H/T to Native Catholic
The following are some liturgical abuses listed on the Tabulation of Most Common and Serious Liturgical Abuses
1. People saying parts of prayer which are reserved for the Priest. e.g. Through Him, With Him... Sometimes I can't help but hear people around me reciting the entire Consecration along with a Priest.
2. People at the Altar (I guess this refers to the EMHCs, lectors) receiving Holy Communion at the same time as the Priest.
3. Outside of health reasons, Priest not distributing Holy Communion, but leaving it instead to the EMHCs or deacon.
4. Images of saints lacking in church.
5. People standing during the Consecration and Eucharistic prayer due to the lack of kneelers. (BTW, one can always kneel on the floor).
6. People imitating gestures of priest when it is appropriate for his role alone. e.g. upraised hands or Orans posture during the Our Father.
7. The washing of women's feet on Holy Thursday.
The list is longer than what I have posted. Please go to the site and read all of them along with the appropriate reference cite.
Although it is not listed, it must be a liturgical abuse for a priest to interrupt the consecration to reprimand people in the pews. I have seen that happen at the children's Mass.
For a prayer to end liturgical abuse, please visit Mount Carmel Bloggers
#2 May also refer to adults and/or children being around the Altar during the "Our Father". The GIRM states that people should not be around the altar at this time. Yet, some priests have extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist and others have first communicants around the altar while the "Our Father" is being prayed. This is definitely inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting.
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for this link. I'm afraid I never even knew that some of these things were abusive (though I was in no doubt about most of them). Very illuminating.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I experienced #2 at St. Georges in Waimanalo during Daily Mass.
ReplyDeleteOutside of that, the Mass was excellent!
I did always think it was cute when my kids (and all of them did it) imitated Father's posture during the Lord's Prayer. Little Brother does it now. But I know that he will (as the others did) outgrow this and learn by observing everyone else that you should just fold your hands in prayer.
ReplyDeleteBut hey, when you're over 6, you're too old to do this.
Esther, I have noticed that it's more a "north Jersey thing" than a "south Jersey thing" to recite Father's parts, especially "Through Him, with Him and in Him..." In the churches I grew up in (Paterson diocese) it was ENCOURAGED. Have things changed any?
Anonymous: Although I have seen some priests invite children to the altar during the Our Father, I have not witness those invited to receive Holy Communion at the same time as the priest.
ReplyDeleteMimi, glad you thought so too.
NewHouse, I think it was a good reminder.
Tito, sorry you experienced that.
Barb, as far as the North Jersey Masses I have been too this trip, no they do not do that. They are very reverent for the most part. I know in one of the churches in HI the people were encouraged to but I think our Bishop put a stop to it.
When we lived in Germany, the priest at the English speaking church in Berlin (the one we attended) clearly wanted to be anywhere but with us. I think he was a professor at a German Catholic University and wanted to teach rather than minister to us. When my daughter took her first communion it was "decided" that the class would do first communion and then THREE MONTHS later have their first reconciliation. My husband and I, converts, actually went to him and said, "You know, the Cathecism says that it NEVER should be done that way." His response: "I know what the Cathecism says. We're doing it this way."
ReplyDeleteHe sometimes would call us all up around the altar and when our family tried to kneel, he glared at us and told us not to.
I was a Eucharist minister (not really necessary as it was a small parish) and he always passed out communion to us and THEN said the "This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to this supper." We all took communion at the same time. I didn't know it was an abuse then. Of course we had a EM who was into Eastern mysticism and her daughter was an altar server who didn't believe in God. There was another altar server, a boy, who was 16 and had only been to confession once - his first one.
We were glad to come home!
I read the whole list on the other website and many parishes in the Milwaukee archdiocese do just about everything on it...they barely resemble a mass anymore.
ReplyDeleteEven so, when I have traveled an been to mass where everything was done correctly there still is a banality, ugly church, lame music,uninspiring to say the least...it's sad.
Nancy, what a nightmare! The only consolation for you was that God was truly present even then.
ReplyDeleteDiana, I only attended one Latin Mass and as beautiful as the music was, I still prefer a NO Mass done reverently and with awe of the Blessed Sacrament.