Are priests required to say Mass every day?

[JReducation]

My brother is a diocesan (secular) priest, he is 80 years old and retired. He has a private oratory in his home and he celebrates Mass every day that he is well enough to climb the stairs to the tiny oratory.

Normally, his “congregation” consists of his housekeeper. When my husband and I visited him last year, his congregation increased by 200%!

Diocesan priests used to be required to celebrate Mass every day - before VII. Now, it is not required, but recommended. I would wish that all priests were like my brother - he would feel very badly deprived of grace if he could not say Mass.

Personally, I do not understand some priests who seem to take every chance they can to opt out. Because their lives are so busy with the care of their parishioners, etc., I don’t know how they would cope without celebrating Mass and receiving Jesus every day.

How do you know that some priests “opt out” of mass? There may be other situations involved. The ordained brothers in my community do not celebrate mass every day. But the reason is simple, they are brothers. As long as one brother in the house can celebrate the mass for the community, the rest can concelebrate or sit in the pews with the rest of the community. Only if he is the only priest in the house, does he have to celebrate mass daily, because the constitutions require that the brothers attend mass daily.

You may have priests who are religious and attend mass with their community. You may also have priests who have other reasons. I’m not saying that there is a perfect group of men out there. That would not be true. But in charity I would not make a blanket statement about priests opting out of mass.

By the way, can your brother’s oratory be moved so that he does not have to climb steps?

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Actually, he must be at mass Sundays and holy days of obligation. Though I have never met or lived with a priest who does not celebrate mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, even those in enclosed communities.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Happens with us when we have a Mass within our house as we do not concelebrate at house liturgies.

 

[wanabsaint]

In my parish we have only one priest and he says mass for the people five times on the week-end (Sat. night and Sunday) and daily except his day off. What he does on that day is not known but I would hope that he says mass as that is the most powerful prayer he can say.
I also know an order who requires all priests to say at least one mass a day, either public or private. I must admit that they seem to be a bit more spiritual than many of the diocesean priests that I know. As a layperson I attend daily not because I am holy but because I need all the graces that HE has for me so that someday I may be holy.

AD MAXIMAN TRINITATIS GLORIAM

 

[JReducation]

In my parish we have only one priest and he says mass for the people five times on the week-end (Sat. night and Sunday) and daily except his day off. What he does on that day is not known but I would hope that he says mass as that is the most powerful prayer he can say.
I also know an order who requires all priests to say at least one mass a day, either public or private. I must admit that they seem to be a bit more spiritual than many of the diocesean priests that I know. As a layperson I attend daily not because I am holy but because I need all the graces that HE has for me so that someday I may be holy.

AD MAXIMAN TRINITATIS GLORIAM

The reason why a member of a religious community is going to come across as a little more spiritual is grounded on several realities that are part of the consecrated life:

1. Religious spend at least six years in formation. During this time they are submitted to a great deal of training in the life of prayer, penance, silence, the writings of the mystics and many spiritual exercises. This formation is not available to diocesan seminarians studying to be priests. They go through a very academic theology program. The study of the spiritual life is an option in the seminary. It is not a required field of study.
2. Religious are probably more relaxed around people, as they live in a community. They may come across as more at peace in their own skin. It happens when you live in community. If you don’t learn to be at peace in your own skin, you will not make it. Community life is one of the greatest challenges for religious. Diocesan priests do not live in community. Even in the seminary, they are not a real community. It is more like a Catholic boarding school. Each has his own TV in his room, his own car and his own life. They don’t have to depend on each other as do religious or spend as much time together.
3. Religious also tend to be less attached. The discipline of poverty helps you develop a detachment from places and things. You’re here today and gone tomorrow. Today you may find yourself in a house of formation in an active metropolitan city, sitting in a large library enjoying the world of academics. Tomorrow you may find yourself on the other side of the globe sleeping in a hut, under a mosquito net and you have very little choice in the matter. You may be consulted, but consulted does not mean that you get what you want. Diocesan priests do not get transferred outside of their diocese. They are never sent on missions to foreign countries unless they want to go.

I believe these and other factors shape the individual’s personality. But don’t let this fool you. There are some very holy secular priests. My confessor is a secular priest and he’s a very holy man and a very good Passionist, even though he is not a Passionist. He loves St. Paul of the Cross and lives by his spirituality.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[wanabsaint]

Believe me when I say that I also know many very holy Diocesean priests. I believe that they may be the minority, however. Perhaps if they had a bit more formation and training in spirituality that would be a good thing–Christ was the epitome and HIS apostles and disciples learned not only from the Master but from the Holy Spirit. I pray for those who do not live in community for one in particular is terribly depressed and is incapable of being the Shepherd that I know he would like to be. As is said, those in community have a lot of advantages because of their “family”, therefore those who do not have a community we must strive to become one for them for we are all one family. May God bless them all and may HE send us more for they are our beacons.

 

[Phemie]

Six months of the year two priests reside at our rectory: our pastor and the priest who is both pastor of a nearby parish and the administrator of a far away parish. Monday is their day off.

When the second priest is in residence our pastor celebrates Mass Tues & Thur in our parish; the other priest is supposed to celebrate Mass Wed. & Fri. in the other parish but he doesn’t bother to celebrate at all if no one shows up – I know that because he’s told me.

If our pastor is away the other priest celebrates all Masses in both our parish and his but when our pastor is the only one in residence he doesn’t celebrate in the other parish except on Sunday. It has greatly upset those who would like to attend daily Mass that our pastor hasn’t been celebrating Wednesday and Friday so it’s going to change next month.

 

[FrCorey]

in seminary we were taught to always celebrate mass everyday.
either in public or private.

 

[Chatter163]

Several people here have asserted that priests were required to celebrate daily Mass under the former code of canon law. I do not believe that this is the case. Can someone provide a reference?

 

[FrDavid96]

Several people here have asserted that priests were required to celebrate daily Mass under the former code of canon law. I do not believe that this is the case. Can someone provide a reference?

There is no reference to provide. It was not a part of the 1917 codex, even though many are under the impression that it was.

As we’ve heard here, it might be (or have been) a matter of the rules of a particular religious order, but there was no canon law saying that a priest had to say Mass every day. Is it a good thing? Of course. But it wasn’t required by law.

 

[JReducation]

To the best of my knowledge, there was never a universal requirement that priests celebrate daily mass. There was a requirement for religious, but that mandate came from the constitutions, not the universal Church. In the old lay religious orders, such as Franciscans, where not every house has a priest, the rule does not refer to daily mass. It refers to the Easter obligation and communion at least twice a year.

It was not until the renewal of the constitutions in 1970 that the daily mass was made law within the order. Francis and many of the old founders did not put it in, because of the difficulty in fulfilling it.

The diocesan clergy are not bound by these rules. I’m not sure where people get this from. Sometimes, I feel as though the laity understands the priesthood and religious life much less than I thought. That saddens me.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF