What mishaps have you seen in church?

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What liturgical mishaps have you seen in church that you’ll never forget?

For example: A few years ago, our 87 year old sacristan dropped a lit coal and set the carpet in the sacristy on fire during a funeral. We put it out with holy water.

Just wondering if this sort of thing happens everywhere. We’ve seen it all at my parish.
 
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I remember a poor teacher dropping the Ash Wednesday ashes all over the floor.
 
It was the bishop’s annual visit. The regular priest was helping with the post-communion things they do. He tripped and dumped the whole bowl of consecrated hosts on the bishop.
 
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It was daily mass. Our young priest was the main celebrant but our pastor was also on the altar. The young priest is a wonderful priest, but he was having such a bad morning. He kept losing his place, losing the page, started the wrong prayer at consecration, etc. Pastor had to keep helping and correcting, and the poor priest was becoming flustered.

Finally, it was over. He declared the Mass ended, the two came around the altar, and led us in the Hail Holy Queen. Followed by:

“Our Lady of Mount Carmel,”
“Pray for us.”

Then silence. The young priest had his back to us, but seemed completely frozen.

“Go in peace,” the pastor whispered to him.
But the young priest didn’t move a muscle.

“Go in peace,” the pastor tried again, this time a little louder.
Still nothing.

“Just say go in peace,” the pastor insisted.
The young priest turned his head and exclaimed loudly, almost aggressively over his shoulder “Go in peace!”

That did it; the chapel busted up laughing. I felt bad when he turned to see us all laughing, even if he did start laughing himself. Happily, it never happened again.
 
I’ve seen many a priest come out of seminary not knowing how to use the Sacramentary. One newly ordained priest once ask me “What’s R.C.I.A stand for?” No joke.
 
We had a Mass being said.
I cannot remember the exact occasion, but the school was involved and many of the students were at the Mass.
Father always enjoyed having the students act as servers for the Mass.
But Father did not always remember how many of the students he had commanded to get the robes on.
By the time Mass began, this church with a 120 person capacity had 9 boys acting as servers.
Standard was never more than 2.
Crowded was 3.
But 9…

I remember thinking it was like some surreal game of pinball.
 
It must have looked like DaVinci’s Last Supper up there. 🤣
 
Several months ago a Eucharistic Minister tripped down the steps with the Precious Blood before distribution, fell on the floor and spilled it all on the carpet.
 
I’ve seen tha before. In my experience, the minister is always devastated and needs to be consoled after mass.
 
Within the first couple of months of adding an early Sunday morning Mass, one morning Father lost his train of thought mid-Creed; he turned to me (his server), but I was struggling to stay awake. The congregation paused unsure of how to proceed. Red-faced, he simply said, “I think God will understand if we just skip this part today…”

We had a concelebrating priest pass out during an Easter Vigil from the incense… that same Mass set off the fire alarms and I got to alert the firemen that it was just “holy smoke”!

Another Easter Vigil I served at the IU campus when the University basketball team won a major tournament that same night. Father announced we would take “half time” during the offertory while we waited for the cannons and horn-honking, shouting, etc to die down.
 
Religious Classes for Infidels and Agnostics.

(that was my best guess when I was in RCIA)
 
They should make Chalices which have a water tight top half to screw on, and after consecration put that top on then remove it when they get to the spot where they will administer the Chalice.
 
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