Feast of the Assumption

[bpbasilphx]

The Byzantine Catholic (Ruthenian) texts for Vespers of the Dormition can be found here:

metropolitancantorinstitute.org/

The full office is here, including the Synaxarion (corresponding to the Roman Martyrology):

anastasis.org.uk/15aug.htm

 

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[passus]

No, liturgically speaking, it will be the Assumption. This is a rare case, but because the Assumption outranks the Sunday (see the “Table of Liturgical Days”) the Vespers of Saturday are not First Vespers of Sunday, like usual, but Second Vespers of the Assumption.

In 1974, the Congregation of Divine Worship addressed this issue and recommended that the Mass always follow the Vespers (so in this case, it would be the Assumption). However, it gave leave to Ordinaries to mandate otherwise, so the Mass could also be (in this case) of the Sunday. Technically, the bishop is supposed to inform the clergy of his diocese what the practice is.

Fr. David replied to you in the other thread on this topic:

AJV;5552569:

I could see an argument for the Mass of the Assumption insofar as the II Vespers of the Assumption outranks the I Vespers of Sunday. The CDW declared in 1974 that the best practice was to align the Mass with whichever day of which Vespers was celebrated - though it also gave the diocesan bishop leave to depart from the rule.

Once we get into a Mass that’s celebrated on Saturday evening according to the secular calendar, things do get complicated. If it’s liturgical Saturday, the Mass is still the Assumption.

I think it makes a lot of sense for bishops to say “any Mass on Saturday evening cannot be the Mass of the Assumption” in order to avoid confusion.

I think there was a misunderstanding here that Saturday itself is no longer the Assumption, and that was what I was trying to clarify. In other words, I think some readers might have gone away from this thread thinking that Saturday 10 AM Mass would somehow not be the Assumption.

Pastorally speaking, the best response to this problem of an “overlap” in the calendar is to schedule the Mass(es) of the Assumption at a time early enough that it would not cause confusion–in other words, not on Saturday evening, nor even close enough to evening to cause confusion. Keep it in the morning or early afternoon, just to be on the safe side.

EDIT: I mean has replied, err, above. It looks like these two threads got merged. And that’s confusing.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I agree with you. How in the world could we be expected to go to Mass two days in a row? Oh the horror.I will be going to an EF with my husband.

I think the issue in this case is not so much that we have to attend two Masses, so much as what it does to priests. In my parish we normally have one daily Mass, but three Masses on holy days of obligation. That would presumably mean four Masses on a Saturday (one of them being the Mass for Sunday) plus the normal four Masses on Sunday morning. That’s a burden.

 

[jayk15]

In my country(South Africa), 15 August is still a Holy day of obligation for the Assumption of Mary. This has been going on for about three years in my country when Mary Mother of God wasn’t a day of obligation anymore, but the Assumption of Mary was made a day of obligation. The law of the Church states that in each country there must be atleast one holy day of obligation dedicated to Mary. Thats why we still have the obligation to attend Mass this Saturday. My parish has the vigil Mass on 6pm today and 8am and 10am tomorrow. Tomorrows 6pm Mass wont fulfill the Assumption of Mary obligation but will be for the Sunday.

 

[PhilotheaZ]

I think the issue in this case is not so much that we have to attend two Masses, so much as what it does to priests. In my parish we normally have one daily Mass, but three Masses on holy days of obligation. That would presumably mean four Masses on a Saturday (one of them being the Mass for Sunday) plus the normal four Masses on Sunday morning. That’s a burden.

More than a burden, if you don’t have several priests it might be forbidden. The Church recommends that a priest say no more than one Mass per day, but allows two on a weekday and three on a Sunday with a bishop’s permission. See dioceseofscranton.org/Bishop’s%20Pastoral%20Letters/MultipleMasses.asp , especially the following (bold emphasis added):

One of the reasons why we have not yet seriously felt the pinch of the shortage of priests is a relatively hidden one, and it is the purpose of this letter to bring it into the open for your prayerful consideration and understanding. That reason is that our priests are very often celebrating several Masses on the same day. It is the Church’s ancient discipline and practice that, except for very special occasions like Christmas and All Souls Day, her priests celebrate only one Mass a day. So august is God’s gift of the Eucharist, so important is the spiritual preparation for it, so careful and attentive must its celebration be, and so essential the thanksgiving to be made afterward as priests carry forth its grace to the rest of their ministry, that the multiplication of this central act in a priest’s daily life runs the risk of diminishing the value he places on it. Such a danger imperils the whole community of faith along with its priest. The law, therefore, is not an arbitrary one. It provides an essential means of fostering the holiness of the Church’s faithful.

And yet the Church, ever solicitous for the spiritual needs of the faithful and mindful of the shortage of clergy, gives its bishops the authority to permit priests, for a just cause, to celebrate two Masses on weekdays and, for a true pastoral necessity, even three Masses on a Sunday or holy day of obligation. Our priests have had this permission and they now have it from me. However, I cannot allow the limits of this permission to be exceeded. As your Bishop, I must ask you to accept the decision of your priest when he tells you that he cannot offer another Mass on a particular day.

 

[lizaanne]

Archbishop Miller?

No - the Archbishop of Detroit is Alan Vigneron.

~Liza

 

[daeve]

My parish is named Assumption, and in addition to the regular 8am Saturday Mass and 5pm Vigil, we’ll be having a Latin Mass at 3pm. We have tons of Masses every week, 2 on weekdays, 2 on Saturdays and 5 on Sundays including the 3pm Latin. This church was built in the early 1980s and doesn’t have a Communion rail. It’s planned, but we have to wait a while. One of my favorite things about this parish is no matter what type of Mass you prefer, we’ve got one. You just have to figure out what time “your” Mass is celebrated. At 10am, we even have an ASL interpreter and several pews full of people who are hearing impaired. The other really cool thing is that every Mass on the weekend is pretty much packed. If you come late to the 10am or 12, you’ll probably have to stand. At the parish where I sing, that only happens on Easter Sunday.

 

[ChuckThimm]

Hi! My first posting (ever) to a Forum. Our parish is having a mass tonight at 7:00pm to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. I’m leading the Rosary before mass.

I was wondering if people thought it would be OK to do the Glorious mysteries today instead of the Sorrowful?

 

[PhilotheaZ]

Hi! My first posting (ever) to a Forum. Our parish is having a mass tonight at 7:00pm to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. I’m leading the Rosary before mass.

I was wondering if people thought it would be OK to do the Glorious mysteries today instead of the Sorrowful?

Yes, absolutely. I would most definitely do the Glorious Mysteries for the Vigil of the Assumption. You can really pray any mysteries any day you like; the designated days are just suggestions, and if there is a feast in the liturgical calendar that is related to one of the mysteries of the Rosary, I usually pray that set of mysteries.

 

[melinda_s]

our parish had a vigil mass last night at 6pm and an 8am one this morning which hubby is now attending as our kids were a handful at the vigil lastnight for him as i had to do a reading lol!

 

[Kathrin]

In many coutnries this is a Holy Day of Obligation.
In Switzerland, as far as it is understood, it is only in the cantons where it is also a state holiday.
I live in a canton where it is not.
Still I feel I want to fulfill the obligation.

I wanted to go to a mass at 10.30, only to get there and realize I must have made a mistake, there was no mass there!

I think it is ok now to go to a saturday evening vigil mass for tomorrow and fulfill my personal obligation that way?
And then go to a Sunday morning mass for Sunday?

Kathrin

 

[NHInsider]

Well, since it is probably impossible to find a Saturday Mass at this point, I would think that you could do as you propose - but you will actually be attending the Sunday Mass twice.

Here in the States I thought the celebration of the Assumption was actually being transferred to Sunday (I’m not positive of this) which would mean that if a person went to the vigil and then again Sunday morning they would hear the Assumption Mass twice.

Either way, however, it is permissible to receive the Eucharist at both Masses.

 

[Phemie]

Any Mass on eve or on the feast day satisfies your obligation if it’s a Holy Day of Obligation.

If you specifically want to attend the Feast of the Assumption Mass you probably have to attend one early in the day because the evening Mass will most likely be that of the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

In the US, the feast is not moved to Sunday but because the it falls on a Saturday the obligation to attend Mass is abrogated.

 

[JMJ_coder]

Here’s a question:

If you attend a Mass on Saturday evening and it is the Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption, does that Mass fulfill your Sunday obligation? In a similar vein, would a Mass for a wedding or funeral on Saturday evening (after 4/5 pm) fulfill the Sunday obligation?

 

[Phemie]

Here’s a question:

If you attend a Mass on Saturday evening and it is the Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption, does that Mass fulfill your Sunday obligation? In a similar vein, would a Mass for a wedding or funeral on Saturday evening (after 4/5 pm) fulfill the Sunday obligation?

For Assumption it depends on whether or not it’s a Holy Day of Obligation in your neck of the woods.

If it is, you don’t get a two for one. You have to attend two Masses to fulfill your obligation to both Assumption and Sunday.

If it isn’t a HDO then your attendance at Mass on Saturday Evening, no matter what Mass is celebrated, fulfills your obligation for Sunday. Same applies to funerals and weddings.

 

[Kathrin]

The mass I went to in the evening was an Assumption mass , I think the feast is moved to Sunday here too.
Anyway since tomorrow, Sunday, at my own parish is their parish feast with all the different communities it will be different there.
Not that I’d mind attending two Assumption masses, I often go on Saturday evening and again on Sunday for Sundays.

In any case I think I did more than fulfill the obligation as it probably isn’t a Holy Day of obligation where I live…

Greetings and thanks,

Kathrin

 

[centurionguard]

Any Mass on eve or on the feast day satisfies your obligation if it’s a Holy Day of Obligation.

If you specifically want to attend the Feast of the Assumption Mass you probably have to attend one early in the day because the evening Mass will most likely be that of the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

In the US, the feast is not moved to Sunday but because the it falls on a Saturday the obligation to attend Mass is abrogated.

I’m not sure about our brethren U.S. Catholic Bishops south of the border, but; I wish the Bishops in Canada would make the obligation of Feast of the Assumption more prevalent even if it does fall on a weekday or Saturday. Some parishes do make the effort to draw attention to the faithful. Regrettable due to declining numbers in priests and vast distances some priest are burdened with; many feast days in the Church fall by the wayside into oblivion. It is comforting to see the U.S. Bishops upholding the commemoration of more Catholic Feast Days than is present by our Bishops in Canada.

 

[JMJ_coder]

For Assumption it depends on whether or not it’s a Holy Day of Obligation in your neck of the woods.

If it is, you don’t get a two for one. You have to attend two Masses to fulfill your obligation to both Assumption and Sunday.

If it isn’t a HDO then your attendance at Mass on Saturday Evening, no matter what Mass is celebrated, fulfills your obligation for Sunday. Same applies to funerals and weddings.

Do you have a canon for that?

 

[Phemie]

Do you have a canon for that?

Can. 1248 §1. 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.

I’m not sure if you mean a canon to support the “no 2 for 1” or any Mass counts. The canon doesn’t specify that it has to be the Mass of the day, just ‘a Mass’ on the eve or the day of.