Can I Attend Saturday Night Mass, Instead Of Sunday Obligation?

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lucien123

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Hi Everyone,

My question here is simple. Can I go to a saturday night mass (7pm) instead of going to a sunday mass?

I’m asking because I happen to be one of those really akward people who need to be alone, i’m highly introverted and crowds drive me mad, and church congregation (especially the massive gatherings on sundays) just send me up a wall. It’s like if I get drained from crowds and I just feel like screaming at everybody, Same happens if I attend parties or any other place with large gatherings. I’ve spoken to doctors about it, and they said it’s perfectly fine and I should just avoid large groups and take time for myself etc, etc.

So considering this, will it be alright if I attend a smaller mass on saturday night with just half a church full, instead of going to sunday mass where the church is a massive sardine can?

Please advise,
Thanks
Lucien
 
Yes, of course. Mass on Saturday night fulfills the Sunday obligation. 1 person at mass or 100,000 people makes no difference. Mass is Mass,
 
Or even better, find a Latin Mass in your area which is bound to be less crowded 👍
 
Well the Saturday Vigil counts as Sunday so I suppose you could.
 
Yes.

You may also find that a very early Sunday morning Mass is even less populated, with even fewer people who get into the Sign of Peace in a big way. I’m sure you know the type - you’d think they were running for office the way they work the crowd.
 
And here’s the canon from the Code of Canon Law that confirms it (emphasis added):

Can. 1248 §1. A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass.

There is absolutely no problem going to Mass on Saturday evening. That’s the whole reason why parishes have Mass on Saturday evening.
 
What exactly is meant by Saturday *night *mass?
Is it Mass after a certain hour (like after 12pm, 4pm, etc…)?

I know that my parish has Mass on Saturdays at 5pm, so I’m guessing that this is the Saturday night Mass that counts as a Sunday Mass…
 
A_G said:
What exactly is meant by Saturday *night *mass?
Is it Mass after a certain hour (like after 12pm, 4pm, etc…)?

I know that my parish has Mass on Saturdays at 5pm, so I’m guessing that this is the Saturday night Mass that counts as a Sunday Mass…
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Anytime after 4pm (or is it 4:30?) on Saturday fulfills your Sunday obligation.
 
A_G said:
What exactly is meant by Saturday *night *mass?
Is it Mass after a certain hour (like after 12pm, 4pm, etc…)?

I know that my parish has Mass on Saturdays at 5pm, so I’m guessing that this is the Saturday night Mass that counts as a Sunday Mass…
Click to expand...
Yes, it does.
 
lucien123 said:
Hi Everyone,

My question here is simple. Can I go to a saturday night mass (7pm) instead of going to a sunday mass?

I’m asking because I happen to be one of those really akward people who need to be alone, i’m highly introverted and crowds drive me mad, and church congregation (especially the massive gatherings on sundays) just send me up a wall. It’s like if I get drained from crowds and I just feel like screaming at everybody, Same happens if I attend parties or any other place with large gatherings. I’ve spoken to doctors about it, and they said it’s perfectly fine and I should just avoid large groups and take time for myself etc, etc.

So considering this, will it be alright if I attend a smaller mass on saturday night with just half a church full, instead of going to sunday mass where the church is a massive sardine can?

Please advise,
Thanks
Lucien
Click to expand...
Liturgically speaking, the day of Sunday begins on Saturday evening.

The Church makes no distinction between the Sunday Mass on Saturday evening and the Sunday Mass on Sunday. Therefore it makes no difference at all which Mass you happen to choose.
 
A_G said:
What exactly is meant by Saturday *night *mass?
Is it Mass after a certain hour (like after 12pm, 4pm, etc…)?

I know that my parish has Mass on Saturdays at 5pm, so I’m guessing that this is the Saturday night Mass that counts as a Sunday Mass…
Click to expand...
garn9173 said:
Anytime after 4pm (or is it 4:30?) on Saturday fulfills your Sunday obligation.
Click to expand...
The Church uses the Latin word “vespere” which can be translated into English as “vespers” or “evening” or “the time of first vespers.” There’s no exact English equivalent of “vespere.” But there’s ample precedence going back to the 1950’s that the meaning is “4 o’clock PM” because that’s the time of Vespers.

Yes, either the 5 PM or the 4 PM Mass meets the definition of “vespere” so it is a Sunday Mass.
 
I receive more graces Saturday than I do Sunday. This is not saying that My Savior gives more graces on one day than the other. I go to Church in a third world country. On Sunday, it´s packed and many aren´t reverent. Be silent and know that I am God is a favorite Bible verse of mine. I love being alone with the Lord. When Mass is like going to the local marketplace, then that´s a big obstacle for me to receive the graces in which I go for in the first place. God bless:thumbsup:👍👍
 
This topic comes up so often it really should be a sticky somewhere.
 
Yes, I do the same but because of my job obligations that prevent me from going on Sunday mornings, so I attend on Saturday evenings.
 
TheDoctor said:
Yes, of course. Mass on Saturday night fulfills the Sunday obligation. 1 person at mass or 100,000 people makes no difference. Mass is Mass,
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Thanks for writing 1 person at holy Mass.

That is awesome! In my last diocese holy Mass would be cancelled for ridiculous reasons like inclement weather. Being a member of a Cathedral parish with more than half-a-dozen priests and a slew of impoverished Franciscan sisters, I could never figure it out when I would read, “Mass is cancelled because it cannot happen as too few people are expected to attend.”

Mass is Mass and the half-a-dozen priests, and three bishops could still have walked 40’ to the altar and celebrated the Sacrament anyway.

All there needs to be is one… the priest.

Thanks for making me think of that. I guess I’m still a little annoyed after all this time.
 
Yes you can go to Saturday Mass instead of Sunday, if you wish, because now Saturday counts, if you can,t make it on Sunday, dew to reasons. But before when I was young, their was no Saturday Mass,only Sunday Mass and the rest of Sunday you spend with the Family. I to like it when its not crowded,so you can have space between you, but some mass I went to ,the church was pack, so ,now I go to mass when thier less people, the only time it,s really full is Christmas and Easter and Mother day, sometimes I,ll go early , like an hr before so that I can pray in peace, because once people come in ,thier talking to others, and they shouldn,t because they are in the present of Jesus. they should talk to them in the back of the church before coming into the Main part of the church.
 
johnthebaptist1 said:
Yes you can go to Saturday Mass instead of Sunday, if you wish, because now Saturday counts, if you can,t make it on Sunday, dew to reasons. But before when I was young, their was no Saturday Mass,only Sunday Mass and the rest of Sunday you spend with the Family. I to like it when its not crowded,so you can have space between you, but some mass I went to ,the church was pack, so ,now I go to mass when thier less people, the only time it,s really full is Christmas and Easter and Mother day, sometimes I,ll go early , like an hr before so that I can pray in peace, because once people come in ,thier talking to others, and they shouldn,t because they are in the present of Jesus. they should talk to them in the back of the church before coming into the Main part of the church.
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Actually, you don’t need any reason to go on Saturday evening and still have it “count” for you Sunday obligation.

If you go to Mass on Saturday evening, and live across the street from the Church and sit around with your family relaxing all Sunday, you’ve still fulfilled your Sunday obligation.
 
curlycool89 said:
Actually, you don’t need any reason to go on Saturday evening and still have it “count” for you Sunday obligation.

If you go to Mass on Saturday evening, and live across the street from the Church and sit around with your family relaxing all Sunday, you’ve still fulfilled your Sunday obligation.
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Exactly! It still surprises me that people don’t understand this. 🤷
 
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