I am no Canon lawyer, an expert in Church Law, but it seems to me that the answer to this question is in the grasp of most of us. It is an important question, because it is appropriate to our confused times. There are priests today who dramatically alter the words of the mass and even the words of the Eucharistic Prayer, the Canon of the Mass. Not only do they use "Inclusive" language or neutral words in reference to God and others but they also remove or replace words such as "sacrifice" or "sinners". I know a priest who makes up his own Eucharistic Prayer. There are also "Celebrations" which resemble circuses, hootenannies or night club acts. There are attempts to celebrate homosexual, feminist or "Earth" masses. Alterations in the words of the mass usually accompany these "celebrations", but, even when the words are not changed, they leave the definite impression that the sacrifice of the mass is not being offered.

I think it can be safely said that such flagrant disregard for the text and rubrics of the mass makes the mass illicit. In other words such a "celebration" does not faithfully and truly express the mind of Christ in His Church. If you know and attend such a mass you are participating in a illicit mass and not faithfully and truly bearing witness to the Catholic faith.

Are these illicit masses valid masses? In other words, is the sacrifice of Calvary renewed? Does transubstantiation take place? Is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ offered and received? It seems to me that the answers to these questions can be found in History. Were priests who became Protestants still confecting the Body and Blood of Christ even though they rejected much of the Catholic faith and particularly the sacrifice of the mass? Was their "Eucharist" the mass even when they changed or removed most of the Eucharistic prayer? We are faced with the same dilemma with many so-called Catholic priests today. We have validly ordained priests doing essentially "Protestant" Eucharists. The intention and form of the mass are so altered that it must be seriously doubted whether or not the Catholic Mass remains. Perhaps, there are some residual benefits derived from such "Celebrations" but they are no longer the immemorial mass of the Roman Catholic Church.