Easter and Christmas Vigil Masses

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Do these Masses count as anticipatory Masses for Easter Sunday and Christmas Day respectively?
 
Both Christmas and Easter have different Masses depending on when you go – the readings change depending on the time of day. So they’re not anticipatory Masses, they are honestly Vigil Masses.

In any case, canon law says you fulfill your obligation by attending Mass on the Sunday/holy day or the evening of the day before.
 
My concern has been just what I think you are getting at. My wife and I attended the Vigil Mass last Christmas due to my health. I sort of had to go when I could go. I understand that just that situation would mean I met my requirement. But then my family and I started discussing this. I looked in my Roman Missal and the readings and everything were so different between the Vigils and the Masses for Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.

I had not thought of reverting to the level of cannon law about fulfilling the obligation of a Holy Day in the evening before.

Thank you
 
Alpine said:
Do these Masses count as anticipatory Masses for Easter Sunday and Christmas Day respectively?
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Of course they do. In fact, the Easter Vigil is the PRINCIPAL Mass for Easter. I am sure you can find countless threads on this topic in these forums.
 
Hey dixieagle there may be a lot of answers around but I don’t know if they are countless. I tried to do my due diligence before posting and I didn’t find the answer. I searched here I even searched the Holy See, the USCCB and EWTN. As I mentioned I have a Daily Roman Missal and It doesn’t state specifically, that I can find anyway. I also searched the online Catholic Catechism and Encyclopedia via NewAdvent.com, I also looked on the Archdiocese of Denver website which is my home Diocese before posting here. The number of answers I found was not countless. 🙂

In any case with health and mobility restrictions due to stroke I know I’m not committing sin by simply going to the Mass that I can make it to but I was curious and I must say that I very much appreciate SuscipeMeDomine for pointing me in the direction of Canon Law which I must humbly say that after all my searching I had completely forgotten. Thanks and God Bless to you.
 
malphono said:
No, not really. The Mass for Easter is Resurrexi, et adhuc tecum sum… which is prescribed for Easter day.
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From the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship: usccb.org/liturgy/eastervigil.shtml

“The rubrics of the Missale Romanum remind us that this “mother of all vigils” is the “greatest and most noble of all solemnities and it is to be unique in every single Church” (Missale Romanum, “Rubrics for the Easter Vigil” (EV), no.2). On this holy night, the Church keeps watch, celebrating the resurrection of Christ in the sacraments and awaiting his return in glory. It is the turning point of the Triduum, the Passover of the new covenant, which marks Christ’s passage from death to life. Therefore, the Easter Vigil does not correspond to the usual Saturday evening Mass and its character is unique in the cycle of the liturgical year.”

Twice this week, I’ve heard priests say that the Easter Vigil is the principal Mass of Easter - indeed, the most important Mass of the liturgical year - and the above certainly seems to bear that out.
 
Alpine said:
Hey dixieagle there may be a lot of answers around but I don’t know if they are countless. I tried to do my due diligence before posting and I didn’t find the answer. I searched here I even searched the Holy See, the USCCB and EWTN. As I mentioned I have a Daily Roman Missal and It doesn’t state specifically, that I can find anyway. I also searched the online Catholic Catechism and Encyclopedia via NewAdvent.com, I also looked on the Archdiocese of Denver website which is my home Diocese before posting here. The number of answers I found was not countless. 🙂

In any case with health and mobility restrictions due to stroke I know I’m not committing sin by simply going to the Mass that I can make it to but I was curious and I must say that I very much appreciate SuscipeMeDomine for pointing me in the direction of Canon Law which I must humbly say that after all my searching I had completely forgotten. Thanks and God Bless to you.
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Can’t go wrong with Canon Law! 😉

Happy Easter!!!
 
dixieagle said:
From the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship: usccb.org/liturgy/eastervigil.shtml

“The rubrics of the Missale Romanum remind us that this “mother of all vigils” is the “greatest and most noble of all solemnities and it is to be unique in every single Church” (Missale Romanum, “Rubrics for the Easter Vigil” (EV), no.2). On this holy night, the Church keeps watch, celebrating the resurrection of Christ in the sacraments and awaiting his return in glory. It is the turning point of the Triduum, the Passover of the new covenant, which marks Christ’s passage from death to life. Therefore, the Easter Vigil does not correspond to the usual Saturday evening Mass and its character is unique in the cycle of the liturgical year.”

Twice this week, I’ve heard priests say that the Easter Vigil is the principal Mass of Easter - indeed, the most important Mass of the liturgical year - and the above certainly seems to bear that out.
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You, and the rubrics in the Missale Romanum, are correct. The Easter Vigil is the most solemn, most glorious and the primary Mass in the entire liturgical year. “This is the night when Jesus broke the chains of death.” No other Mass compares with it.
 
I thank everybody for their (name removed by moderator)ut.
It is Easter morning and last night we attended the Easter Vigil. Whatever the rubrics or priests or Latin or any other reference says… the Holy Mass of the Easter Vigil is stunning. It lasted over three hours and I was sorry when it ended. I truly felt our prayers and sacrifice being lifted to and united with the alter in Heaven. It is difficult to explain. It was not simply emotional, happy, fun, feelings that we so often look for. It was worship truly rising up to our Lord just for the sake of worshiping Him Not because it makes us feel good or because it is something we do between waking up once per week and going out to lunch. I can’t explain it… but I wish I could do it every day.
 
Alpine said:
My wife and I attended the Vigil Mass last Christmas due to my health.
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I assume you mean the Christmas Eve Mass during the Night rather than the actual Vigil Day Mass of Christmas Eve. The former would fulfill your obligation; the latter (if it indeed exists in the ordinary form; I’m not sure) would not.
 
The Christmas Vigil Mass at around 4:30 wouldn’t? Or do you mean that if there’s a Mass earlier in the day on Christmas eve that it wouldn’t fulfill the obligation?

My husband and I went to one at 4:30 last Christmas eve, definitely after sundown…
 
Rose_Maniple said:
I assume you mean the Christmas Eve Mass during the Night rather than the actual Vigil Day Mass of Christmas Eve. The former would fulfill your obligation; the latter (if it indeed exists in the ordinary form; I’m not sure) would not.
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Why would it not? Any Mass attended in the evening before a Holy Day of Obligation satisfies your obligation.

I know you, like me, are in Canada and here they say to only celebrate the Christmas Vigil (yes it exists in the OF) in the late afternoon, before or after Evening Prayer and to celebrate an anticipated Mass During the Night in the evening – as a result I’ve never, ever, in 55 years attended or known a parish to celebrate a true Vigil of Christmas Mass. But almost every post on that topic that we read here from US posters tells us that they celebrate the Vigil of Christmas at any Christmas Eve Mass celebrated before midnight.
 
dixieagle said:
From the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship: usccb.org/liturgy/eastervigil.shtml

“The rubrics of the Missale Romanum remind us that this “mother of all vigils” is the “greatest and most noble of all solemnities and it is to be unique in every single Church” (Missale Romanum, “Rubrics for the Easter Vigil” (EV), no.2). On this holy night, the Church keeps watch, celebrating the resurrection of Christ in the sacraments and awaiting his return in glory. It is the turning point of the Triduum, the Passover of the new covenant, which marks Christ’s passage from death to life. Therefore, the Easter Vigil does not correspond to the usual Saturday evening Mass and its character is unique in the cycle of the liturgical year.”

Twice this week, I’ve heard priests say that the Easter Vigil is the principal Mass of Easter - indeed, the most important Mass of the liturgical year - and the above certainly seems to bear that out.
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Yes, all of that is true. At the same time, Easter Vigil is not the principal Mass of Easter. The Easter Vigil is the Easter Vigil, which is an observance unto itself.

I don’t have an OF altar missal handy so I can’t speak about that, but in the missale romanum of 1962 (and before), the proper for Easter Sunday is printed immediately after the ordo missae while the Easter Vigil is immediately before the ordo missae. A very clear separation of the two.
 
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