Do Eastern Catholics ever celebrate the Sunday Divine Liturgy on Saturday evening?

[sasg]

My local Byzantine Catholic church has a Divine Liturgy with Vespers on Saturday evening. I’m not sure whether this will be the Sunday Divine Liturgy celebrated on Saturday, or a Saturday Divine Liturgy. Do Eastern Catholics allow celebrating Sunday DL the evening before? It would have to be the Sunday Divine Liturgy in order to satisfy my Sunday obligation, i.e. just because it’s Saturday evening does not necessarily mean my Sunday obligation is fulfilled, correct?

EDIT: In case it makes a difference, I’m Roman Catholic, not EC, and I typically attend a RC parish.

 

[Vico]

My local Byzantine Catholic church has a Divine Liturgy with Vespers on Saturday evening. I’m not sure whether this will be the Sunday Divine Liturgy celebrated on Saturday, or a Saturday Divine Liturgy. Do Eastern Catholics allow celebrating Sunday DL the evening before? It would have to be the Sunday Divine Liturgy in order to satisfy my Sunday obligation, i.e. just because it’s Saturday evening does not necessarily mean my Sunday obligation is fulfilled, correct?

EDIT: In case it makes a difference, I’m Roman Catholic, not EC, and I typically attend a RC parish.

There is a Vigil Divine Liturgy that has been promulgated for use by the Byzantine Catholic Church. Sunday is the Resurrection and the liturgical day for it begins Saturday evening with Vespers but a little later may be the Vigil Divine Liturgy (includes the confection of the Holy Eucharist).

In the PDF p. 104.
metropolitancantorinstitute.org/Publications2.html

 

[ConstantineTG]

It shouldn’t but through Latinizations, many have adopted the Latin practice of “Anticipated Mass”.

And yes, its intended to be Sunday’s Liturgy.

 

[twf]

It shouldn’t but through Latinizations, many have adopted the Latin practice of “Anticipated Mass”.

And yes, its intended to be Sunday’s Liturgy.

Constantine - is it really a Latinization? I mean…even in the Latin Church the practice is very recent. For both West and East it is essentially an innovation…foreign to both traditions. That being said, in todays busy world with huge parishes and limited priests (at least in the Latin Church), I think it is an understandable use of economy (to use an Eastern term) to ensure that the maximum number of people are able to get to mass. Even in the Latin Church, the ideal time for Sunday mass remains Sunday morning…masses offered at any other time are pastoral considerations only. Most Catholics aren’t getting to mass/liturgy as it is…if we restrict it to Sunday mornings, those numbers will plumet once again…

 

[theistgal]

There are some that do, but it should properly be Vespers on Saturday evening (and ideally, every evening! but of course that’s not practical!).

I think some people have this mindset that they’re not really “going to church” unless the Eucharist is celebrated. But if you can spend some time around a monastery - whether Eastern or Western - or even just pray the Liturgy of the Hours on your own, you begin to realize that Matins, Vespers, Compline, and all the other Hours are a continuing part of the entire day’s Liturgy.

So you’re not “missing something” by participating in one of these prayer services - they’re all PART of the Eucharist!

(By the way, wish me luck! I’m preparing to start teaching ECF (Eastern Catholic Formation) classes this year to 7th graders, and Vespers is one of the big things we’re going to focus on this year! )

 

[Vico]

There is a Vigil Divine Liturgy that has been promulgated for use by the Byzantine Catholic Church. Sunday is the Resurrection and the liturgical day for it begins Saturday evening with Vespers but a little later may be the Vigil Divine Liturgy (includes the confection of the Holy Eucharist).

In the PDF p. 104.
metropolitancantorinstitute.org/Publications2.html

For Byzantine:

I should have added that this Vigil Divine Liturgy, is for the Annunciation March 25, during Great Lent. The Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom is used for the majority of Saturday evenings in modern day. (The ancient use is to have the Divine Liturgy in the morning, only once in a day, and Vespers in the evening, except on certain Great Feasts, and then the time to begin is a little later, such as 8PM.)

Vespers is combined with the Divine Liturgy on the eves of (1) Nativity and (2) Theophany, on the feast of the (3) Annunciation, and on (4) Holy Thursday and (5) Holy Saturday. There are exceptions depending on the day of the week and coinciding feast day. The Divine Liturgy of St. Basil is used for these except for the Annunciation which uses the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

Vespers ~ sunset 4PM-8PM (lamplighting psalms occur as it gets darker)
Compline ~9PM
Midnight Office ~12AM
Matins (Orthros) ending at sunrise.
Hr 1 ~7AM
Hr 3 ~9AM
Hr 6 ~noon
Hr 9 ~3PM

Typica ~6PM (Psalms and prayers appointed for the Liturgy of the day, which is held when the Divine Liturgy is not celebrated)

 

[ConstantineTG]

Constantine - is it really a Latinization? I mean…even in the Latin Church the practice is very recent. For both West and East it is essentially an innovation…foreign to both traditions. That being said, in todays busy world with huge parishes and limited priests (at least in the Latin Church), I think it is an understandable use of economy (to use an Eastern term) to ensure that the maximum number of people are able to get to mass. Even in the Latin Church, the ideal time for Sunday mass remains Sunday morning…masses offered at any other time are pastoral considerations only. Most Catholics aren’t getting to mass/liturgy as it is…if we restrict it to Sunday mornings, those numbers will plumet once again…

Eastern Catholics can fulfill their Sunday “obligation” if they go to Vespers. So there’s no need for Vesperal Divine Liturgy.

 

[system]

I’m a Maronite Catholic, and every Saturday at 4:00 we have our Sunday Vigil mass, with the same Gospel, etc.

 

[twf]

Eastern Catholics can fulfill their Sunday “obligation” if they go to Vespers. So there’s no need for Vesperal Divine Liturgy.

Fair enough - but I still hesitate to call it a Latinization simply because I don’t see how the anticipated Saturday night mass can ever be seen as anything more than a pastoral concession born out of strictly pragmatic concerns. It is not part of authentic Latin praxis…it just simply is.

 

[SVP]

There are a number of parishes that do celebrate an anticipated Sunday Divine Liturgy on Saturday evening due to a shortage of priests. Usually one priest serves several parishes and it is impractical to a Sunday Liturgy at multiple parishes. In those cases, it is a case of practicality and not necessarily a “Latinism”. The norm should be only vespers, or in the case of vigil, vespers with matins on Saturday evening.

Vespers does count as fulfilling the Sunday obligation only if one is truly unable to attend the Divine Liturgy on a Sunday. The practice should not be used as a matter of mere convenience to avoid Sunday Divine Liturgy.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Fair enough - but I still hesitate to call it a Latinization simply because I don’t see how the anticipated Saturday night mass can ever be seen as anything more than a pastoral concession born out of strictly pragmatic concerns. It is not part of authentic Latin praxis…it just simply is.

It is a Latinization because the Eastern Churches do it only to “compete” against the Latin parishes that do it. Because there is that threat of parishioners not coming on Sundays and simply attending “anticipated Mass” on Saturday evenings at that RC parish down the road.

There are a number of parishes that do celebrate an anticipated Sunday Divine Liturgy on Saturday evening due to a shortage of priests. Usually one priest serves several parishes and it is impractical to a Sunday Liturgy at multiple parishes. In those cases, it is a case of practicality and not necessarily a “Latinism”. The norm should be only vespers, or in the case of vigil, vespers with matins on Saturday evening.

Vespers does count as fulfilling the Sunday obligation only if one is truly unable to attend the Divine Liturgy on a Sunday. The practice should not be used as a matter of mere convenience to avoid Sunday Divine Liturgy.

Yes, this does happen as well when there is one priest servicing two parishes that are at least a couple of hours apart from each other. But in many cases, it is indeed a Latinization.

 

[sasg]

I just found this in CIC 1248:

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.

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P4N.HTM

So it looks like attending a Divine Liturgy on Saturday evening, even if it is not a Sunday Divine Liturgy, would satisfy a Latin Catholic’s Sunday Mass obligation. However, it does specify a Mass, so if it is only Saturday evening Vespers, this would not satisfy the RC’s obligation, even if it would otherwise satisfy an Eastern Catholic’s obligation.

Out of curiosity, does anybody know if there is an analogous section in the Eastern Code of Canon Law?

 

[Diakonia]

Yes, you can satisfy your Sunday obligation as a Latin Catholic by your presence at an Anticipated or Vesperal or Vigil Liturgy.

To your question about a parallel Canon - yes

Canon 881

1. The Christian faithful are bound by the obligation to participate on Sundays and feast days in the Divine Liturgy, or according to the prescriptions or legitimate customs of their own Church sui iuris, in the celebration of the divine praises.

1. In order for the Christian faithful to fulfill this obligation more easily, the available time runs from the evening of the vigil until the end of the Sunday or feast day.

That said, while it is questionable whether it is truly a latinization, it is foregn to our traditions and therein lies the objection to the practice on the part of some Eastern Catholics, except where the circumstances of ‘circuit-riding’ presbyters requires it.

 

[Vico]

The particular law of some eastern catholic churches do not always permit the obligation to be met with Vespers. For example, the Ukrainian Catholic Church particular law which elaborates on the CCEO shown below, requires the Divine Liturgy.

In additon to the canon 881 part 1/2 that Diakonia posted is:
CCEO Canon 881
3. The Christian faithful are strongly recommended to receive the Divine Eucharist on these days and indeed more frequently, even daily.
4. The Christian faithful should abstain from those labors or business matters which impede the worship to be rendered to God, the joy which is proper to the Lord’s day, or to the proper relaxation of mind and body.

Ukrainian Particular Law:

**Can. 114 **
(CCEO cc. 880 §3, 881 §4) Besides Sundays, the faithful are obliged to observe the following Holy Days:

1. The Nativity of Christ;
2. The Theophany of our Lord;
3. The Ascension of our Lord;
4. The Annunciation of the Holy Mother of God;
5. The Dormition of the Holy Mother of God;
6. The Feast of the holy apostles Sts. Peter and Paul;
   On these days, the faithful are obligated to take full part in the Divine Liturgy, to hear the homily, and not to engage in strenuous physical labour. The synod of bishops encourages all the faithful to take part in the Divine Services during the traditional holy days on the Church calendar.

archeparchy.ca/documents/Particular_Law_Canons.pdf

The Byzantine particular law is here:

byzcath.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=334

 

[ConstantineTG]

Curiously, the CCEO doesn’t say “Catholic”. So in essence, an Eastern Catholic can go to an Orthodox Vespers, Matins or Divine Liturgy. Unless there is a particular Canon to the Church sui juris that says otherwise.

 

[Vico]

Curiously, the CCEO doesn’t say “Catholic”. So in essence, an Eastern Catholic can go to an Orthodox Vespers, Matins or Divine Liturgy. Unless there is a particular Canon to the Church sui juris that says otherwise.

Regarding non-Catholic liturgical participation, 118 below pertains to vespers (non-sacramental) and 115, 122, 123 to sacraments.

In 1993 was given the DIRECTORY FOR THE APPLICATION OF PRINCIPLES AND NORMS ON ECUMENISM

1. Since the celebration of the Eucharist on the Lord’s Day is the foundation and centre of the whole liturgical year, [120] Catholics—but those of Eastern Churches according to their own Law [121]—are obliged to attend Mass on that day and on days of precept. [122] It is not advisable therefore to organize ecumenical services on Sundays, and it must be remembered that even when Catholics participate in ecumenical services or in services of other Churches and ecclesial Communities, the obligation of participating at Mass on these days remains.

Sharing in Non-Sacramental Liturgical Worship

1. In liturgical celebrations taking place in other Churches and ecclesial Communities, Catholics are encouraged to take part in the psalms, responses, hymns and common actions of the Church in which they are guests. If invited by their hosts, they may read a lesson or preach.

a) Sharing in Sacramental Life with members of the various Eastern Churches

1. Between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Churches not in full communion with it, there is still a very close communion in matters of faith. [125] Moreover, “through the celebration of the Eucharist of the Lord in each of these Churches, the Church of God is built up and grows in stature” and “although separated from us, these Churches still possess true sacraments, above all—by apostolic succession—the priesthood and the Eucharist…”. [126] This offers ecclesiological and sacramental grounds, according to the understanding of the Catholic Church, for allowing and even encouraging some sharing in liturgical worship, even of the Eucharist, with these Churches, “given suitable circumstances and the approval of church authorities”. [127] It is recognized, however, that Eastern Churches, on the basis of their own ecclesiological understanding, may have more restrictive disciplines in this matter, which others should respect. Pastors should carefully instruct the faithful so that they will be clearly aware of the proper reasons for this kind of sharing in liturgical worship and of the variety of discipline which may exist in this connection.
2. Whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage suggests, and provided that the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, it is lawful for any Catholic for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick from a minister of an Eastern Church.[128]

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/general-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_19930325_directory_en.html

More details were given later in 1996 on canon 881 (see 64. Feast days):

Instruction for Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches

byzcath.org/faith/documents/instruction.htm

 

[rdorseyhsd]

We celebrate vesper divine liturgy every Saturday evening at 5:00 pm. We use Sunday’s divine liturgy abbreviated up to “Holy God. . . .” It is very impressive that we start with subdued lights which are brightened at the lamp lighter prayers. According to the season we use St John Christisom or St Basil.