Can the creed be omitted?

[Georgia]

This was a new one on me, so I thought I should learn the rules.

I was out of town this weekend, so I went to Mass in a small church. When it came time for the homily, the priest said he was showing a video and played one on Catholic voting issues. There were a couple of remarks on either end of the video, but that video was, in my opinion, a substitute for the homily.

After that, the priest said “In the interest of time, we will omit the creed.”

Is that allowed?

 

[Tantum_ergo]

The only time the creed may be omitted in a Sunday Mass is if there is a baptism and the congregation gives the baptismal promises.

However, unfortunately, I have also witnessed individual priests who are absolutely certain that they can ‘omit’ the creed ‘in the interest of time’. To be fair, some of these priests have more than one parish where they have to say Mass, and yes, time is a constraint. . .but come on, a video is more important than the creed? One couldn’t omit the (optional) sign of peace instead? The time used is just about the same.

Just because something is ‘not allowed’ unfortunately doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. It doesn’t invalidate the Mass (though it is illicit), but it shouldn’t have happened. Pray for the priest and all those involved. It probably seems like a ‘small thing’ for many with all the ‘big issues’ around . . .but it isn’t right. And the more people get used to suffering through wrong things. . .because they’re ‘little things’. . .the more likely those little things are to continue and to grow into ‘bigger’ things. Maybe God is trying to get our attention to notice, and to PRAY, and may the Holy Spirit guide and help all of us, priest and laity alike.

 

[Aramis]

In the Daily Mass, yes.

In the Sunday mass: If the baptismal promises are being given instead. Usually, this is for a baptism.

 

[Sam_Maloney]

I’ve known of a couple different priests to ommit it, and it usually leaves me fuming. The usual excuse is that if you say something too often, it looses meaning…

When our bishop [since replaced by a more liberal one] cracked down and insisted that the creed be said according to the rules, my pastor at the time started changing the words: leaving out ‘men’ from ‘for us men and our salvation’, and inserting ‘a’ between ‘became’ and ‘man’.

Tough times, but it makes the current priestlessness of my parish a little easier to bear when I remember that it wasn’t all beer and skittles when we had a priest…

 

[Georgia]

This was something I never encountered before nor had I ever heard of that, so I left wondering if my understanding could have been way off. This was a Sunday Mass, effectively there was no homily, the creed was omitted without a baptism and I got into the car wondering if I had really satisfied my Sunday obligation.

Thanks for some great posts on this!