Late to church?

[PeteZaHut]

How late can you be to church before having missed church, assuming you were late for a valid reason.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I think that once upon a time there was considered to be a maximum amount of lateness allowed. It was something like you had to be there for the gospel in order for the Mass to “count.”

There isn’t anything I’m aware of that says you can miss any of the Mass. My opinion is that if you have a good reason to be a couple of minutes late,then so be it. Otherwise, there’s probably another Mass in a little while so just wait for that one and be on time.

Here’s a more extensive answer from Michelle Arnold.

And here’s a short one from Fr. Mark Gantley:

There is nothing in the liturgical norms to permit arriving after the Mass has begun. The Mass begins with the entrance antiphon/hymn.

Of course, if some emergency comes up, I can see arriving late. But this is in fact rarely the case. One should ordinarily arrive well before Mass begins so that one prepare onesel and collect one’s thoughts before Mass begins.

 

[LilyM]

If you had a VALID reason to be late (car breaks down, etc) and no chance to attend another full Mass later in the day, then there’s no obligation to attend any more of the Mass than you can get to.

So if you can only arrive just before Communion and can only make a spiritual communion and pray for a few minutes afterwards or what have you, then so be it - still better than being totally slack and not going at all.

 

[Newbie2]

If you show up after communion, it’s pretty much over…

…otherwise why are so many people leaving then?

 

[Liberanosamalo]

I read somewhere that if you arrive after the chalice has been uncovered, you have arrived too late for it to count.

 

[rwoehmke]

I read somewhere that if you arrive after the chalice has been uncovered, you have arrived too late for it to count.

That would be the now outdated concept that arriving before the Offeratory was sufficent. When the veil is removed from the chalice or the paten taken off when there is no veil the Offeratory has begun.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

If you show up after communion, it’s pretty much over…

…otherwise why are so many people leaving then?

I normally sit way in the front of the church. One Sunday, however, I arrived just as the priest was processing in so I grabbed a seat in the very last pew.

It was an education! People kept coming into the church very late. The latest people arrived during the Eucharistic prayer. They almost ran into the earliest leavers who stood up when people started going to communion, but walked out instead of forward.

Yeesh!

One advantage of sitting in the front is that you don’t see any of this!

 

[thistle]

I think that once upon a time there was considered to be a maximum amount of lateness allowed. It was something like you had to be there for the gospel in order for the Mass to “count.”

There isn’t anything I’m aware of that says you can miss any of the Mass. My opinion is that if you have a good reason to be a couple of minutes late,then so be it. Otherwise, there’s probably another Mass in a little while so just wait for that one and be on time.

Here’s a more extensive answer from Michelle Arnold.

And here’s a short one from Fr. Mark Gantley:

There isn’t anything documented that states you must arrive at Mass at a particular time otherwise you have not fulfilled your obligation. Folks should take Mass seriously and always try to be there before the priest but if they turn up late it does not mean they have not fulfilled their obligation.

 

[Liberanosamalo]

Can I put in a word here though about priests who run through Mass in their bare feet, so to speak? Sometimes in inclement weather, or if you hit the traffic lights wrong, you could walk into church 7 minutes late and I’ve had that happen and the priest is already getting ready for the offertory!

What’s the hurry? Where is the devotion that should go into Mass?

 

[war_eagle]

How late can you be to church before having missed church, assuming you were late for a valid reason.

Things happen sometime. I would think that the most important thing would be the preaching, which typically starts about halfway into the service, so you’d have to be pretty late.

I wouldn’t beat myself up about it, but if it’s just habitual lateness, then that’s something to work on.

 

[water]

My pastor suggested that if you are late for the Gospel, you are pretty late.

 

[Kathrin]

I had this problem recently and asked the priest.
he said it used to be if you miss the gospel, you miss mass, but now it’s if you miss any of the readings, you have missed mass.
Somebody else though suggested that priest was very conservative.