Does a Saturday Eveing Mass fulfill the Sunday Obligation?

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In my parish there is only one Mass on Saturday at 5 pm. Would it count for a Saturday Mass or Sunday? I’m wondering cuz it’s been snowing on Sundays and I can’t go to church and I hate missing Mass even if I had a good reason.

Thank you.
 
SuS33 said:
In my parish there is only one Mass on Saturday at 5 pm. Would it count for a Saturday Mass or Sunday? I’m wondering cuz it’s been snowing on Sundays and I can’t go to church and I hate missing Mass even if I had a good reason.

Thank you.
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Yes. It is the Sunday Mass.

Ever since 1983, this has been the universal rule for Catholics. Prior to '83, one needed to have a reason to choose Saturday evening; that requirement no longer applies.

One may attend the Sunday Mass on Saturday evening or on Sunday morning/afternoon/evening. It makes no difference. None.
 
FrDavid96 said:
Yes. It is the Sunday Mass.

Ever since 1983, this has been the universal rule for Catholics. Prior to '83, one needed to have a reason to choose Saturday evening; that requirement no longer applies.

One may attend the Sunday Mass on Saturday evening or on Sunday morning/afternoon/evening. It makes no difference. None.
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Fr, I can’t help notice you said “the Sunday Mass”. This brings to mind a discussion I recently had with my mother. We are often told around here, especially as concerns Saturday evening weddings, that the mass does not apply towards the Sunday obligation unless it has the Sunday readings. But I do not think this is true. Canon 1248 does not mention that at all.
The church seems to say, at least to me, that any mass on Saturday evening is sufficient.

What are you thoughts on this related question?
 
tafan said:
Fr, I can’t help notice you said “the Sunday Mass”. This brings to mind a discussion I recently had with my mother. We are often told around here, especially as concerns Saturday evening weddings, that the mass does not apply towards the Sunday obligation unless it has the Sunday readings. But I do not think this is true. Canon 1248 does not mention that at all.
The church seems to say, at least to me, that any mass on Saturday evening is sufficient.

What are you thoughts on this related question?
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The relevant canon says that the obligation is fulfilled by attendance at Mass on the feast or the evening of the preceding day at any valid Catholic rite. You could attend a Byzantine Catholic Divine Liturgy (where they have a completely different lectionary, to say nothing of the fact that the calendar is completely different) on a Saturday night and fulfill your obligation. The readings are not what fulfills the obligation. Attendance at Mass is.

-ACEGC
 
tafan said:
Fr, I can’t help notice you said “the Sunday Mass”. This brings to mind a discussion I recently had with my mother. We are often told around here, especially as concerns Saturday evening weddings, that the mass does not apply towards the Sunday obligation unless it has the Sunday readings. But I do not think this is true. Canon 1248 does not mention that at all.
The church seems to say, at least to me, that any mass on Saturday evening is sufficient.

What are you thoughts on this related question?
Click to expand...
The choice of readings has no bearing (none whatever) on whether or not one fulfills the Sunday obligation.

Any Mass beginning on Saturday evening fulfills the Sunday obligation.

Nowhere does the Church say that if that Mass happens to be a wedding Mass (or any other kind of Mass) that the obligation is not met. As long as it’s a Catholic Mass, the obligation is met.
 
tafan said:
Fr, I can’t help notice you said “the Sunday Mass”. This brings to mind a discussion I recently had with my mother. We are often told around here, especially as concerns Saturday evening weddings, that the mass does not apply towards the Sunday obligation unless it has the Sunday readings. But I do not think this is true. Canon 1248 does not mention that at all.
The church seems to say, at least to me, that any mass on Saturday evening is sufficient.

What are you thoughts on this related question?
Click to expand...
As a followup to my last post:

Imagine this. Ask your mother if she were to attend the ordination of a new priest at the Cathedral at 10:00 AM on a Sunday morning (set aside that priestly ordinations usually happen on Saturdays, that’s irrelevant because it’s not required) celebrated by the bishop, and afterwards asks the bishop if her attendance at the ordination Mass fulfilled her Sunday obligation or not, since the readings were different, what would be the bishop’s answer? Of course he would say that it did fulfill the obligation. Just one way of illustrating the point.
 
Thanks Fr. That is what I thought. In my mom’s defense, her position is often stated around our diocese. Last year one of the Deacons in our parish said the same thing during one of his homilies.
 
tafan said:
Thanks Fr. That is what I thought. In my mom’s defense, her position is often stated around our diocese. Last year one of the Deacons in our parish said the same thing during one of his homilies.
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It is often (and mistakenly) stated around this forum too. :rolleyes:

tee
 
tee_eff_em said:
It is often (and mistakenly) stated around this forum too. :rolleyes:

tee
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I hear you.

Two misconceptions that just will not go away:
  1. One needs a reason to attend the Sunday Mass on Saturday evening. Yes, under the 1917 Code, that was true. Any such restriction was completely eliminated in 1983.
  2. The Mass only “counts” if the readings are the Sunday readings.
With regard to #2, it’s amazing to me that when Masses are held for other reasons (ordinations, dedication of a new church building, solemn vows, anniversary of the church, canonization of a saint, etc. etc. etc.) no one seems to question whether or not the Mass counts.

Why will these 2 not go away???
 
tafan said:
Fr, I can’t help notice you said “the Sunday Mass”. This brings to mind a discussion I recently had with my mother. We are often told around here, especially as concerns Saturday evening weddings, that the mass does not apply towards the Sunday obligation unless it has the Sunday readings. But I do not think this is true. Canon 1248 does not mention that at all.
The church seems to say, at least to me, that any mass on Saturday evening is sufficient.

What are you thoughts on this related question?
Click to expand...
Actually, I think it depends on the celebration of the Saturday Mass that you are celebrating. Here in the Philippines for example. We have the so-called anticipated masses on Saturday to accommodate the number of people celebrating the masses for Sunday obligation. the readings, and presidential prayers are all from sunday masses. if the prayers and readings are for Sunday then it is a anticipated mass. it is then suffice.
 
Thank you, all of you for your replys. Now I know that I have more options if I can’t make it to church on Sunday. 🙂
 
bjvisperas said:
Actually, I think it depends on the celebration of the Saturday Mass that you are celebrating. Here in the Philippines for example. We have the so-called anticipated masses on Saturday to accommodate the number of people celebrating the masses for Sunday obligation. the readings, and presidential prayers are all from sunday masses. if the prayers and readings are for Sunday then it is a anticipated mass. it is then suffice.
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Any Mass on Saturday evening fulfills the Sunday obligation. It does not matter what the readings are or which country the Mass takes place in.
 
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