Do you regularly attend Saturday evening Mass - if so, why?

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When I was in the long process of converting, we went to Saturday evening Mass so that we could then go to Sunday morning worship at our protestant church. I have since tried all the other Mass times, and Saturday pm not only has the best music, people really do seem to be more reverent. The later Sunday morning Masses feel very busy to me, with lots of kid noise and people getting up and down constantly. We also have a deacon who serves Saturday evening and very early Sunday morning, and that makes a difference in the feel, too.

I like Saturday evening for my kids. We’re already up and around and it is a nice conclusion to the day. Sunday morning can be very unpleasant trying to get sleepy kids up and dressed, and still get to Mass cheerful.
 
Nobody has mentioned that many parishes only schedule the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturdays before the Vigil Mass.
 
My wife and myself began attending Saturday evening Mass back a few years ago, when she developed a virus in her thyroid, which caused her to have problems sleeping. After having to miss Mass on Sunday morning, we felt we should go Saturday Evening, in order that we both attend Mass and together.

Now, I prefer it. Older crowed like me. The music isn’t very good, being we’re half deaf and have leather vocal chords.

Jim
 
My Dad’s 92 and in a wheelchair. It takes him a bit to get up and around and ready, and the 5 pm Saturday Mass is a great fit for us. Particularly good in the winter, as the afternoon sun has warmed the ice off sidewalks and parking lots.

The Sunday early Mass is too early for us and the later Mass seems ideal for families with young children.
 
calicatholic said:
My opinion on this question is irrelevant to people’s answers, which is why I didn’t state it in this post. You’re right, I was unaware that some parishes have no option but only a Saturday evening Mass. Clearly your only choice is to attend when it is available. My question was more directed at people who choose to go Saturday night vs. Sunday if both Masses are available and they are also available for both Mass times.
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I attended Saturday evening Mass for a number of years. It was because the Sunday Mass involved a lot of modern and loud music which I didn’t like. Furthermore, the Saturday Evenening mass was often delegated to a priest from a nearby monastery and he did far better homilies than our regular priest. I have since moved elsewhere and have a different parish so it’s no longer an issue.
 
Sometimes, I have to work on Sunday, or have family stuff.

The other reason is snow. Like today, started snowing at 7 AM, 4 hours later, there’s 2 inches on the roads. Driving is slow, and a little treacherous. Amazingly, our weather people predicted this storm accurately, so I attended Saturday evening mass last night.

OK, I admit it----I’m a ninny about driving on snow! :o
 
calicatholic said:
Just curious if there is a large number of Catholics out there that regularly attend Mass on Saturday evening, and if they do, why they do.

If you do, is it done out of scheduling convenience or are you unable to attend on Sunday for a given reason?

Not trying to tell anyone they’re doing it wrong, just want to gather information.

Regards,
Calicatholic
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We often but not always do because of weather—sometimes we have snow on Sunday morning and they don’t plow till later. Also, my husband has bad arthritis and he is somewhat better in the evening than in the morning. He also is on oxygen and has to carry a tank around and it is much easier to go to the evening Mass (more elderly) where we can sit in a front pew and receive Communion.
 
Yeah I do. It’s the same Mass my grandfather attends, so there’s a comfortable face there.

But it also works out with my schedule, both with my last job and now.
At my last job, I had weekends off. But Mom doesn’t always, and Dad delivered the paper (which meant that he didn’t get home Sundays until 2pm or later), so for car situations it certainly worked out. Also, if Mom had off she went to her church, and that would be a conflict if I were to go Sunday.
But now, like today, I was scheduled until 11am. Most times I’m scheduled until 1pm, so today was rare. I’d like to run home and take a quick shower and change before heading to Mass (all sweaty and smell like grease and chicken, with flour all over), and my parish doesn’t offer a Sunday evening Mass. There are two, but they are further away. And the parish in my town only offers 11:45 Sunday Morning.
Now, today, we were slow and I got out at 10am. I could have made it to the noon Mass at my parish, or even the 11:45 one in town. But I didn’t know I’d get out early today either.

And then there’s the fact that most weeks I’m in line for Confession, which is Saturday night before Mass. And rather than make the 30 minute trip again the next day, just stay for Mass.
The parish in my town doesn’t offer Confessions at all. It’s a mission parish, so the closest one that does is 30 minutes, in the opposite direction.
1ke said:
has the fewest cars in the parking lot… whatever.
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Certainly never the problem at my parish. The one with the fewest cars would be the noon Mass. I usually just hang around so I’m not sitting in a line to leave the parking lot.
 
Yes, this started becuase my wife worked sundays and we would go to saturday evening instead.

It is now a habit for me to go on a saturday even if my wife works saturday and sunday or has both off.

I like it, especially in the winter when it is dark.

If my wife works saturday we go on sunday although I tend to go to the saturday mass still and then go with her on the sunday.

So, am I sinning?
 
I go most Saturday nights because I now work Sunday mornings. I’m blessed to have a job where I could almost always leave work for 90 minutes (including drive time) to attend Sunday morning but I’d rather not risk it. If something critical came up at work and I could not leave than I’d have to go to mass Sunday night at the Cathedral down town, which is nice but sometimes we have Sunday evening plans or even I might have to work late.

Going Saturday evening is “safer” in that if I happen to miss it for some odd reason I still have two more shots! lol.

Next Weekend our Bishop is going to be worshiping with us at the 10:30AM service so I might attend then since its a special occasion.
 
My wife and I started attending Saturday evening Mass because two of our children were in the teen choir and that’s when they sang and played guitar.

Now that they are grown, we still like to see the kids from our parish school when we can. I guess we feel some kind of connection to the school that all of our children grew up in that way.

To be honest with you, the Parish music director, who is at all the Sunday Masses puts on a “musical performance”, complete with applause, and we try to avoid going to those Masses whenever we can.

So unless my wife is working on a Saturday afternoon, we try to attend at that time.
 
stashu said:
My wife and I started attending Saturday evening Mass because two of our children were in the teen choir and that’s when they sang and played guitar.

Now that they are grown, we still like to see the kids from our parish school when we can. I guess we feel some kind of connection to the school that all of our children grew up in that way.

To be honest with you, the Parish music director, who is at all the Sunday Masses puts on a “musical performance”, complete with applause, and we try to avoid going to those Masses whenever we can.

So unless my wife is working on a Saturday afternoon, we try to attend at that time.
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And I enjoy the Vigil Mass because in our Parish that is when the Gregorian Chant Choir sing. I love the touch of Latin which is used during the celebration of that particular Mass.🙂
Peace, Carlan
 
calicatholic said:
My opinion on this question is irrelevant to people’s answers, which is why I didn’t state it in this post. You’re right, I was unaware that some parishes have no option but only a Saturday evening Mass. Clearly your only choice is to attend when it is available. My question was more directed at people who choose to go Saturday night vs. Sunday if both Masses are available and they are also available for both Mass times.

No I do not harbor ill feelings towards people who attend on Saturday evening, I just wouldn’t choose to do it for myself unless I had some obligation on Sunday that kept me from attending Mass.
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I have no obligations that keep me from attending Mass on Sunday, I just like going on Saturday.
 
Cat said:
Thanks for the heads-up, 1ke

We attend Sat. evening Mass. I work every third weekend (hospital). We prefer to attend the same Mass each week, and that means Sat. evening.

For traditional Catholics and Protestants, this may be difficult to comprehend, but both my husband and I feel that the Sat. evening time feels more “reverent.” It has nothing to do with how the Masses are celebrated in our parish; all are liturgically correct. It’s just that the evening time seems more conducive to a quiet spirit and more open heart, at least to us. It’s nice to attend Mass, then go out for a quiet dinner, and then go home for a quiet evening with nothing to do, no chores, no lawn work, no activities. We don’t party on Saturday; as we are both teetotallers. It’s just a peacable “end of the week” time. We usually discuss the Mass during our quiet dinner and evening. It’s very peacable and satisfying.

Perhaps it’s because for years and years, as Protestants, we always attended Sunday morning worship services, and so for us, the Sat. evening Mass feels different than Protestantism. (Now many Protestant churches in our city offer Saturday evening services, but they weren’t doing this back in 2004 when we came into the Catholic Church.)
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That’s EXACTLY the way I feel about it. And quite honestly, I also like not having to rush around on Sunday morning.
 
I sometimes go to Saturday evening mass because my local parish church is only 100 yards from my house and only has a Saturday evening mass.

The parish was joined up with another parish which is about a mile away from my house (and is the parish at which I was confirmed and accepted into the Church as a convert from protestantism). I normally attend Mass here on Sunday morning whenever possible.

If I can’t make either of these I either go to the cathedral, which is about three miles away from my house or another parish which is about a mile and a half away on Sunday evening.

There are probably around six or so parishes within fifteen minutes drive of my house! I’m spoilt for choice and don’t envy the bishop sorting out which parishes should close/amalgamate and when masses should be held at which parishes.

Some of the elderly people in the local parish have no choice but to attend Saturday evening Mass.
 
20 years or so ago my late wife and I started attending Saturday afternoon Mass when the adult choir, of which I then was a member, began to rotate weekly between Saturdays and 10:30 on Sundays. I guess we just took the easy way out from then on, and stayed with Saturday.
Now my new wife and I continue on Saturdays, but only partly because of it being easier. She’s a person who likes to take the time to be as well-dressed as possible, always wears a hat, etc. Naturally this inspires me to try to dress as well as possible too. If we went to Mass on Sunday morning we would not have as much time to prepare, especially since I am an EMHC at a local hospital on Sunday mornings.
As an aside, the way we dress seems to be having an effect on others at Mass though some of those who dress in jeans or shorts will never change.
If we tried to pick a Mass where the music was appropriate and where it was not considered a performance–well, there just isn’t one in our parish.
Ray Mac
 
1ke said:
Although you say you aren’t telling anyone it is wrong to do so, you stated this in another thread:

“it seems a poor choice (in my opinion) to regularly attend Saturday evening services even if it is legally allowed, as it may lead to activities that hinder the worship owed to God on Sunday”

So, you do harbor some sort of ill feelings towards those who choose to attend Saturday mass.

To answer your question, in my rural parish we share a priest with two other parishes and each year we rotate mass times. Beginning Ash Wednesday, we will have Saturday evening mass for the next year. It is our only mass of the weekend.

There is NOTHING in Church teaching that says we have to have a “reason” to attend Saturday evening mass over Sunday mass. It can simply be that it is convenient, fits the family’s schedule, has the fewest cars in the parking lot… whatever.
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People who look down at those who habitually attend the Saturday vigil Mass are just wrong to do so…

I think I even read on EWTN/Colin Donovan who said it was wrong to always attend the “replacement Mass.” He is wrong.
 
I’m a shiftworker with rotating days off and I’m also subject to short-notice mandatory overtime, which means being held over for a twelve hour shift just as I think I am able to leave work and head to Mass. If I don’t make Vigil and then get held over on Sunday, I miss out. Other times, I’m off or not held over and enjoy going to Mass on both Saturday and Sunday (and hopefully the rest of the week on weekdays as well!).

I wish there was an EF Mass on Saturday evenings in my area. There was talk of one starting up an hour’s drive from here but it’s been tabled for a while.

Peace
 
I started attending Saturday evening Mass because of family.

If anything I have said is against the Catholic Church, let it be anathema.
 
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