Can the priest change the readings?

[Brandonbart]

Hi Everyone.

Wasnt sure where to ask this question:

I recently joined a new parish which includes a Catholic School and so far have absolutely loved it. Its a much smaller parish than the one i came from, and the sense of family is already very evident. Today at Mass something ive never seen happened and im a bit confused.

Obviously today is a feast day, and i was very excited to attend Mass because Wednesdays is the day all the school kids participate, and because it was for Our Lady of Guadalupe =). I was excited and was reading the missal before Mass, and was kind of shocked when the readings and Gospel were repeated from last Sunday, and not the ones set out specifically for this special day.

I called my Mother, who attends another parish, and two others and they assured me the correct readings were used in those parishes. Now i realize i should have just asked the Priest today, but he left very quickly and didnt get the chance.

Just wondering if anyone else experienced a similar experience? Was the Mass valid? I guess id like just a little more info before i ask Father on Sunday.

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

1. The Mass is always valid unless the priest used invalid matter for bread/wine or changed the words of consecration so drastically that their meaning is distorted.
2. The GIRM notes in regards to weekday Masses: “In Masses for special groups, the Priest shall be allowed to choose texts more particularly suited to the particular celebration, provided they are taken from the texts of an approved Lectionary.” (#358).

I think that a school Mass would qualify as a “special group” and thus the priest in accord with GIRM #358 is given discretion as to which readings he will use. I cannot attest to the appropriateness of the readings the priest chose in this particular set of circumstances rather than using the readings of the day. However, given that this Mass was not a Sunday or Solemnity, he was within his “rights” to do so…