My Top-Ten Liturgical Abuses

[Pariah_Pirana]

Following are my top-ten liturgical abuses (or irrgularities) in no particlar order. What are yours?

• Laity giving homily (no, not a “reflection.”)
• Cheap glass sundae dishes and stemware in place of proper sacred vessels (in wealthy parishes to boot.)
• The use of excessive number of EMsHC to “get more people involved.”
• The abysmal level of training EMsHC have received.
• Knowing that 3-4 priests are asleep in the rectory less than 50’ from the altar while a layperson “presides” over a “communion service.”
• The playing of background music during the consecration.
• The celebrant encouraging everyone to stand during the consecration in a church filled with padded kneelers.
• Musical selections that overwhelm the Mass so they can showcase the cantor(ess.)
• The priest eliminating the lavabo on his own whim.
• A kiss of peace that lasts 10 minutes.

 

[mommy]

Wow - we don’t have anything like that.

The things that bug me in our parish, which actually aren’t liturgical I believe:

*People leaving after communion (the priest mentioned this and it has drastiscally stopped)

*People not bowing during the creed when they are supposed to.

I’m lucky to have a very orthodox priest in charge. He’d bring back the alter rail and communion only on the tongeue if he could get away with it.

 

[Pariah_Pirana]

mommy:

Wow - we don’t have anything like that.

The things that bug me in our parish, which actually aren’t liturgical I believe:

*People leaving after communion (the priest mentioned this and it has drastiscally stopped)

*People not bowing during the creed when they are supposed to.

I’m lucky to have a very orthodox priest in charge. He’d bring back the alter rail and communion only on the tongeue if he could get away with it.

That’s awesome…

If he’s as orthodox as you say, he wouldn’t “bring back the alter rail and communion only on the tongeue” unless the Church so directed.

While the altar railing can certainly still stand, it would be quite heterodox for a priest to limit communion to only on the tongue based only on his opinion – unless if was via intinction of course, and then it wouldn’t be based on on his private notions.

 

[brotherhrolf]

Wow! Maybe we should count our blessings here. We don’t have any of those things going on in my cathedral parish.

 

[brotherhrolf]

Ok, yep, I’d like to see an altar rail and the use of patens again. They still do this in an adjacent parish which has the TLM. I like the symbology of receiving Communion kneeling.

 

[CarolAnnSFO]

I am happy to say we have none of the abuses on that list in my parish. Our pastor goes by what the Church teaches; he doesn’t make up his own stuff.

 

[mommy]

Pariah Pirana:

That’s awesome…

If he’s as orthodox as you say, he wouldn’t “bring back the alter rail and communion only on the tongue” unless the Church so directed.

.

…which is why he hasn’t done it. But I’m sure if he could convince those on high to make the change he would. Until then he hasn’t. Although he is, in his convincing way urging all the 1st communicants to start taking it on the tongue. He let’s them know it’s their choice, but let them know the history, etc.

 

[pnewton]

The only one we had on you list was the breakable chalices, and that was because they were donated. Donation not withstanding, Father stopped using them a few months after Redemptonius Sacramenum came out. We have used gold ever since.

 

[chuffle]

Let’s see…my top ten list may not contain ten items, but here goes:

1. Priests starting the Mass with the words “Good Morning” instead of the Sign of the Cross.
2. Priests improvising the prayers of the Liturgy (adding words here and there at whim).
3. Altar servers being allowed to leave the sanctuary during the Eucharistic prayer in order to go to the bathroom (sometimes during the consecration).
4. The Holy Eucharist placed in vessels made out of glass or pottery.
5. The celebrant parading up and down the aisle of the church “passing the peace” during the Sign of Peace.
6. The celebrant parading up and down the aisle of the church while preaching his homily (thanks to wireless microphones).
7. The “dialogue homily”… where the priest asks questions of the congregation…and no one answers.
8. The celebrant not genuflecting after the consecration…even if they are fit, trim and the picture of good health (and they don’t look as if they have bad knees).
9. People parading back from Communion, chewing on the Host as if it were a wad of gum…and stopping to say hello to friends along the way. (Not really a liturgical abuse, but it annoys me anyway.)

I have fallen short of ten peeves, but these nine items quickly came to mind when I read the original post.

Oh…I just thought of number ten:

Lectors walking up to read the Scripture readings, carrying a missalette…and reading from the missalette. (What is wrong with stopping in a few minutes early before Mass to look over the readings and to make sure that the marker is at the correct place and so on?)

Wow…I really sound cranky!

Joe

 

[netmilsmom]

Pariah Pirana:

While the altar railing can certainly still stand, it would be quite heterodox for a priest to limit communion to only on the tongue based only on his opinion – unless if was via intinction of course, and then it wouldn’t be based on on his private notions.

That’s how my wonderful pastor handles it!
We do not have an Altar Rail but Kneelers are all around the Altar. Intinction is the way to go. Our Dear Priest will NOT deliver into a hand a Consecrated Host dipped in the Blood of Christ.

 

[snowgarden]

This may not be an abuse, but does it count as “creative worshipping” gone amuck? The Church is a half circle with 4 columns of pews. At the Our Father, everyone has to shift to hold hands even across the aisle…some arms are really stretching it. Then at the “for thine is the kingdom…” everyone still holding hands has to raise up their arms. I just find this uncomfortable…and man, when the women are wearing their sleeveless tops in the summer (that’s another story) I just feel skeeved. Is it only my Church that does this?

 

[CatQuilt]

snowgarden:

This may not be an abuse, but does it count as “creative worshipping” gone amuck? The Church is a half circle with 4 columns of pews. At the Our Father, everyone has to shift to hold hands even across the aisle…some arms are really stretching it. Then at the “for thine is the kingdom…” everyone still holding hands has to raise up their arms. I just find this uncomfortable…and man, when the women are wearing their sleeveless tops in the summer (that’s another story) I just feel skeeved. Is it only my Church that does this?

Yes.

 

[JimG]

Fortunately, our parish doesn’t participate in any of the above mentioned abuses.

But No. 3 posted by Chuffle struck a chord:
3. Altar servers being allowed to leave the sanctuary during the Eucharistic prayer in order to go to the bathroom (sometimes during the consecration)

I’ve never seen altar servers leave the altar during Mass. But apparently every other kid in the congregation is not allowed to use the bathroom at home, since it seems they have an inevitable need to head for the bathroom during Mass.

Hate to be an old curmudgeon, but if it were up to me, there would be NO bathrooms in the church! (But then I grew up in a parish with no bathrooms in the church, no matter how much I might have needed one.)

 

[FrRobSST]

JimG:

Hate to be an old curmudgeon, but if it were up to me, there would be NO bathrooms in the church! (But then I grew up in a parish with no bathrooms in the church, no matter how much I might have needed one.)

Unfortunately, it’s up to the state, whose building codes require bathrooms for buildings intended for public use.

I personally would love to see us all rebel and tell the state where to go when it comes to meddling with the Church.

Rob+

 

[KatarinaTherese]

Pariah Pirana:

Following are my top-ten liturgical abuses (or irrgularities) in no particlar order. What are yours?

• Laity giving homily (no, not a “reflection.”)
• Cheap glass sundae dishes and stemware in place of proper sacred vessels (in wealthy parishes to boot.)
• The use of excessive number of EMsHC to “get more people involved.”
• The abysmal level of training EMsHC have received.
• Knowing that 3-4 priests are asleep in the rectory less than 50’ from the altar while a layperson “presides” over a “communion service.”
• The playing of background music during the consecration.
• The celebrant encouraging everyone to stand during the consecration in a church filled with padded kneelers.
• Musical selections that overwhelm the Mass so they can showcase the cantor(ess.)
• The priest eliminating the lavabo on his own whim.
• A kiss of peace that lasts 10 minutes.

Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of those. I don’t know about how much training the EMsHC have, but I’m thankful I’ve never been at a Mass with any of those “elements” before.

We do have a music director who thinks everything is a production, though. I just heard the most dramatic First Reading in my life on Good Friday. I can still hear “He was WOUND-ed for OU-ER (our) InIquiTIES” and “He did NOT SHI-ELD His FACE” echoing in my head. And on Holy Thursday, “Let us proCESS down the CENter aisle and OFfer our BOUNTIFUL blessings to the POOR and unFORtunate”. With a whole lot of dramatic accents on the syllables I capitalized.

 

[netmilsmom]

snowgarden:

This may not be an abuse, but does it count as “creative worshipping” gone amuck? The Church is a half circle with 4 columns of pews. At the Our Father, everyone has to shift to hold hands even across the aisle…some arms are really stretching it. Then at the “for thine is the kingdom…” everyone still holding hands has to raise up their arms. I just find this uncomfortable…and man, when the women are wearing their sleeveless tops in the summer (that’s another story) I just feel skeeved. Is it only my Church that does this?

That is a liturgical abuse.
No hand holding during the Our Father.

(do you Flic your Bic and sway? just kidding)

 

[otm]

Pariah Pirana:

Following are my top-ten liturgical abuses (or irrgularities) in no particlar order. What are yours?

• Laity giving homily (no, not a “reflection.”)

It is a rarity out here; seen it once.

* Cheap glass sundae dishes and stemware in place of proper sacred vessels (in wealthy parishes to boot.)

We use cut crystal.
Pariah Pirana:

• The use of excessive number of EMsHC to “get more people involved.”

We have one priest for something like 800 to 1000 families. The term “excessive” is often a personal judgement by someone who doesn’t like them at all.
Pariah Pirana:

• The abysmal level of training EMsHC have received.

Ours are pretty well trained; on occasion one who is old doesn’t “get it” when a child approaches for Communion of the tongue; it is not an issue of politics, but age.

* Knowing that 3-4 priests are asleep in the rectory less than 50’ from the altar while a layperson “presides” over a “communion service.”

See above; most of the parishes in this Archdiocese are luck to have one priest.

* The playing of background music during the consecration.

• The celebrant encouraging everyone to stand during the consecration in a church filled with padded kneelers.

Haven’t seen those. Non issue.

* Musical selections that overwhelm the Mass so they can showcase the cantor(ess.)

Like Schola Cantora and their elaborate music from Palistrina (spelling?).

* The priest eliminating the lavabo on his own whim.

• A kiss of peace that lasts 10 minutes.

Haven’t seen the former; haven’t seen the latter for years.

 

[otm]

mommy:

…which is why he hasn’t done it. But I’m sure if he could convince those on high to make the change he would. Until then he hasn’t. Although he is, in his convincing way urging all the 1st communicants to start taking it on the tongue. He let’s them know it’s their choice, but let them know the history, etc.

So has he let them know all the history, or only so much as he likes?

 

[otm]

FrRobSST:

Unfortunately, it’s up to the state, whose building codes require bathrooms for buildings intended for public use.

I personally would love to see us all rebel and tell the state where to go when it comes to meddling with the Church.

Rob+

I guess that’s fair enough, if you are also willing to have the state tell the Church where to go when the Church meddles in the state’s business.

 

[Dr.Bombay]

otm:

I guess that’s fair enough, if you are also willing to have the state tell the Church where to go when the Church meddles in the state’s business.

When was the last time you saw the Church meddle in the state’s business, pray tell?