Does video mass meet obligation?

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cornelius2

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After cutting out some of the Sunday masses, the fire marshall informed our pastor he could not let people stand in the back of the church. To deal with this problem our pastor recently started simulcasting the mass in the basement chapel. Does watching the mass on a screen meet our obligation to attend Sunday mass? Should this priest say mass in our basement chapel instead of asking us to watch it on TV? We don’t have a shortage of preists, we just have priests who would rather not say too many masses. Thanks.
 
This is an interesting question.

I know that it is not uncommon to have audio and/or video of a Mass outside of a church building that is too small to accomodate all the people who wish to attend. (This happens at the Vatican.) But I don’t know if there is an intermediate spacial distance at which point you would say that those outside that limit are no longer in attendance at the Mass.

Is this basement directly under the church?
 
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cornelius2:
After cutting out some of the Sunday masses, the fire marshall informed our pastor he could not let people stand in the back of the church. To deal with this problem our pastor recently started simulcasting the mass in the basement chapel. Does watching the mass on a screen meet our obligation to attend Sunday mass? Should this priest say mass in our basement chapel instead of asking us to watch it on TV? We don’t have a shortage of preists, we just have priests who would rather not say too many masses. Thanks.
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As far as I know, it is not acceptable. I belive you need to be in the church participating and all in the Mass. And isn’t the Main part of being a Priest to celebrate Mass?
 
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cornelius2:
After cutting out some of the Sunday masses, the fire marshall informed our pastor he could not let people stand in the back of the church. To deal with this problem our pastor recently started simulcasting the mass in the basement chapel. Does watching the mass on a screen meet our obligation to attend Sunday mass? Should this priest say mass in our basement chapel instead of asking us to watch it on TV? We don’t have a shortage of preists, we just have priests who would rather not say too many masses. Thanks.
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The chapel is directly under the church but the people attending are still watching the mass on a television screen.
 
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cornelius2:
After cutting out some of the Sunday masses, the fire marshall informed our pastor he could not let people stand in the back of the church. To deal with this problem our pastor recently started simulcasting the mass in the basement chapel. Does watching the mass on a screen meet our obligation to attend Sunday mass? Should this priest say mass in our basement chapel instead of asking us to watch it on TV? We don’t have a shortage of preists, we just have priests who would rather not say too many masses. Thanks.
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Technically you are physically present for the Mass, you are in the building/area. It would seem odd to simultaneously celebrate Mass in the same building. It would be like what was done before the liturgical changes allowed Concelebrated Mass.
 
Br. Rich SFO:
Technically you are physically present for the Mass, you are in the building/area. It would seem odd to simultaneously celebrate Mass in the same building. It would be like what was done before the liturgical changes allowed Concelebrated Mass.
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Thats interesting. I’m quite curious myself, it is allowed?
 
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cornelius2:
we just have priests who would rather not say too many masses.
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Really? How do you know that this is their motivation? Did they publish that in the bulletin, or announce it after Mass?
 
when you call the person in your diocese in charge of liturgy and sacraments, you might also ask if the bishop enforces a rule on how many Masses a priest may say in one day. Some bishops have returned to a strict application of these rules in order to highlight the priest shortage.

people have been angry with our pastor because he is not present for each of the 6 weekend Masses, but has a visiting priest many times. He has added responsibility for a couple of parishes whose pastors are out of commission due to illness or other reasons, but they do not take that into account. His two neighboring pastors can’t help here, they all have missions they are responsible for.
 
Br. Rich SFO:
Technically you are physically present for the Mass, you are in the building/area. It would seem odd to simultaneously celebrate Mass in the same building. It would be like what was done before the liturgical changes allowed Concelebrated Mass.
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I know a nearby parish that has screens in the Narthex area, for those who ‘step out’ to care for children.

Being in the same building and particpating in the correct responses satisfies the Obligation to attend Mass.
 
Technically you are physically present for the Mass, you are in the building/area. It would seem odd to simultaneously celebrate Mass in the same building. It would be like what was done before the liturgical changes allowed Concelebrated Mass.
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It would not be odd at all, if there were a legitimate reason for the practice, such as the church building being too small to accomodate the congregation. Although the postconciliar reforms favor concelebrated Masses, there is no prohibition against multiple Masses, especially for good reason.
 
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Chatter163:
It would not be odd at all, if there were a legitimate reason for the practice, such as the church building being too small to accomodate the congregation. Although the postconciliar reforms favor concelebrated Masses, there is no prohibition against multiple Masses, especially for good reason.
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I would see a prohibition in that I believe the documents, canon law if I remember correctly, indicate that there is to be only one active altar in use in a church. “Multiple Masses” meaning two or more Masses being celebrated simultaneously on different altars in the same church at the same time.
 
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