candles after the Collect hoping that at least some of the congregation might think it’s part of the liturgy.

In the UK, it’s the school half term and a lot of our altar servers are away. That might explain why yours were in short supply. If there’s a need, have you considered being an altar server? There’s no upper age limit although you need to have made your first Holy Communion and if you’re over 18 there will be some kind of safeguarding background check. Then you can light the candles and make sure that visiting priests are not left to fend for themselves.
 
A parish belonging to a Reformed church (historical Protestantism).

(Where I live, the only congregationalist churches are Evangelical, and they are few. Mainstream Protestantism here is organized much as the Catholic Church is, except we have synods instead of bishops.)
 
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