I have wondered about this for a while. It is my understanding that it is a mortal sin for a priest who is not in the state of grace to say Mass. Has it ever happened to anyone here that the priest on the way to Mass committed a mortal sin and because of that, had to cancel Mass because he couldn't go to confession? It has never happened at my chapel. I think it might happen because on the way to my chapel there are many immodest advertisements and many immodestly dressed women (especially in the summer time) who are all tempting the priests to sin.

What priest would ever divulge that reason to the faithful? It wouldn't be their business to know.

All the faithful need to know is that they are not responsible for the state of the soul of the priest who offers the Mass. God does not withhold Grace from the faithful because of the sins of the priest.

I have been in situations where a scheduled mass was cancelled. It made me want to cry.

edit.

Quote from: Matto

I have wondered about this for a while. It is my understanding that it is a mortal sin for a priest who is not in the state of grace to say Mass. Has it ever happened to anyone here that the priest on the way to Mass committed a mortal sin and because of that, had to cancel Mass because he couldn't go to confession? It has never happened at my chapel. I think it might happen because on the way to my chapel there are many immodest advertisements and many immodestly dressed women (especially in the summer time) who are all tempting the priests to sin.

When I was still going to the Novus Ordo, my family went to a weekday Mass about two to four times a month.  Because we live in a rural area, the parish where our priest was during the week was some distance away so it was quite a drive.

On one occasion, and this only happened once, the priest said the Novus Ordo as usual, but when it came to communion, he pretended to receive.  He clearly put the portion of host he had in his hand near his mouth and then covered it with his other hand and placed it back onto the paten.  I happen to be looking directly at him at the time and I was immediately taken aback.  Then I watched as he clearly did not actually drink from the chalice.

I wondered greatly at this, but I never discussed this with him.  I do not know why he did not receive communion and I wondered what significance this had for what I thought at the time was the Mass.  

I think that would invalidate a valid Mass.  I'm pretty sure that the priest has to partake.

But I don't know about the wisdom of the topic of this whole thread.  On one hand we are supposed to look up to our priests.  We expect--I would argue rightfully expect--higher standards from them.  But they are human beings and are going to sin.  I'm concerned that this thread will disrupt the proper balance of how we are to look at our priests.  Now instead of feeling grateful for Father being able to serve several chapels scattered over a couple hundred miles and understanding that he's overworked when he occasionally has to cancel a Mass--now we'll wonder "hmmm... What has Father been doing."

I think this thread his scandalous inasmuch as it plants the idea that anytime a priest has to cancel Mass we should wonder whether he has committed mortal sin.  Don't we have enough problems without looking cross-eyed at our priests?

For a priest not to receive Holy Communion would be a grave defect, but it wouldn't invalidate the Mass.

We were always taught that to fulfill our Sunday obligation we had to be present for the Offertory, the Consecration and the priest's Communion. So it seems reasonable to suppose that, if there is no priest's Communion then we have not fulfilled our Sunday obligation, but through no fault of our own.

Therefore it would seem reasonable to believe that it would invalidate the Mass.

I agree with OHCA that this thread is scandalous in that it gets people wondering if a cancellation of a Holy Mass is due to the sins of the priest. The sins of the priest should not be on our minds. It is possible to sin in other ways than dirty pictures.

We were always taught that to fulfill our Sunday obligation we had to be present for the Offertory, the Consecration and the priest's Communion. .

You also have to be there for the Gospel.