Catholic funeral - fulfill Sunday obligation?

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Youngcatholic

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If I attended a Catholic eucharistic funeral mass on a Saturday from 11:30-12:30pm, does this fulfill my Sunday obligation to attend mass? Thanks.

~Youngcatholic
 
Just to give you a nice, round three, I’ll spell it differently:

Nope!

Betsy
 
No.
Now let me tell you why a Mass on Saturday at 11:30 does not fulfill the obligation while most (but not all) Masses said from 4 p.m. (depending on the diocese) on, on Saturday, do.

Saturday is not Sunday, but (and this goes back to both Christianity’s Jewish roots and the pastoral decision of the Church), a ‘day’ is considered to begin at or about “sundown” on the day before. Therefore we have ‘vigils’ starting then and for a Sunday (or for any solemn feast like Christmas–which may or may not fall on a Sunday) the Mass for that Sunday–or feast–may be held during that ‘vigil’ time. (That is why you may attend a Christmas Eve Mass after sundown and it ‘counts’ for the Christmas day service).

Mass is not just celebrated on Saturday and Sunday; Mass is celebrated every day. Every day has its own set Mass of the day (which can be a saint’s day, an ‘optional memorial’, for most Saturdays optional memorials of the Blessed Virgin, or an ‘ordinary’ day–what used to be called a day).

Furthermore, wedding or funeral masses have their own set Mass or liturgy as well. It is not customary (though again at the discretion of the bishop it may be allowable) for a wedding or funeral Mass on Saturday to ‘take the place’ of a Mass for Sunday though, again, there have been posters who have found occasions of this being permitted–but even there it has almost always been a Mass that has taken place during the ‘vigil’ time and not at 11:30 a.m.

So please go and give your support for your bereaved friends at the Saturday Mass–and either go to another Mass after 4 p.m. on Saturday, or else go sometime on Sunday, to fulfill your normal weekly Sunday obligation–and we will keep you and your friends in prayer.

And don’t forget–you can still receive communion if you go to another Mass Saturday after 4 p.m., even if you received communion at the 11:30 a.m. Mass. One may always receive up to twice daily so long as the second reception is in the context of a Mass (not a communion service) and one may receive even more than twice if one is in imminent danger of death.

God bless.
 
here is what Canon law has to say about this:

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. Can. 1248 §1

So since the funeral liturgy would take place before what is considered evening time, according to canon 1248, it would not satisfy one’s Sunday obligation to assist at holy mass, but it has nothing to do with the fact that it is a funeral, nuptual, other memorial etc. the canon states nothing about what “type” of Mass. It just says Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite.

The common notion that one must hear the “readings of the day” in order to fulfill the obligation is no where mentioned in the Canon. Any Mass/divine liturgy, readings etc celebrated on the day itself or the evening of that day does satisfy. So if the funeral liturgy took place at for instance 6pm on a Saturday, Canon Law does in fact state that individuals assisting at this Mass would indeed fulfill their obligation to attend the Sunday Liturgy.
 
It is possible, although unlikely, for your pastor to dispense you from your Sunday obligation for attending this funeral. He does have that authority.

However, only a Mass that begins begins between 4:00 pm Saturday night and 11:59 pm Sunday night counts as fulfilling your obligation.
 
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