Priest Not Vested Properly at Mass?

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Recently I went to a Sunday Mass in which the priest wore only an alb and a stole. He was not concelebrating. He said he was not going to put on the chasuble because it was a hot day. Also, this priest never kneeled after the elevation in the Eucharistic Prayer, whether in a church with or without A/C. I doubt that he had knee problems because he was able to walk very fast. Do you think this priest is being too liberal about the ceremonials?
 
Walking very fast in no way excludes knee or back problems , that deny a person the act of kneeling. Assumptions are dangerous activities.
 
The heat can be dangerous.

Remember when Christ gathered some wheat on the Sabbath? Well, I am pretty sure Christ would not want your priest to collapse from heatstroke during Mass.

An idea, raise funds to buy an air conditioner and some lightweight cotton vestments for your parish to use in the Summer.

And never judge anyone else’s disability. We can never know what pain another bears inside themselves 😦
 
We’ve had heat warnings many days this summer and have a large, non-airconditioned church.

I neither expect nor want my priest to endanger his well-being and was pleased to see he had shifted to saying Mass in an alb and stole rather than adding the chasuble as it is clearly safer for him to do so.
 
Perhaps, but not in our parish. Their theoretical existence does nothing for the priest who is vesting in 40C+ degree temperatures.

Adhering to the rubrics when it puts one’s health and wellbeing in danger is legalism at its finest.
 
timmy123 said:
Recently I went to a Sunday Mass in which the priest wore only an alb and a stole. He was not concelebrating. He said he was not going to put on the chasuble because it was a hot day. Also, this priest never kneeled after the elevation in the Eucharistic Prayer, whether in a church with or without A/C. I doubt that he had knee problems because he was able to walk very fast. Do you think this priest is being too liberal about the ceremonials?
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Please ask him. Speculating about in on the internet (where none of us know this pastor) is not going to be helpful.
 
First, a stole over an alb is not the same as a stole over a monastic cowl, religious habit, or ordinary clothes.

Second, I cannot believe you are more concerned with whether or not the priest is dressed as you expect him to than whether or not is well-being is at danger. That is absolutely absurd.
 
On a previous thread discussing this, Fr. David mentioned “broken air conditioning” (in other words excessive heat) as a “common sense reason” for not wearing the chasuble.
It may be that the bishop has issued some kind of dispensation applying in cases of excessively hot days.
I would suggest speaking to your priest about it.
 
Um, no. An alb is a valid liturgical vestment. What he isn’t doing is wearing the chasuble over the alb and stole, which your citation does not speak of.

And you can parse words however you like. Putting attire ahead of health and safety is ridiculous.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
It may be that the bishop has issued some kind of dispensation applying in cases of excessively hot days.
Click to expand...
I was going to post that but I forgot the word, dispensation.

Yes, in charity we must assume that this exception has been allowed by the bishop.
 
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Why are you so intent on proving this to be an abuse? You don’t know the pastor, you weren’t there, you don’t know if the bishop has addressed this with him in the past, you don’t know if a dispensation was given. I think it’s very unfair. The only - ONLY - proper way for this to be addressed is for the OP to speak directly with the pastor.
 
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I always enjoy when people assume they need to educate priests. After all, it isn’t like they received extensive and rigorous training before being ordained.
 
I’m reading a book on the Day to Day Life of the Desert Fathers. They had it rough. Tell your priest to tighten it up.
 
We have a visiting Priest. He’s retired and wears a neck brace. He tried to wear the Chasuble. It was too hot. We do have air conditioning, The following mass he did not wear it but explained it to us and said it was licit. That’s good enough for me. I am very thankful for his presence so that our Pastor could visit his family and our sister parish. I’m also thankful for his service, willingness, and competency to share God’s word. So few are joining vocations. Every Priest is a precious gift and I choose to focus on the beauty of the mass and the special way each of them share the gospel. They have a hard job and give up much for us. I will be charitable and leave the matter of vestments between him and God.
 
Not wearing a chasuble and not kneeling at the appointed moments are both against the rules. We don’t know whether the priest has been granted a formal exemption in either case. If I were among the faithful at a Mass where he was the celebrant, I don’t think either of those omissions would upset me sufficiently for me to open an inquiry into it, questioning first the priest himself and then, depending on his response, taking the case to a higher court. I think I would give him the benefit of the doubt and leave it at that.

I notice, incidentally, that most posters on this thread are more concerned about the chasuble than about the kneeling. For me, it would be the other way around. But even so, as I said, I wouldn’t be prompted to pick a quarrel with him about it.
 
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