No Vigil Mass Pre-Vatican II?

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Hello all,

The parish I like to go to from time to time is an FSSP parish, which of course, means the EF of the Mass. They have two Masses on Saturday 7:30am and 9:30am but do NOT have a Vigil Mass on Saturday evening. Is this personal parish preference or is this something new that started with Vatican II?

Thanks in advance!

Charles
 
Vigil Masses, Saturday evenings counting for Sundays, started in 1970.

That said, I don’t believe there is anything to disqualify an EF Mass celebrated on Saturday evening for counting for Sunday.
 
I’d imagine if they have two masses on Saturday already a third one might be difficult as priests are not permitted to say more than one mass a day apart from necessity in allowing the faithful to fulfill the Sunday obligation.

The vigil mass was introduced in the late 60’s I think. But the FSSP could still do it if need be as the current canon law applies to all, whichever missal they follow.
 
And not all churches have Saturday Vigil Masses anyway (especially in smaller towns or villages) so it doesn’t necessarily have to do with the EF.
 
Some traditional parishes do not really do the Saturday vigil/anticipatory Sat night mass.

I just randomly looked at two FSSP parish schedules online and neither of them had Saturday evening masses.
 
As the Saturday evening anticipated Mass was a post-Vatican II development, you won’t find it at FSSP parishes.
 
ProVobis said:
Vigil Masses, Saturday evenings counting for Sundays, started in 1970.
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‘Saturday evenings counting for Sundays’ would be correct, however there are vigil masses in the EF (Christmas Eve, Epiphany, Feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin). At least there are in my 1945 Fr. Lasance missal.

🙂
 
JM3 said:
‘Saturday evenings counting for Sundays’ would be correct, however there are vigil masses in the EF (Christmas Eve, Epiphany, Feasts of Sts. Peter and Paul, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin). At least there are in my 1945 Fr. Lasance missal.

🙂
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They were not the same thing as is the OF Form of a Saturday evening Mass counting for the Sunday Mass obligation. They were Masses in and of their own. They did not count towards filling an obligation for the following day.
 
Mike30 said:
They were Masses in and of their own. They did not count towards filling an obligation for the following day.
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Granted, but to say that there are no pre-Vatican II vigil masses would not be accurate.

🙂
 
JM3 said:
Granted, but to say that there are no pre-Vatican II vigil masses would not be accurate.

🙂
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The confusion is possibly caused by the change in the meaning of “vigil” in the Calendarium Romanum of 1969. Under the older calendar, vigils were an entire day, and were celebrated (or commemorated) the day before. They had a specific Office and Mass attached to them. In the modern calendar, Vigil is in terms of the Mass only, and “begin” the evening before certain feasts.
 
The FSSP parish I attend has Saturday Vigil High Mass, Sunday Morning High Mass, then Sunday evening Low Mass.
 
In the early Church, great feasts were begun with a vigil the previous night which continued through the morning when Holy Mass was offered.

Saturday anticipatory Masses didn’t occur before Vatican II. Major feasts had a penitential vigil often accompanied by Fasting and/or Abstinence, but the vigil Masses were said in the morning and didn’t count for the Sunday obligation. There were Vigil Masses for Christmas, the Ascension, Pentecost, St. John the Baptist, Sts. Peter & Paul, St. Lawrence, and the Assumption. Correct me if I missed any.

Masses weren’t celebrated in the afternoon or evening until 1953. The Eucharistic Fast until 1953 was no food or drink from midnight.

Saturday anticipatory Masses counting for the Sunday obligation began around 1965. It was originally, correct me if I’m wrong, meant for those who couldn’t make it to Mass on Sunday (cops, hospital workers, et cetera). However, it eventually became okay for anyone to fulfill their Sunday obligation at the Saturday anticipatory Mass. The Saturday anticipatory Mass can begin any time after Vespers. In most American diocese, this is about 4:00pm. Any Mass after this time until Sunday midnight counts for the Sunday obligation.

By the way, most of the time the Saturday anticipatory Mass is not a Vigil Mass. A Vigil Mass has it’s own propers (readings, prayers, et cetera). Most Saturday anticipatory Masses just use the propers of the following day. In the Novus Ordo Missal, there are proper Vigil Masses for Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, the Ascension, Pentecost, St. John the Baptist, Sts. Peter & Paul, and the Assumption. Again, correct me if I missed any.
 
Thanks for all the answers everyone! That clears up some of my confusion.
 
Why wouldn’t a Vigil Mass count towards the obligation to attend Mass? Considering that, liturgically speaking the feast (or Sunday) starts the evening before (as was [and is] the case with the Sabbath), I find it strange that something is being celebrated on the liturgical day of the feast or Sunday would not count.
 
ThatOneGuy92 said:
Why wouldn’t a Vigil Mass count towards the obligation to attend Mass? Considering that, liturgically speaking the feast (or Sunday) starts the evening before (as was [and is] the case with the Sabbath), I find it strange that something is being celebrated on the liturgical day of the feast or Sunday would not count.
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It’s my understanding that it DOES count toward your Sunday obligation.
 
TheExorcist said:
It’s my understanding that it DOES count toward your Sunday obligation.
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Perhaps I should have been clearer. Someone mentioned earlier that Vigil Masses did not count towards one’s obligation to attend Mass until 1970. That is what I was questioning. Sorry for the confusion :o
 
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