Have you ever been the only one at Mass?

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Nelka

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Maybe a weekday Mass or a special Mass?

There were about ten of us this morning I think.

If you were, would you be obligated to do all of the readings?

(Obviously the priest is there).
 
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Yes, I’ve been the only one at Mass. While I didn’t feel obligated to do the reading, the priest asked me and I did so.
 
There were two of us and the priest on a weekday Mass. Weather was bad that night.
 
Ten people is on the lower end of average for attendance at a weekday Mass in my parish.

I’ve been the only one at Mass on many occasions, and did the reading(s) and responsorial Psalm because I was asked to do so by the priest but I certainly wasn’t “obligated.” There were two notable exceptions.

One time, I told the priest I’d rather he did the readings because we were in a major hurry (long story), the vernacular was French and at the time I read French very, very slowly. 😳

The other time the Mass was EF, so nothing for me to read 😀
 
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Nelka said:
If you were, would you be obligated to do all of the readings?
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No and no.

I’ve never been the only one at a mass, but even if I were, I can’t see how this would obligate me to do something I’m not trained or gone through formation for.
 
I would love to be. My priest told me he sometimes says Mass on his own (in private) and that sounds wonderful.
 
Yes , especially when I was an altar server in the 1950s .

There used to be a little chapel upstairs in the presbytery . And one Christmas morning the parish priest asked me to serve his three Christmas Masses in the little chapel .
 
Augustinian said:
I can’t see how this would obligate me to do something I’m not trained or gone through formation for.
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I’ve never been a regular lector anywhere but once or twice a priest has kindly invited me, on the spur of the moment, to step in to fill a gap and do one of the readings. There’s nothing to it. If you’ve ever addressed a meeting of any kind, or if you’ve ever taught a class, you already know how to do it. You don’t need “training” or “formation.” It’s just reading aloud from a printed book.
 
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In the 60’s I served a private Mass. Messed up pretty bad but Monsignor was very patient. God bless him,
 
I served a private Mass and I was the only one there besides the priest. It was very peaceful being the only one there.
 
Yes, in a terrible blizzard. I told the priest that God was telling him to take the morning off. I went home.
 
No. The weekday masses here have a lot more than ten people. Even the one at 8:00 A. M. has more than that. Not sure if that’s too early though.
 
Actually, I believe the GIRM indicates that if it’s you and the priest alone for Mass, you should do the readings, as it’s preferable that the priest defer to “another minister” for that part. He can do it, but it rightly should be someone else whenever possible, as I understand it.
 
I’ve never had this happened to me yet. Even on one of the sundays when the church wasn’t supposed to open because we had a typhoon, many showed up and mass ended up being carried out anyway because there was a room full of people ready to celebrate and receive communion.
 
yes i have; more than once

we had a little private chapel in the island of the aircraft carrier i served on

we had a full-time catholic chaplain on board

more than once; i was the only attendee there

i recall one incident where an enlisted aviator on an S3 viking attended

mass was done

he went on the bird

and unfortunately she went belly up off the catapault & crashed

he was not one of the ones saved
 
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Indeed. A rattlesnake bit me but promptly died. How are you, sailor?
 
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