Joe's story about the time the priest didn't turn up struck a chord for me. (Off thread but why not?)

I'm a Baptist but I was temporarily working in a Catholic Primary School (4+ to 11). It was my turn for a class mass. I had trained the kids to do the prayers and to sing the hymns to my guitar accompaniment.

The parents had all arrived but no priest. The headteacher phoned around and none of the local priests or deacons seemed to be available. So I started the mass anyway.

Obviously, as a "protestant" I could not celebrate the communion but I did do a short homily assuring the parents that, although we could not partake in the bread and wine, yet Jesus' real presence was still there as he had promised that where two or three gather in his name he is there in the midst.

Despite the fact that some of those parents were died in the wool traditionalists, I received many words of thanks from parents and Headteacher. To the best of my knowledge there were no complaints - unless they went to the head and he did not pass them on.

Just to let Joe know that some people get away with it and to say how much I appreciate his work.

Frank L.