No Agnus Dei in mass?

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levavi

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Dear all

Yesterday I went to an awfully celebrated Mass, where the priest seemed not to know what he was doing.

This culminated in his leaving out the Agnus Dei completely.

Is this valid? Should I tell his boss, the Parish Priest?
 
The Mass was valid so long as he properly consecrated the Body and Blood of our Lord. Omitting the Agnus Dei is not allowed. Since I wasn’t there, I don’t know how much of what went wrong was honest mistake and how much was deliberate “creativity”, but you should let the pastor know that there were problems with the Mass.
 
levavi said:
Dear all

Yesterday I went to an awfully celebrated Mass, where the priest seemed not to know what he was doing.

This culminated in his leaving out the Agnus Dei completely.

Is this valid? Should I tell his boss, the Parish Priest?
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Was he an elderly priest? We had a really old preist in our parish for awhile who started to leave things out, forget his place or other such things. FInally they told him he could not say mass publically. He still came out into the church to say mass when there was no one there, except for some of us who might have been in church praying before he got there.

If it continually happens perhaps the pastor should be made aware of it. He will then contact the proper diocesan office that deals with elderly priests. If he is not old, perhaps he is ill, or maybe he just does his own thing and in that case someone should still be notified. If it is just a one time thing, perhaps he wasn’t feeling well or was distracted by some pressing issue.
 
He was not old (maybe 35 / 40?), but he was foreign to the UK.

An Indian Jesuit, I think.

It all seemed rather too much for him, especially the extemporizations, which he should have omitted anyway.

However, I do not think that someone so ill-served to say Mass in a foreign language should attempt it at all…
 
Give it some time. If he continues to flub the Mass, then talk to him. If that fails, talk to your pastor.
 
japhy said:
The Mass was valid so long as he properly consecrated the Body and Blood of our Lord. Omitting the Agnus Dei is not allowed. Since I wasn’t there, I don’t know how much of what went wrong was honest mistake and how much was deliberate “creativity”, but you should let the pastor know that there were problems with the Mass.
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I think the priest has to consume the Bread and Blood of Christ to make it properly valid as well. Along with reading/praying the text of the Mass to the best of his abilities in Latin or any approved vernacular.
 
one possible explanation may be that he is used to celebrating Mass in another rite (Syro Malabar, Malankara as examples. All of which are in Communion with Rome, btw)…

I would mention it to the pastor though… There may be a very logical explanation

KL
 
Kolbelover said:
**one possible explanation may be that he is used to celebrating Mass in another rite (Syro Malabar, Malankara as examples. All of which are in Communion with Rome, btw)… **

I would mention it to the pastor though… There may be a very logical explanation

KL
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Not if he was a Jesuit. That is a Latin Rite only order.
 
thanks, RPP… I guess I didn’t read carefully enough that he may be a Jesuit (maybe i blocked that out since I went to Fordham!!)

however,I think it is still possible for a Jesuit to be assigned in an area (particularly in India) where another rite is celebrated. He may simply be “out-of-practice”. Of course, its all speculation, but i think the thing to do is to discuss it with the pastor.
 
Kolbelover said:
thanks, RPP… I guess I didn’t read carefully enough that he may be a Jesuit (maybe i blocked that out since I went to Fordham!!)

however,I think it is still possible for a Jesuit to be assigned in an area (particularly in India) where another rite is celebrated. He may simply be “out-of-practice”. Of course, its all speculation, but i think the thing to do is to discuss it with the pastor.
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You know, when it comes to these things, I am generally prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt. We all flub things. If he is a young priest, perhaps he has a bit of stage fright. If he is used to a different Sacrametary (or whatever that book is called) in his native language, which may also be organized differently. He may have been so preoccupied with trying to do it right or figure out the book, that he made an honest mistake.

I generally prefer to assume that it is an honest mistake. Only if a pattern develops, even if it is a pattern of honest mistakes, should anything be done.
 
levavi said:
Dear all

Yesterday I went to an awfully celebrated Mass, where the priest seemed not to know what he was doing.

This culminated in his leaving out the Agnus Dei completely.

Is this valid? Should I tell his boss, the Parish Priest?
Click to expand...
Did he fraction the host? Is it possible that where he is from it is the custom of the people to say the prayers without the priest starting them? Perhaps if no one else began to say, “Lamb of God” or “Agnus Dei,” the priest just missed his cue. What with that and being nervous the Agnus Dei got forgotten until it was too late.
 
ProVobis said:
I think the priest has to consume the Bread and Blood of Christ to make it properly valid as well.
Click to expand...
Well, yes, that too! I just don’t think that’s the kind of thing a priest could ever forget. I’m sure I’ll be proven wrong, though… 😉
 
God bless him! I think that any Priest who says the Mass ought to be thanked, prayed for, encouraged, loved, assisted. We pray daily for vocations to the Priesthood and I believe that they are answering God’s call. Perhaps it would be a good idea for us all to consider what it would be like if we didn’t have Priest’s answering God’s call. Without them, we’d all be lost.
Whenever I see a Priest now that I think it a little “off the wall” in the way of any kind of abuse I just pray for him, sometimes I think some of us are a little too quick to judge them. Some of them are just doing the best they can with what they have to offer.
Unless it is an outright abuse of some kind, like something that everyone notices and there is no way that he ought to be doing something, and then he says, “hey, I know and you know that I shouldn’t be doing this, but what the heck, I’m going to anyway”, well, then that one ought to be reported, but they are few and far between, thankfully, and stick out like sore thumbs.
Otherwise, I think it is best to just pray for them. If you do talk to anyone, it ought to first be with them, and with love.
I would hate to be reporting some sincere, good hearted Priest who only wants to serve the Lord and is having trouble with a language. I think that would be cruel to report someone like that who sincerely is trying. Give them a break and let them learn. Pray for him. We all need prayer.
 
allhers…you are so right!

our priests enable us to receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. We need to always be mindful of the loving and annointed sacrifice(s) they make on our behalf
 
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