Communion service instead of Sunday Mass?

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AmericanRose

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My parish has been considering bringing back what our old priest used to do-- on the fourth Sunday of every month, we would have a Communion service that was just like Mass, with the Gospels and readings and everything, but no liturgy of the Eucharist, just the communion service. Does this fulfill the Sunday Obligation for Mass?
 
The only reason for a communion service instead of Sunday Mass is if there is no priest available for the Mass. To do it when there is a priest available just so the parish can do their own thing is not ok.
 
Did you ask him why?
Is he having to offer Mass at a parish with no priest once a month?
Just ask. They don’t bite.
 
The idea was just brought up in a meeting as a way to give maybe give father a break, since he is the pastor for two parishes.
 
“Give father a break” from saying Sunday Mass? That sounds rather odd, doesn’t it?

“Does this fulfill the Sunday Obligation for Mass?” If there is no Mass available, then there is no obligation to attend Mass. The “Sunday Celebration in the absence of a Priest” is something to be done when there is no priest available, but it is not the same as the Mass.
 
We don’t have a lot of context to give a complete answer.

If it is becoming a serious hardship for this priest to say Mass twice on Sunday, for health or other reasons, then he should be consulting with his bishop to determine if it is wise for him to stop saying Mass at one of those parishes.

If there is not a serious reason, then we are now talking about an issue of slothfulness.

A Communion service does NOT fulfill the Sunday obligation. Rather, faithful who are unable to get to Mass on Sunday are dispensed from that obligation.
 
AmericanRose said:
My parish has been considering bringing back what our old priest used to do-- on the fourth Sunday of every month, we would have a Communion service that was just like Mass, with the Gospels and readings and everything, but no liturgy of the Eucharist, just the communion service. Does this fulfill the Sunday Obligation for Mass?
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After flourishing for more than a decade, that cancer was removed from my parish several years ago. It did two things.

It allowed a deacon and laypeople to pretend they were priests.

It gave the pastor “more freedom.”

An article in the local paper about the pastor noted this “innovation” along with others. Someone wrote a scathing, high accurate letter to the editor in response. The letter was sent to our bishop. The practice immediately ceased.
 
AmericanRose said:
The idea was just brought up in a meeting as a way to give maybe give father a break, since he is the pastor for two parishes.
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I really don’t think it is appropriate for parishioners to be determining or considering this. This is for the priest and the Bishop discuss, not the laity. We don’t have anything to do with this.
 
AmericanRose said:
The idea was just brought up in a meeting as a way to give maybe give father a break, since he is the pastor for two parishes.
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I’m curious about who brought this up? Someone who is craving to conduct communion services on Sundays, perchance?
 
CB_Catholic said:
I really don’t think it is appropriate for parishioners to be determining or considering this. This is for the priest and the Bishop discuss, not the laity. We don’t have anything to do with this.
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This!

If parishioners have concerns about the ability of the priest to handle so many Masses they can relay their concerns but it is for the bishop and the priest to decide.
 
American Rose , is your Priest aged? Ill? How many Masses and Parishes does he visit over Saturday night/Sunday? Is he the only Priest?

Does he get any days off?
We shouldn’t be commenting without knowing this. And then. Perhaps it’s between the priest and his Bishop.

Laity running communion prayer services during the week can work well. Not all laity are out to usurp the Priest , or functioning at the level of the alter ego.

It is incredibly uncharitable to say this , nor bring a personal agenda into this thread.
 
In our Archdiocese, these Communion Services are not acceptable on weekdays, but on Sundays where no priest is available, these are wonderful for the parishes in need (and I find it appalling that anyone would refer to the Blessed Sacrament as a cancer).

Edit to add: it doesn’t seem like the OP’s parish meets the “need” requirement.
 
Cor_ad_Cor said:
In our Archdiocese, these Communion Services are not acceptable on weekdays, but on Sundays where no priest is available, these are wonderful for the parishes in need (and I find it appalling that anyone would refer to the Blessed Sacrament as a cancer).
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Clearly you did not read the context of the words which you are quoting, or else you would not have had such a misunderstanding.
 
Solomonson said:
After flourishing for more than a decade, that cancer was removed from my parish several years ago. It did two things.

It allowed a deacon and laypeople to pretend they were priests.

It gave the pastor “more freedom.”

An article in the local paper about the pastor noted this “innovation” along with others. Someone wrote a scathing, high accurate letter to the editor in response. The letter was sent to our bishop. The practice immediately ceased.
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I think you’re being unfair. I doubt whether either the deacon or the laypeople were “pretending” anything. What they likely did do was to get out of bed early those days to serve the people of the parish as directed by their pastor and in a role that, at that time anyway, was sanctioned by their bishop.
 
I think I would much rather travel to another parish for Mass then attend a Communiion Service in my own area. If the priest cannot come to me, I’ll go to where he is. Nothing can replace The Holy Mass.
 
dshix said:
Clearly you did not read the context of the words which you are quoting, or else you would not have had such a misunderstanding.
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No misunderstanding. It was stated verbatim above.
 
Cor_ad_Cor said:
In our Archdiocese, these Communion Services are not acceptable on weekdays, but on Sundays where no priest is available, these are wonderful for the parishes in need (and I find it appalling that anyone would refer to the Blessed Sacrament as a cancer).

Edit to add: it doesn’t seem like the OP’s parish meets the “need” requirement.
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I’m pretty sure the “cancer” is supposed to be unnecessary (and perhaps repudiated) scheduling rather than than the object of the scheduling.

And none of us know the specifics of what is happening at the OP’s parish so we can only hope that what whatever they do will be done the way the Church envisions.
 
jaimeleglise said:
I think I would much rather travel to another parish for Mass then attend a Communiion Service in my own area. If the priest cannot come to me, I’ll go to where he is. Nothing can replace The Holy Mass.
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Many people in such a circumstance do not have that option.

Thankfully Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest together with Communion Services during the week are part of the repertoire available to communities.
 
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