In the large monastery a senior Archbishop was serving. We Russsian nuns wear a circular-type veil covering the whole head and shoulders to the waist. My obedience was to stand on the solea and hold his staff and hand it to him, kissing his hand, when he required it. He turned, grabbed the staff firmly, along with my veil!!! and wouldn't let go for several seconds until he turned again and noticed my veil firmly in his clutches. Needless to say, I failed to kiss his hand nor let go my grip of his staff whilst my veil was in his grasp, as I would have been without klobuk (monastic hat like kamalavka) and veil.
A yet more senior Archbishop was serving one day and my obedience that day was holding his voluminous mantle. I had dropped it so he could turn 360 deg for his blessing, and promptly stepped on it - a big no-no!
On one altar feast celebration, hundreds had packed our church and my obedience was tending to the candles. I managed to set my veil and riassa (outer monastic robe) on fire (not severely, thank God-I salvaged both!).
The worst I think was when I was taking Holy Communion. The Abbess was holding the red veil under my chin, but took it away before my Spiritual Father who was serving had completely removed the spoon and somehow the Precious Blood spilled on my veil. I was mortified! My Spiritual Father instructed me to burn the veil (my best one, too!).
A small child had communed in our church, and shortly afterwards was ill on the carpet. The piece of carpet had to be excised and burnt.
Once during a Vigil service my obedience was to hold the oil whilst my aforesaid Spiritual Father anointed the people. As the monastery driver, I always had a mobile phone with me and switched on, in case the Abbess needed me if she wasn't in church. Father's cellphone rang and he whispered to me "Mine or yours?" I whispered back "yours Father!" He promptly turned it off.
There must be a hundred other occurrences that I can't remember!
Adelphi