What makes a Mass invalid?

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Consecrating wine and bread separately is a requiste condition.

What are other conditions and where do we find them out?
 
If you can find it within yourself to trudge through it (and if you can you are a stronger person than I because its pretty dry reading) the Code of Canon Law will tell you in excruciatingly painful detail what is required for a valid Mass. The Code of Canon Law can be found (in its entirety…yippeeee) on the Vatican’s official website.
 
Thanks for the good news, joshua.

I’ll give it a whirl. Wish me luck.
 
As with all Sacraments, you need the proper
  • Matter
  • Form
  • Minister
  • Intention
Some Sacraments require someone who is capable of receiving a Sacrament - i.e., a human being for baptism, or a male/female unmarried for Matrimony, or a male for Holy Orders.
 
Do you know where to easily get details about these items?

ex. Matter–what kind of bread? no yeast, is that for Latin Rite only, or does that apply to Eastern Orthodox too?

ex. Form–If the priest deletes portions or rewrites the consecration prayer–is the eucharist still valid?

ex. Minister–If the bishop does not grant permission to a priest to say Mass in his diocese the Mass is illicit, but not invalid. When does the minister become incapable of offering a valid Mass?

ex. Intention–I don’t even understand this one.

You get the idea.

Any sources beside the Canon Law reference that was suggested earlier?
 
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scriabin:
Consecrating wine and bread separately is a requiste condition.

What are other conditions and where do we find them out?
Click to expand...
There are few things that could invalidate a Mass. If someone is not Ordained validly to the priesthood. If the priest does not consume both forms of the Blessed Sacrament. If the proper words are not spoken or the intent is defective. If absolute improper Matter is used.

Many things people commonly think invalidate the Mass do not in fact invalidate the Mass.

You are speaking of embarking on a detailed investigation of the rubrics of the Roman Rite.
 
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scriabin:
Do you know where to easily get details about these items?

ex. Matter–what kind of bread? no yeast, is that for Latin Rite only, or does that apply to Eastern Orthodox too?

ex. Form–If the priest deletes portions or rewrites the consecration prayer–is the eucharist still valid?

ex. Minister–If the bishop does not grant permission to a priest to say Mass in his diocese the Mass is illicit, but not invalid. When does the minister become incapable of offering a valid Mass?

ex. Intention–I don’t even understand this one.

You get the idea.

Any sources beside the Canon Law reference that was suggested earlier?
Click to expand...
Since the answers to your questions (and others) can easily be nuanced, and since there are so many possibilities remaining, it’s hard to p(name removed by moderator)oint a concise resourse for all of your questions. That is the main reason the Church employs theologians.

Many times when asked, a theologian will say that the Sacrament was “doubtful”, because a more precise answer cannot be given.

For example, when adding water to wine prior to the Consecration, how much water will invalidate the Species? Some theologians hold that more than 50% will make it invalid, while others say that the Consecration is “doubtful.” Both theologians will make arguments to support their case, but since the exact amount of water is never specified in the rubrics, it’s left to the best educated guess of these people (and common sense).

I’ve found the following books on theology to be helpful in answering dozens of questions such as the ones you’ve posed:
  1. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Dr. Ludwig Ott.
  2. Moral and Pastoral Theology, by Henry Davis, S.J.
  3. Handbook of Moral Theology, by Dominic M. Pruemmer, O.P.
  4. An Introduction to Moral Theology, by Karl Hoermann
  5. Dictionary of Dogmatic Theology, by Pietro Parente
  6. Dogmatic Theology for the Laity, by Rev. Matthias Premm
  7. Dictionairy of Moral Theology, by Francesco Card. Roberti
These are just a few works that I have purchased over the years and still find extremely beneficial. As you can see from the links, most are still available either as reprints, or as used books.
 
I found a link to Alibris Booksfor a used copy of the Dictionary of Moral Theology, by Card. Roberti. It is selling for $39.95, and is in very good quality.
 
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