Is any mass ever private? as in RSVP only?

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anniemart

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…Is is written somewhere anywhere that there can be masses held where those attended have been by “invite” only? I I’ve recently heard of two such masses and I was left wondering…

…this is a sincere question folks; no judgmental tones intended or implied; no finger pointing intended…
 
anniemart said:
…Is is written somewhere anywhere that there can be masses held where those attended have been by “invite” only? I I’ve recently heard of two such masses and I was left wondering…

…this is a sincere question folks; no judgmental tones intended or implied; no finger pointing intended…
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No, the celebration of the Sacraments is always open to all the faithful. Now that does not say that there cannot be restrictions on number of people allowed in a certain space, but reasonable accommodation needs to be made for all the faithful that want to attend. For instance the Popes private chapel can only hold a certain number of people, plus that security aspect requires tickets.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
No, the celebration of the Sacraments is always open to all the faithful. Now that does not say that there cannot be restrictions on number of people allowed in a certain space, but reasonable accommodation needs to be made for all the faithful that want to attend. For instance the Popes private chapel can only hold a certain number of people, plus that security aspect requires tickets.
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thank you or your response…can you tell me if it is customary to hold “private” first communion masses for children? to elaborate, can a parishioner invite a priest from another diocese to celebrate mass granting holy communion to just their child? I imagine that this would involve the permission of the parish priest but is it a normal occurrance in your experience?
 
I’ve heard an non diocean priest getting the permission of the bishop (b/c the bishop IS the one in charge, not the priest at that point) to celebrate a Daily Mass for a child to recieve communion/a baptism when that priest was the child’s Uncle or great uncle or cousin or the like…definatly not typical.
 
Yes, it’s possible. Technically the Mass is still open to all, but of course if only the invitees know the time and place that in itself restricts the attendees.

Depending on the parish, First Communion celebrations vary. In my current parish (small) it’s done right in the normal Sunday Mass. We only had 8 first communicants in our tiny little parish.

In my old parish, in a major metro city, we had >200 first communicants ever year. Therefore, they held FC on a couple of Saturday afternoons at special Masses for logistical reasons-- first b/c it would extend the normal Sunday Mass too much and also b/c with the extra family members all at attendance at the regular Mass it would push seating past capacity or require the families to limit their attendees.

So, those could be viewed as “private” in a sense. Anyone could go, but you’d have to know about it.

My friend, who’s Uncle is a priest and is her godfather, has done all the Sacraments for their family in what you could call a “private” ceremony. The baptisms, FCs, etc, are in his parish at a special time/day.

A wedding is the same way, one is typically invited to it-- but the Mass is actually open to anyone who wants to go.
 
anniemart said:
thank you or your response…can you tell me if it is customary to hold “private” first communion masses for children? to elaborate, can a parishioner invite a priest from another diocese to celebrate mass granting holy communion to just their child? I imagine that this would involve the permission of the parish priest but is it a normal occurrance in your experience?
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No, it’s not a normal occurrance, and in my opinion should not be even an extraordinary occurrance. First Holy Communion is usually a parish celebration of the Sacrament. First Holy Communion can be a special Mass at a special time in the parish church. But again any member of the parish would be welcome to attend, provided enough space. A priest from another diocese would need the permission of the pastor to celebrate a Mass in his parish which should also be celebrated in the parish church except when special circumstances require otherwise, like the number of people. Most pastors are required to celebrate the First Holy Communion of children and adults in their care. I would think most would allow an uncle priest to concelebrate with him. But he would want to be the main celebrant.
 
anniemart said:
…Is is written somewhere anywhere that there can be masses held where those attended have been by “invite” only? I I’ve recently heard of two such masses and I was left wondering…

…this is a sincere question folks; no judgmental tones intended or implied; no finger pointing intended…
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Yes, in cloistered holy orders.
Yes, in prisons. (outside rules preclude the general participation; the prisoners are the invitees, and even then, prison rules can preclude participation, and some require RSVPing to preclude overfilling the chapel and arranging for the correct number of guards.)

Other cases, I’m not certain about.
 
My husband is an American diplomat, and we were invited to a Mass by the papal nuncio in a country where we were once posted. The Mass was a memorial for Pope John Paul II. The head of state was going to be there, and it was a security nightmare. Only people with invitations were allowed in the church. The country was Cuba, and the head of state was Fidel Castro. Obviously, this was not an ordinary situation.
 
Of course you can have “private” masses. Let’s see. Opus Dei centers have Mass daily - for the residents of the centers. Some other members may attend at times. The Oratories are small, so they are not open to all and sundry. I’m sure there are other small chapels and Oratories that have Mass for specific small congregations. I’m also sure they will not turn away visitors, but more than a few could cause crowding.

My brother is a retired priest. He has an Oratory in his home where he celebrates Mass daily. Mostly his “congregation” is his housekeeper. The Oratory is so small that when my husband, my son and I joined his housekeeper in the congregation, the Oratory was FULL!
 
Joan_M said:
Of course you can have “private” masses. Let’s see. Opus Dei centers have Mass daily - for the residents of the centers. Some other members may attend at times. The Oratories are small, so they are not open to all and sundry. I’m sure there are other small chapels and Oratories that have Mass for specific small congregations. I’m also sure they will not turn away visitors, but more than a few could cause crowding.

My brother is a retired priest. He has an Oratory in his home where he celebrates Mass daily. Mostly his “congregation” is his housekeeper. The Oratory is so small that when my husband, my son and I joined his housekeeper in the congregation, the Oratory was FULL!
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I don’t believe that the original poster of the question had these obscure exceptions in mind.
 
I had a private mass said in my home when I celebrated 25 years since my conversion. My Parish Priest said the Mass and my immediate family attended together with friends who had supported me over the last 25 years, including my children’s godparents, my sponsor and two ladies who I have sponsored into the Church in recent years.
 
My husband is an American diplomat, and we were invited to a Mass by the papal nuncio in a country where we were once posted. The Mass was a memorial for Pope John Paul II. The head of state was going to be there, and it was a security nightmare. Only people with invitations were allowed in the church. The country was Cuba, and the head of state was Fidel Castro. Obviously, this was not an ordinary situation.
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Let me get this straight–Fidel Castro was attending Mass in memory of John Paul II? :bigyikes: And American diplomats (we have an Interests Section in Havana, but no embassy or formal diplomatic relations) were invited? :confused:
 
I always assumed that Masses such as First Communion Masses, Confirmation Masses, Wedding Masses, and Ordinations were more or less “restricted”, to allow room for all the friends/relatives of those receiving First Communion, or being confirmed/married/ordained. Of course, I could be wrong. 🙂

Other Masses, such as those specifically geared towards teenagers, families with small children, or a particular refugee community, may not be restricted, but I would probably feel awkward attending one of them.
 
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