Priest collapsing during Mass

[otjm]

This Seperate Service I was referring to is called a Service for the Distribution of Holy Communion, which may be conducted by a trained layperson, if a Priest is not present. Yes, it is a profanation for Holy Communion to be touched by unconsecrated persons, but it is the Bishop’s Orders. Thankfully though, whenever our Priest is unexpectedly absent, and thus we are without a Celebration of Holy Mass, we chose to recite the Liturgy of the Hours in such cases.

Self-communication is allowed for the person conducting this Service. The only person that is really qualified to preside over such a service would be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

It is not a profanation fo the Eucharist as the Church would never allow that to happen; they have specifically given permission for the Eucharist to be touched - both by allowing EMHCs and by allowing reception in the hand.

Reception in the hand occurred until about 1000 AD; and after that, in the 1200’s it was again allowed to the Franciscans (to this date) - and that includes Franciscan brothers.

It certainly is your right (and in fact it is the universal norm) to receive on the tongue instead of in the hand; and it may well be your opinion that receiving in the hand is a profanation, but as the Church governs otherwise, you should state it as your personal opinion, not as a fact (which is how your post comes across).

I am not trying to be rude; but there are others who read these posts who do not necessarily know all the Church teaches. Making a bare statement as such can lead others astray.

Either we believe that the Church is guarded by the Holy Spirit or we don’t. If we do believe it, we may not like certain rules the Church makes, but it would behoove us to not get into an issue of profanation, which is at least borderline if not directly an indication that the Church permits a sacrilege.

And if we do not believe the Church is guarded by the Holy Spirit, we should all find something else to do with our time than spend it here.

 

[Bklynguy]

What should be done if the priest…

Call 911.

Then worry about sorting the rest of it out.

Amen.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Uh oh… we are out of luck. We have no other priest, no deacon, no altar servers and and no sacristan unless you mean the usher who sets out the altar, does the collection basket, etc. At least half of the time, the priest has to set up his own altar before Mass begins as there is absolutely no one there to do this.

When our priest is ill, we have a communion service. There are no nearby parishes to call to help out. So if our priest were to take ill in the middle of Mass, we’d just have to put the unconsecrated hosts back in the vestry, leave any consecrated hosts in the tabernacle, wait for the paramedics and then turn off the lights and lock up.

The Mass has to be finished (ie: both species consecrated and consumed by a priest). It doesn’t have to be right away, though. If a priest is not readily available to take over, the sacred species are to be reserved in the Tabernacle until another priest is able to come and finish the Mass. The congregation does not have to wait for the next priest, as this could take some time. Further, this is so important that even though it is strictly forbidden to say the EF Mass in the vernacular, if it came down to the only priest available was absolutely void of the ability to use Latin and could only speak the vernacular, he may finish the Mass using the Church-approved vernacular Roman Missal to finish that part of Mass. This is a big deal, and it has happened that priests have dropped dead during Mass.

Only under exceptional circumstances may the Mass not be finished. Incidents like these are laid out in a book published by the Church for priests, including other issues like spiders in the chalice.

 

[JerrySeibert]

1. See that the Priest is cared for. 911 EMTs etc.
2. Reverently and respectfully place everything back in its proper place.
   3 All those present I would assume have fulfilled the mass obligation as the reason for the interruption is faultless.
3. Pray for the Priest and ask anyone present who would wish to stay possibly pray a Rosary for the Priest.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

The Sacristan will know who to call and what to do about finishing the Mass.

I’m the sacristan and I’ve never received any instruction on this. Given that we have three priests over the age of 80 and a pastor who celebrates Mass daily even if he’s delirious with fever, I guess I’d better ask.

In the absence of any formal policy, this is what I would do if it were to happen tomorrow.

1. * Make sure Father is in no further immediate danger (such as if something is about to fall on him or if he was holding a lit candle at the time of his collapse).
   • Call emergency services.
   • See if there is a doctor present who can assist Father while waiting for emergency services to arrive. If not, remain with Father and keep him as comfortable as possible. Assure no one touches or moves him needlessly.
   • Find another priest who can handle the Mass as appropriate. This would either involve sending someone across the street (two of our priests live at the adjacent rectory) and/or making a phone call or two. When he arrives, assist him as necessary in my capacity as sacristan.
   • Once they are on site, assist emergency services if requested.
   When the situation is under control:
   • If neither the priest who collapsed nor the one who took over the Mass is the pastor, contact the pastor and inform him of what has happened. He would then be the one to contact the bishop.
   • If the priest who collapsed is the pastor and the parish secretary is around, ask her to contact the bishop.
   • If the priest who collapsed is the pastor and the parish secretary is not around, I would call the bishop myself.

 

[Lapey]

This Seperate Service I was referring to is called a Service for the Distribution of Holy Communion, which may be conducted by a trained layperson, if a Priest is not present. Yes, it is a profanation for Holy Communion to be touched by unconsecrated persons, but it is the Bishop’s Orders. Thankfully though, whenever our Priest is unexpectedly absent, and thus we are without a Celebration of Holy Mass, we chose to recite the Liturgy of the Hours in such cases.

Self-communication is allowed for the person conducting this Service. The only person that is really qualified to preside over such a service would be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

If you are making the statement that only the priest can touch the confected Eucharist, you are wrong. If you are saying only a priest can confect the Eucharist because his hands are consecrated, then you are correct.

As far as your second point about “conducting a service”, would not the Deacon qualify as he is an ordinary minister of Holy Communion?

 

[Lapey]

Say a priest is not feeling well but starts to say Mass. Then during then a little before the consecration he collapses. What usually happens? What is the proper procedure?

What should the congregation do?

To my knowledge, once the Eucharistic prayer has begun, the Mass is supposed to be completed. I know there are circumstances where this may be almost completely impossible, however it must continue as best possible. Maybe a call to the bishop in your area could shed some light on the contingency plan for these remote locations.

I had this happen to me; I was not serving at the Mass but was at Church that day working in the youth center on some project. I was scheduled for the Mass following the one in question. While working in the center, some parishioners came running in and said that Father has passed out.

I went to church with them, a short sprint away, to find Fr. laying on his back completely out directly behind the altar. There were EMS personnel in the congregation working on him when I came in. The ambulance got there a few minutes after this, so my job quickly became the protection of the Mass and Sacred Species.

I had to question the congregation about what part of the Mass was complete and where did he fall.

After figuring out it was after the Doxology and Great Amen I knew all bread and wine had been consecrated and the Liturgy of the Eucharistic was complete. At this point in the Mass I was able to lead the Communion Rite and final blessing and sending. Had it been that the Eucharistic Prayer was not complete, then all I could have done is call in a priest.

To my knowledge, from the very beginning of the L of E to the completion the priest and only a priest can perform any of this duty and it must be completed. Some one can correct me on that last point however because I live in a Catholic “rich” environment and there are many priests to choose form in the surrounding parishes; but in remote locations, this may not be so.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

After figuring out it was after the Doxology and Great Amen I knew all bread and wine had been consecrated and the Liturgy of the Eucharistic was complete. At this point in the Mass I was able to lead the Communion Rite and final blessing and sending. Had it been that the Eucharistic Prayer was not complete, then all I could have done is call in a priest.

Unfortunately this is not correct. The Liturgy of the Eucharist isn’t completed until the priest has consumed both species. It is at that point the Sacrifice of the Mass is completed.

 

[Lapey]

Unfortunately this is not correct. The Liturgy of the Eucharist isn’t completed until the priest has consumed both species. It is at that point the Sacrifice of the Mass is completed.

I have been told this here before, but this is not consistant with what I have been taught here by our liturgists. Also, I didn’t say the Mass was complete, but the Liturgy of the Eucharist is complete at this time.

The Mass is not complete until the final sending. The Communion Rite and Concluding Rites may be done with the assistance of the Deacon in the Mass, and from what we have been taught can be completed if the priest becomes incapacitated.

But I will send a note to the director of the office of worship for our diocese. I’ll let you know what he says. Thanks for bringing this up, we need to be sure.

 

[Lapey]

Unfortunately this is not correct. The Liturgy of the Eucharist isn’t completed until the priest has consumed both species. It is at that point the Sacrifice of the Mass is completed.

I just talked to the Priest who is the Director of Worship for our diocese and explained the whole situation to him. His response was if I did what was in line with the capacity of a deacon, after the Lit of E was complete, then I did what was required and proper.