Can priests attend Mass without utilizing their Office

[Tis_Bearself]

So we had rows and rows of them, but almost all of them rose in place to join, as far as they could, the Anaphora, and all received as clergy, I believe, filing in and out .

It may be that RC priests have some prayers they can join from the pew. However, “concelebrating” to us usually means the priest is up around the altar joining in the consecration activities there, not in a pew praying along. As for priests receiving Communion, if they’re in the pews they usually just receive at the normal point for their section.

And as for the number of Masses, the article I posted above explains the limits, which often can be greater than 1, but because those Masses usually are scheduled to meet the Mass needs of a parish, the priest doesn’t have a lot of leeway to use them up concelebrating a Mass elsewhere.

 

[OraLabora]

A: Concelebrating in its present form is a fairly new development

In the Western Church.

 

[TheMortenBay]

Someone else beat you to schooling me.

 

[PJH_74]

All I can say is at those large masses said with 100s priests and bishops in attendance at the Vatican would get quite weird if all of them had to celebrate!