Celebrate daily the Liturgy - is this compulsory for every priest?

[kmbh69]

Is it compulsory for a priest to celebrate the Liturgy daily ?
I lived and worked 7 months in a small town in Germany (in the former East-Germany) where the Liturgy was accessible only in Sundays, only once, from 10 A.M.
I asked the priest to celebrate the liturgy daily from 6:45 A.M. or from 6 P.M. and he answered that “is useless, anyway nobody will come”.
Is there any argument that I could have invoked to ask him more efficiently, to convince him to celebrate during the weekdays ? For me is OK even if the Liturgy is read, not sung, so will last about 15 minutes.
Here, at home, since many years, I am used to go daily to the liturgy. The problem is, I will have to stay again for some months in Germany and this is the main reason I don’t feel myself very comfortable in this country (because the religion seems to be neglected there).

 

[Phemie]

No, there is no obligation for a priest to celebrate Mass daily. In fact, unless there is a good reason, they are not supposed to celebrate a Mass if nobody is there – which is why my former pastor would not celebrate a scheduled Mass on weekdays if no one showed up. OTOH, it’s entirely possible that if the priest you speak of scheduled a Mass he’d be surprised by the number in attendance.

 

[Cristiano]

Is it compulsory for a priest to celebrate the Liturgy daily?..

If you refer to Liturgy as in the the Mass, then there is not more daily obligations for the priests anymore. However, they have the obligation to the Liturgy of the Hours.

[edited]

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

His statement is heretical even if probably the priest did not really mean what he said. His statement, as you worded, implies that Jesus’ sacrifice is useless. The statement also seems to imply that a Mass with no one around beside the priest is not going to benefit anybody, and that is completely wrong because the souls of purgatory will benefit from it.

The statement is only heretical if one makes an uncharitable assumption as to what the priest meant. The words as taken without am assumption as to what he was “implying” is not heretical.

That is how I took it, it is useless as no one would show up so he could not celebrate it as unless there is a good reason a priest is not to celebrate the Mass alone.

Now I think he was making a wrong assumption that no one would show up to the scheduled Mass. Even if one person shows up it is a good thing.

 

[Cristiano]

The statement is only heretical if one makes an uncharitable assumption as to what the priest meant. The words as taken without am assumption as to what he was “implying” is not heretical.

That is how I took it, it is useless as no one would show up so he could not celebrate it as unless there is a good reason a priest is not to celebrate the Mass alone.

Now I think he was making a wrong assumption that no one would show up to the scheduled Mass. Even if one person shows up it is a good thing.

I might agree with you if it were worded as “is useless, because nobody will come”. Such a statement shows a cause (not coming) and effect (being useless). The wording “is useless, anyway nobody will come” states an absolute (being useless) and a parallel independent action (not coming).

A statement is a statement independently of what the priest means. That is why I was very careful in debating the statement and not what the priest might have thought. Just look at the big fuss about the Italian translation of the Youcat book. There is a sentence that goes against Church teaching, it is creating a lot of problems, and I am quite sure that it was only a mistake.

 

[Phemie]

I might agree with you if it were worded as “is useless, because nobody will come”. Such a statement shows a cause (not coming) and effect (being useless). The wording “is useless, anyway nobody will come” states an absolute (being useless) and a parallel independent action (not coming).

A statement is a statement independently of what the priest means. That is why I was very careful in debating the statement and not what the priest might have thought. Just look at the big fuss about the Italian translation of the Youcat book. There is a sentence that goes against Church teaching, it is creating a lot of problems, and I am quite sure that it was only a mistake.

English doesn’t seem to be the OP’s first language.

Change the location of the comma and you change the whole meaning of the sentence: “is useless anyway, nobody will come”. When the charge of heresy rests on the placement of a comma by a person other than the one who made the statement, it behooves us to give the benefit of the doubt to the person being accused.

 

[JM3]

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P38.HTM

Can. 904 Remembering always that in the mystery of the eucharistic sacrifice the work of redemption is exercised continually, priests are to celebrate frequently; indeed, daily celebration is recommended earnestly since, even if the faithful cannot be present, it is the act of Christ and the Church in which priests fulfill their principal function.

Can. 906 Except for a just and reasonable cause, a priest is not to celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice without the participation of at least some member of the faithful.

 

[laszlo]

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P38.HTM

Can. 904 Remembering always that in the mystery of the eucharistic sacrifice the work of redemption is exercised continually, priests are to celebrate frequently; indeed, daily celebration is recommended earnestly since, even if the faithful cannot be present, it is the act of Christ and the Church in which priests fulfill their principal function.

Can. 906 Except for a just and reasonable cause, a priest is not to celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice without the participation of at least some member of the faithful.

Canon 906 means only that the priest should make every effort to have somebody around. His unsuccessful effort provides reasonable cause to celebrate the mass, which is the act of Christ and brings grace, what the faithful around him need desperately.

 

[JM3]

Canon 906 means only that the priest should make every effort to have somebody around. His unsuccessful effort provides reasonable cause to celebrate the mass, which is the act of Christ and brings grace, what the faithful around him need desperately.

I leave interpretation of Canon Law to the Church. My opinion, as little as it may be regarded, is that one server would satisfy Canon 906.

 

[Phemie]

I leave interpretation of Canon Law to the Church. My opinion, as little as it may be regarded, is that one server would satisfy Canon 906.

One server would indeed satisfy Canon 906, as shown in

GIRM 252. At a Mass celebrated by a priest with only one minister to assist him and to make the responses, the rite of Mass with a congregation is followed (cf. above, nos. 120-169) the minister saying the people’s parts as appropriate.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

Priests within my order do not always celebrate Mass daily but they attend a daily Mass.

As a community of religious we have a daily Mass that is celebrated within our houses. Traditionally only one friar priest will celebrate the Mass, all other friar priests will join with the friar brothers in the choir stalls for the Mass and will not concelebrate.

Now some of those priests might have a daily Mass elsewhere, some might not.

 

[kmbh69]

Priests within my order do not always celebrate Mass daily but they attend a daily Mass.

As a community of religious we have a daily Mass that is celebrated within our houses. Traditionally only one friar priest will celebrate the Mass, all other friar priests will join with the friar brothers in the choir stalls for the Mass and will not concelebrate.

Now some of those priests might have a daily Mass elsewhere, some might not.

At least they can participate at the Mass, that matters. Imagine the town where I was: about 24000 inhabitants, only 3 % catolics, 10 % evanghelics and the rest (87 %) not even baptised (the so-called “agnostics”). The priest I met was the only one active, there were another 2 priests, but retired (one in an asylum for elderly people). It was very sad to be able to come to the Mass only Saturdays.
Even read, not necessary sung, I hope it could have been a valid Mass.

 

[m134e5]

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P38.HTM

Can. 904 Remembering always that in the mystery of the eucharistic sacrifice the work of redemption is exercised continually, priests are to celebrate frequently; indeed, daily celebration is recommended earnestly since, even if the faithful cannot be present, it is the act of Christ and the Church in which priests fulfill their principal function.

Can. 906 Except for a just and reasonable cause, a priest is not to celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice without the participation of at least some member of the faithful.

It looks like these canons say priests may (but don’t have to) celebrate Mass every day (except Good Friday)- with or without a congregation. If there are people who would come to the Mass, he should let them- but he can’t MAKE people come and shouldn’t avoid celebrating Mass since nobody else can come. When priests travel, they aren’t always in a position to celebrate a Mass with a congregation (maybe they find a last-minute opportunity and don’t have time to go out and invite people). That shouldn’t stop them from celebrating Mass by themselves though.