MERGED: Easter Vigil-obligation/Saturday Evening Mass

  • Thread starter Thread starter agapewolf
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
asd72 said:
Does the Saturday night mass count as Sunday obligation, or is that only on particular dates?
Click to expand...
Check the Church bullitin. If it says “Vigil” for the saturday evening mass, all is OK.

I like to attend St. Peter and Paul Church, Latin-rite, at 5 PM every Saturday. Then Sunday at 10 AM is my Greek-rite Church. Double winner!
 
BVM_1221 said:
Check the Church bullitin. If it says “Vigil” for the saturday evening mass, all is OK.
Click to expand...
Please don’t depend on that. Most parishes don’t call it a vigil Mass because it isn’t one – it’s the Sunday Mass.

There are only 6 Vigil Masses through the year: Easter, Pentecost, the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Solemnity of SS Peter and Paul, Assumption of the BVM, and the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).

If it lists a Mass after 4 p.m. Saturday, and doesn’t say anything more, it’s likely to be the Sunday Mass that is celebrated. And if it happens to not be the Sunday Mass, then what? It still meets your obligation because the law is that we shall attend ‘Mass’ on the evening before or on the Holy Day of Obligation (which every Sunday is). Just “Mass”, not a specific Mass.
 
Nelka said:
I like the vigil Mass during the winter when its dark out and all the lights are on with candles everywhere.

I miss the incense though, it’s hardly used like it used to be.
Click to expand...
Before I moved recently I used to drive into the city for Confession and the TLM done by the FSSP. Confession was always Saturday nights, and I used to love walking in there when it was quiet and empty and the smell of incense (the priest was really incense-happy at Mass) was absorbed into everything. I actually felt like I was in a Catholic Church.All warm and incensey.

I know what you mean by incense hardly being used anymore. I couldn’t afford to drive in every night during the Triduum, so I had to attend all of it in the OF. Being so used to how the FSSP priest used incense during Mass and watching the other priest use it, I recall thinking to myself, “you wouldn’t want to give that swing, eh? You might get some incense in the air” :o The priest would literally just lift up his arm with the thurible, and whatever momentum the lifting motion created, those were the “swings”.
 
In most dioceses, the Saturday Vigil counts as a Sunday Mass. I believe, however, that certain countries or bishops’ conferences may not permit this. When I visited Ireland in the early 90’s, the Irish bishops had just given permission for this and Sunday Mass attendance dropped drastically in favor of Saturday night.
 
OK All:
Here is a whole bunch of info for you to reflect on…I got the following information from “The Vatican II Sunday Missal (1975-1999 and thereafter)” . Quote: “The liturgical texts of the Vatican II Sunday Missal are in agreement with the approved editions. Approval is givne for the publication of this missal.” Signed by Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, Archbishop of Boston. October 7, 1974 (Feast of the Holy Rosary). There are many copyrights: 1964, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1974 - many liturgical texts are referred - too many for this response.

pp. 412-413 -
“1. In accord with ancient tradition, this night is one of vigil for the Lord (Ex 12:42). The Gospel of Luke (12:35ff) is a reminder to the faithful to have their lamps burning ready, to be like men awaiting their master’s return so that when he arrives he will find them wide awake and will seat them at his table.”
(item 2 discusses the 4 parts of the Easter vigil.)
"3. The entire celebration of the Easter vigil takes place at night. It should not begin before nightfall; it should end before daybreak on Sunday. In the United States, although it is never permitted to celebrate the entire Easter Vigil more than once in a given church or anticipate the Mass of Easter before the vigil, in those places where the local Ordinary permits the anticipation of Sunday Masses on Saturday evening, for pastoral reasons an additional Mass may be celebrated after the Mass of the Easter Vigil. Such a Mass may follow the liturgy of the word of the Mass of the Easter Vigil (nos. 23-36) and other texts of that Mass and should include the renewal of the baptismal promises.
“4. Even if the vigil Mass takes place before midnight, the Easter Massof the resurrection is celebrated. Those who participate in the Mass at night may receive communion again at the second Mass of Easter Sunday.”

It gets a bit confusing around the end of item # 3. If there is a priest out there who could explain it in plain English, (or Latin - lol), I would really appreciate it. If this is now out of date, could you reference where the new guidelines might be found?
 
I can see where you’re confused! When it was first published it looks as though Saturday anticipated Masses were not the norm in every diocese. Saying that in those dioceses where they were allowed, for pastoral reasons you could anticipate the Easter Mass AFTER the Vigil does mean that the Vigil didn’t fulfill the obligation – or did it mean that to be pastoral you celebrated an anticipated Easter Mass for those who wouldn’t come to the Vigil for whatever reason?

Of course by 1983 the point is moot since any Mass on the eve of a Holy Day of Obligation fulfills the obligation.
 
Cavaille-Coll said:
In most dioceses, the Saturday Vigil counts as a Sunday Mass. I believe, however, that certain countries or bishops’ conferences may not permit this. When I visited Ireland in the early 90’s, the Irish bishops had just given permission for this and Sunday Mass attendance dropped drastically in favor of Saturday night.
Click to expand...
It’s not up to the bishops. Canon law specifically states that we fulfill our obligation by attending Mass on the day of or evening before a holy day of obligation.
 
asd72 said:
Does the Saturday night mass count as Sunday obligation, or is that only on particular dates?
Click to expand...
Its very simple. The Mass on the evening before days of obligation (Sundays and other days of obligation) fulfill the obligation.

Canon Law:

Can. 1248 §1 The obligation of assisting at Mass is satisfied wherever Mass is celebrated in a Catholic rite either on a holyday itself or on the evening of the previous day.
 
Phemie said:
I can see where you’re confused! When it was first published it looks as though Saturday anticipated Masses were not the norm in every diocese. Saying that in those dioceses where they were allowed, for pastoral reasons you could anticipate the Easter Mass AFTER the Vigil does mean that the Vigil didn’t fulfill the obligation – or did it mean that to be pastoral you celebrated an anticipated Easter Mass for those who wouldn’t come to the Vigil for whatever reason?

Of course by 1983 the point is moot since any Mass on the eve of a Holy Day of Obligation fulfills the obligation.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the post. Can you do me a favor? Can you site where in Church teaching that it says that any Mass on the eve of a Holy Day of Obligation fulfils the obligation? That would help me greatly!
 
Maeby(name removed by moderator):
Thanks for the post. Can you do me a favor? Can you site where in Church teaching that it says that any Mass on the eve of a Holy Day of Obligation fulfils the obligation? That would help me greatly!
I should have worded that more carefully, Any ‘evening’ Mass on the eve of a Holy Day of Obligation. I tend to think of ‘eve’ as evening though obviously the entire day is the eve.
 
Today, some people invited me to a talk next Saturday where there would be a mass afterwards and the flyer said the mass would count as a Vigil mass. So I said, “Oh good. I can attend mass Saturday instead of Sunday”

I was told that’s the Novus Ordo way - Pre-vatican. Traditionalists don’t believe in that.

I was like :confused:.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top