non-Sunday Masses

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I am not a daily Communicant. I had occasion to assist at Mass on a Thursday and noticed that certain things were missing: Credo, Gloria. I was told that those things are always excluded from weekday Masses but that doesn’t sound right. Was I misinformed? Thanks.
 
jtliuzza said:
I am not a daily Communicant. I had occasion to assist at Mass on a Thursday and noticed that certain things were missing: Credo, Gloria. I was told that those things are always excluded from weekday Masses but that doesn’t sound right. Was I misinformed? Thanks.
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Sounds about right.
 
Sounds right. They are added to daily Mass for certain solemnities and feasts, however.
 
This was right. And you were probably missing a reading, too.
 
The rules are:
[The Gloria] is sung or said on Sundays outside the Seasons of Advent and Lent, on solemnities and feasts, and at special celebrations of a more solemn character.
and
The Creed is to be sung or said by the priest together with the people on Sundays and Solemnities. It may be said also at particular celebrations of a more solemn character.
Remember also that a weekday Mass will generally only have one reading before the Gospel instead of two.
 
If a weekday Mass is a Solemnity, you do get the extra (second) reading.
 
I LOVE daily Mass!!

Usually, the homilies are better than at Sunday Mass. The priest has to get the Mass done in a shorter time so that people can get to work, so … because of the “time discipline”, he cuts to the chase and often you get the saint-of-the-day as well as some insights into the psalm reading or the gospel/epistle reading.

At Sunday Mass (or weekday solemnity), there is an OT, NT, and gospel reading + psalm. At daily Mass the OT and NT readings are on alternate days.

There is an annual booklet published by the diocese that lists the readings for each day so the priest can set the “ribbons” properly. Often, if there are special saints days, etc, there are also optional readings. When I used to help out, setting up, etc, it was fun to “argue” over which optional readings to use. Priest had the final word and the arguements only lasted about three seconds. Enjoyable stuff.

People always took these things very seriously, though, and I can remember when once in a rare while by accident the wrong reading was done and I thought the celebrant was going to do hari-kiri … no joke. The guy would be really crushed.

I love daily Mass.

It’s also an opportunity to get to confession often. Once you get into the pattern, you can find out if the priest has a few minutes after Mass for confession. Before Mass, it is difficult … the “mental preparation” for Mass … even for a daily Mass … is very intense. On occasion I was asked to serve and could observe from three feet away. Even very senior priests would be almost shaking during the Consecration. They really want to do everything absolutely right. It’s a very faith-strengthening experience, just to be privileged to be able to observe from close-up.

But after Mass, the priest is more relaxed.

And after Mass, people often bring special requests for blessings, prayer requests for the sick.

Each day can be a little bit different.

Once you get “into it”, you also realize that there is a “community” that revolves around the daily Mass. You may not ever get to know peoples’ names or their families or their jobs, but the community is very strong. It’s an amazing experience.
 
Seems to me … check it out … that there is a “St. Joseph” daily missal that you can buy … and it has all the daily readings … instead of the missalette. It might be in several volumes to reduce the thickness.

Some parishes, at daily Mass … or just the earliest Mass of the day … the “community” brings out a cart of brieviaries … and the priest comes out ten or twenty minutes BEFORE the Mass starts … and the whole community reads together aloud.

It’s a very moving and spiritual experience.

For them, it’s very “routine” … they all know which pages to use on which day.

When I was a visitor or guest, one of the regulars would show me the right pages.

It’s a real privilege to find a community like that.

I traveled a lot for work and would just “bumble” into these truly remarkable places.

Sometimes, when I would arrive in a city where I had never been before, as soon as I got to the hotel, I would immediately call any Catholic church and even if it was off hours, but not too late, I would ask the priest who answered if he knew the nearest church to where I was staying and the Mass schedule. Without exception, they were thrilled to be able to suggest which parish church had the best daily Mass schedule to accommodate my work schedule.

Maybe the key was to ask if there was a 6:30 morning Mass. I guess they figured I was really motivated if I wanted to get to Mass at 6:30! I can remember being jetlagged and getting to Mass after only a few hours sleep.

One time, I was driving and at 8:30 in the morning came across “Church Street” … and I wondered if there was a Catholic church nearby. So I just picked a direction … seemingly at random … and in a minute or two … there was a Catholic church with the Mass “community” gathering to start the Mass.

Another time I was in D.C. and asked the “concierge” and they told me how to short cut through a parking garage to get to the 6:30 morning Mass at St. Thomas Church.

Sorry for rambling.

I just love daily Mass.
 
I am not sure about the new Mass, but traditionally Gloria was and is required for any festive, semifestive and Ordinary mass, and omitted only for ferial Masses or commemorations (4th class). There is no Gloria for Sundays of Advent and Lent.

Credo is for festive and semifestive offices and for every Sundays. Before 1960 there was Credo for the Doctors of Church too.
 
Monte_RCMS said:
When I used to help out, setting up, etc, it was fun to “argue” over which optional readings to use. Priest had the final word and the arguements only lasted about three seconds. Enjoyable stuff.
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Hahaha!
Monte_RCMS said:
It’s also an opportunity to get to confession often. Once you get into the pattern, you can find out if the priest has a few minutes after Mass for confession. Before Mass, it is difficult … the “mental preparation” for Mass … even for a daily Mass … is very intense. On occasion I was asked to serve and could observe from three feet away. Even very senior priests would be almost shaking during the Consecration. They really want to do everything absolutely right. It’s a very faith-strengthening experience, just to be privileged to be able to observe from close-up.
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I agree. Serving on Sunday is wonderful, particularly because we do an OF high Mass every week, but I really love serving daily Mass, for the same reasons you say. It’s also much easier to pray and be reverent serving by yourself on a week day than trying to manage 15 servers. Granted, our 15+ servers are awesome, but it’s just different.
 
Monte_RCMS said:
I just love daily Mass.
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When I first decided to check out the Catholic Church, it was during a weekday morning Mass. There were only about a dozen people participating, but they really impressed me. Great atmosphere. Great experience. I went back. Now, I’m Catholic!

No luke warm pretenders at early morning weekday Mass!
 
Monte_RCMS said:
I LOVE daily Mass!!

Usually, the homilies are better than at Sunday Mass.
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In many, if not most cases, there is no preaching at daily Mass. Though at the school Mass I used to go to a few years ago, there was some preaching. At the morning non-school Mass before said school Mass, same priest, there was no lesson by a homilist offered.
 
angelic06 said:
In many, if not most cases, there is no preaching at daily Mass. Though at the school Mass I used to go to a few years ago, there was some preaching. At the morning non-school Mass before said school Mass, same priest, there was no lesson by a homilist offered.
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Wow! I can count on the fingers of one hand the occasions in where there was no homily at a weekday Mass!

In fact, maybe only one time.

It was always brief to be sure.
 
Incomplete said:
I’ve been to daily Mass at several locations, but I’ve never been to one with no preaching.
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It has only happened to me a couple times. Once a priest filled in at the last moment and said that in the seminary they said not to give an unprepared homily. So we just meditated quietly for a moment on the readings. One other time the priest had overslept (I think) and it was a late start to an early morning Mass and he had to be somewhere so no music and no homily. But even though, sometimes it is very brief, I almost alwyas hear something.
 
marytk said:
It has only happened to me a couple times. Once a priest filled in at the last moment and said that in the seminary they said not to give an unprepared homily. So we just meditated quietly for a moment on the readings. One other time the priest had overslept (I think) and it was a late start to an early morning Mass and he had to be somewhere so no music and no homily. But even though, sometimes it is very brief, I almost alwyas hear something.
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It all depends on the priest. I heard one who just reads the biography of the saint of the day.
 
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