What was the most egregious liturgical abuse you ever witnessed?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Duesenberg
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Agreed. My function at Mass is not to be “referee” but to participate and worship Jesus. Unless some action was far out in left field, I will likely not notice.
 
(name removed by moderator) – Yup, that’s right. (Unless it’s a kids’ Mass. And even then, it’s not super.)

But it is probably better to address the problem in a gentler way than just announcing the rules. Most congregations, however small, can find a couple of people to sing a capella or play instrumental music, or both. Maybe Father would be happy to have somebody volunteer.

It’s a lot easier to introduce rules after the better alternative is working…

Priests are supposed to learn about music at the seminary, of course, but a lot of this stuff is not taught anymore. A few years ago, the Knights of Columbus put together a nice package of stuff for Catholic military chaplains, and it included recorded songs they thought would be nice to use during Mass. They didn’t know, either. Didn’t even occur to the bishop they were working with. (Either that, or everybody in the military goes to children’s Masses…) I suspect this “chaplain package” gave a lot of priests the idea that recorded music was okay and even desirable during Mass.
 
Last edited:
Mintaka said:
However, a lot of people don’t know that the Church strictly forbids the use of recorded music during Mass (MIDI is okay; but what is played or sung during Mass has to be a live performance, because music is an offering and prayer to God, not wallpaper).
Click to expand...
The instructions (De Musica Sacra et Liturgia or Musicam Sacram) that forbids this are rather old and arcane. I’m not sure that using recorded music at Mass (depending on the music of course) is an abuse of any kind at all.
 
Last edited:
Mintaka said:
The Catholic Church has gradually adopted the use of instrumental accompaniment
Click to expand...
SOME sui juris churches that comprise the Catholic Church allow instrumental accompaniment. Others, like the Rutenian Catholic Church do not.
 
When De Musica Sacra et Liturgia (1958) and Musicam Sacram (1967) were issued, it would have been horrendous for a parish to try and use recordings to accompany a Mass given the technology available at that time… That’s not true today. It can easily be done in a most beautiful and flawless manner – without spending much either. That’s why I would fully support a parish doing this if they did not have the means for live accompaniment.
 
The worst I have seen is a small group Mass in a Jesuit church where the group (lay people) just all gathered around the altar at Communion time and the Body of Christ was just passed around on a plate from person to person.
On the other hand is a more traditional church (not Latin Mass) the priest refuses to give anyone communion in the hand and so an unsuspecting visitor has had the Body of Christ shoved in his/her mouth before it was even totally open or been yelled at while at the altar rail to “open your mouth”.
 
Sunbreak said:
The worst I have seen is a small group Mass in a Jesuit church where the group (lay people) just all gathered around the altar at Communion time and the Body of Christ was just passed around on a plate from person to person.
Click to expand...
Which would be more in line with the Early Church as outlined in the Book of Acts. Although I would be curious as when the “Altar” was introduced into the picture and when were vestments introduced. I’ve never really pondered this until just now.
 
Last edited:
JoshuaIsLord said:
Although I would be curious as when the “Altar” was introduced into the picture and when were vestments introduced. I’ve never really pondered this until just now.
Click to expand...
The proto-altar was the table in the Upper Room.

Today’s “vestments” are largely facsimiles of everyday clothing that was commonly worn in the Middle East during the First Century AD.
 
That was my original statement, I have seen First Communion distributed by EMHCs, Deacons, etc.
 
The one parish where the talking in the main seating area before Mass was so loud, I thought I was at a party not church. I have not returned there since.

Another parish where a few female EMHCs were dressed in spaghetti strap tops, shorts, and sandals. This was in a touristy type town in my state.
 
The priest in the neighboring town does not wash his hands at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer…you know the part…“Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin”. He said he doesn’t need to do it because that was an old costume from when “chickens” were given at the offertory time. So, my question, is this optional? He is the only one I have ever known to not preform this part.
 
Blessedwithfive said:
The priest in the neighboring town does not wash his hands at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer…you know the part…“Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin”. He said he doesn’t need to do it because that was an old costume from when “chickens” were given at the offertory time. So, my question, is this optional? He is the only one I have ever known to not preform this part.
Click to expand...
Definitely not optional. It’s something that some priests like to “experiment” with for some reason. Such abuses used to be far more common in my own experience.
 
I am sure it’s a comfort to all our priests and bishops that we have so many Mass referees out there. Now if they’d just wear striped shirts and throw yellow flags when infractions occur, we’d clean this mess up in no time. Although the whistles might be a distraction.
 
Last edited:
Sunbreak said:
The worst I have seen is a small group Mass in a Jesuit church where the group (lay people) just all gathered around the altar at Communion time and the Body of Christ was just passed around on a plate from person to person.
Click to expand...
I used to hear about that A LOT more. I only saw it once.
Sunbreak said:
On the other hand is a more traditional church (not Latin Mass) the priest refuses to give anyone communion in the hand and so an unsuspecting visitor has had the Body of Christ shoved in his/her mouth before it was even totally open or been yelled at while at the altar rail to “open your mouth”.
Click to expand...
He’s wrong…
 
The fracture of the Host at Consecration when the priest says, “He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples…”
 
Scheduled communal Reconciliation with communal absolution…No sins confessed.
Refusal of a screen for Confession.
First Communion before first Reconciliation.
Protestant “homilist” telling us to question authority and think for ourselves.
Scantily clad teenage “Liturgical dancers” during Mass.
Short sung “responses” to nearly every phrase of the Cannon during Mass.
Lay presiders for daily Mass in a parish with 3 priests.
Flaky communion hosts that left particles everywhere.
Skipping penitential rite on a regular basis (no sprinkling or Baptism).
RCIA candidates make up their own list of “things” to be delivered from, some of which were virtues, no mention of the evil one.
Deacon refusing to give Communion unless in the hand (I stood with mouth open).
Invalid matter used for hosts.
Substituting many words in the Mass…Never saying Lord, Father. etc.

All done under the 12 year tenure of one Pastor who some in our parish still rave about.
These were just the Liturgical abuses. Much more was messed up in the parish as a whole.
 
Last edited:
I_trust said:
Scheduled communal Reconciliation with communal absolution…No sins confessed.

Refusal of a screen for Confession.

First Communion before first Reconciliation.

Protestant “homilist” telling us to question authority and think for ourselves.

Scantily clad teenage “Liturgical dancers” during Mass.

Short sung “responses” to nearly every phrase of the Cannon during Mass.

Lay presiders for daily Mass in a parish with 3 priests.

Flaky communion hosts that left particles everywhere.

Skipping penitential rite on a regular basis (no sprinkling or Baptism).

RCIA candidates make up their own list of “things” to be delivered from, some of which were virtues, no mention of the evil one.

Deacon refusing to give Communion unless in the hand (I stood with mouth open).

Invalid matter used for hosts.

Substituting many words in the Mass…Never saying Lord, Father. etc.

All done under the 12 year tenure of one Pastor who some in our parish still rave about.

These were just the Liturgical abuses. Much more was messed up in the parish as a whole.
Click to expand...
That’s quite a list – I am very sorry. Did laypersons really try to simulate celebrating the Mass or are you talking about a communion service – Liturgy of the Word with Holy Communion?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top