P
Polska
Guest
Is it ok to go to mass on saturday at night (6:30) instead of going sunday morning only due to convenience ie. I dont feel like waking up in the morning? Does this meet the “keep the sabbath day holy” commandment?
- Status
D
Della
Guest
I think you know the answer to this. Surely your parish has more than one Sunday Mass? We attend one at 12:15 PM at ours and find we have lots of time to sleep in a bit, eat breakfast, and get ready.
J
jpusateri
Guest
Della,
Can you tell me why convenience is not a good enough reason?
Thanks!
Can you tell me why convenience is not a good enough reason?
Thanks!
R
RobNY
Guest
The Saturday Vigil Mass, if that is what you’re talking about, is a valid fulfillment of your obligation.
D
Della
Guest
Because the Saturday Vigil Mass was instituted to help those who had to work on Sundays, such as hospital workers and others. It was never meant to be a mere substitution for Sunday Mass. It’s better than not going at all, of course, but the attitude behind the question is what ought to alert us to why Saturday Vigil Mass is not to be looked upon as a way out of hauling one’s bottom out of bed on a Sunday morning, especially when the same person can sleep in on Saturday mornings.
P
Paris_Blues
Guest
It’s okay. You might as well stay for Saturday Mass if you’ve been to Confession. That’s what I do.
P
Polska
Guest
Well, the latest one here is 10:30 in the morning. Regardless, there seems to be mixed messages here by the posts. So is going on Saturday a fullfilment according the the Catholic Church?
J
JKirkLVNV
Guest
Yes, it fufills your obligation according to the Catholic Church.
J
jpusateri
Guest
It is. Canon law 1248 §1. A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass.
So it’s legal.
However Della makes the point that the attitude is essential.
We are not called to lives of convenience, but need to sanctify ourselves through suffering, beginning with inconvenience.
J
JKirkLVNV
Guest
I don’t have a dog in this race, since I go to the same Mass (9:30 AM) because I sing in the choir. I don’t think we should, however, ask more of people than the Church asks. The Church says the obligation is fufilled.
F
fix
Guest
Can. 1248 §1. A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass.
vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4N.HTM
D
Dylan
Guest
“Saturday Mass” in the evening is not the same Mass as is celebrated earlier that day. The Mass held on Saturday evenings goes under the unfortunate name “anticipated” Mass. According to the Church, Sunday begins around sundown on Saturday. You will hear if you pay attention, “…this [insert number] Sunday in ordinary time.”
“CCC 2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: ‘On sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.’ ‘The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day.’”
“CCC 2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: ‘On sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.’ ‘The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day.’”
D
Della
Guest
This is true, which is why I wrote the going on a Saturday evening is certainly better than not going at all. But, we ought to ask ourselves why we want to fore go the Sunday Mass if we don’t have to if we want to grow in love and holiness of purpose. Do you agree?
S
SAHmommy
Guest
What if it’s not inconvience, but a preference? In my church, the Saturday evening Mass is always quieter, more reverant and always celebrated by the Monsignor. On Sundays, the priests always rotate their schedules.
For some reason, parents are more likely to take their misbehaving kids out on Saturday evenings. Whenever I miss Saturday and go on Sunday, there are always little kids running up and down the aisles, bigger kids coming and going, middle schoolers fighting with their siblings, ect. Everyone seems more behaved Saturdays.
SAHmommy
H
hurst
Guest
Saturday vigil Mass is a valid fulfillment of the requirement to go to Mass on Sundays.
However, it does not fulfill the obligation to keep Sunday holy.
We are still obligated to keep Sunday holy by avoiding unnecessary servile work, praying, and honoring Jesus for opening heaven for us, etc.
hurst
However, it does not fulfill the obligation to keep Sunday holy.
We are still obligated to keep Sunday holy by avoiding unnecessary servile work, praying, and honoring Jesus for opening heaven for us, etc.
hurst
J
JKirkLVNV
Guest
Well, I dunno, Della, sometimes specific Masses are known for specific things. For example, our 9:30 Sunday Mass has a choir, we sing the Kyrie in Greek, the Gloria, the Sanctus, the Mysterium Fidei, the Amen and the Agnus Dei in Latin, you’re more likely to find the older hymns (but not alwaysThis is true, which is why I wrote the going on a Saturday evening is certainly better than not going at all. But, we ought to ask ourselves why we want to fore go the Sunday Mass if we don’t have to if we want to grow in love and holiness of purpose. Do you agree?
). Our 5:30 PM Mass on Sunday is the “youth” Mass (personally, I call it the “last-ditch-effort-to-get-to-church-by-the-bone-idle” Mass, but I probably shouldn’t) and it features more contemporary music (I’m happy to say that while it isn’t “O Salutaris Hostia,” they avoid the OCP stuff and sing Christian rock stuff, which is more orthodox, oddly and sadly enough, than OCP). Most of the rest of the Masses are simply cantored, except the 6:30 AM Sunday Mass, which has only instrumental or sometimes nothing at all). One never knows until the week before which will have which priest assigned to it (they print it in the bulletin). I can see just plain liking the evening mass better, maybe even because it’s in the evening (I wish parish priests would pray the offices in church in the evenings at least, with their congregations).Also, I can see going to the vigil if you notice that a priest more obedient to the rubrics has been assigned to it.
T
threej_lc
Guest
The Church states that when both species of the Eucharist are offered, the fullness of divine grace is present in either species, but recieving from both is preferred as it fully completes the symbolism (abusive word use there) of passover.
Similarly, a Saturday vigil mass fulfills your Sunday obligation. However, to go on a Sunday is preferred, as it completes the symbolism of celebrating Christs resurection on Easter Sunday.
There is no sacramental or obligatory difference. Sunday is just a preferred, external sign, if possible.
Josh
Similarly, a Saturday vigil mass fulfills your Sunday obligation. However, to go on a Sunday is preferred, as it completes the symbolism of celebrating Christs resurection on Easter Sunday.
There is no sacramental or obligatory difference. Sunday is just a preferred, external sign, if possible.
Josh
T
thistle
Guest
I guess I am lucky. My local church has 10 Masses on Sunday!
First one is 6.45am and last one at 8.30pm and all of them all filled to more than capacity.
First one is 6.45am and last one at 8.30pm and all of them all filled to more than capacity.
K
kamz
Guest
My church offers 5:30 Saturday Mass and Sunday Mass at 9:00 and many churches in smaller rural areas offer the same or only one mass on Sundays, such a shortage of Priests.
For the last 5 years I have almost always gone to Saturday night mass only, with four kids it is just way easier and they are in a much easier mood and we get so much more out of mass, we have tried to all go to Sunday mass and have barely made it on time, the kids are tired and cranky, and getting us all ready, showered, dressed etc. is next to impossible, where as we have all day Saturday to prepare all of us to be ready to go to Saturday evening mass. It won’t always be this way but for now this works very well for us and I know many people who only go to Saturday night mass and have no young kids, they just find this works for them.
If the Catholic church didn’t want us to go to Saturday mass all the time they would be preaching it, writing about it , making sure we understood that we were not supposed to do it all the time, until they start doing such things, I’m going Saturday night and anyone who disagrees, I could care less
For the last 5 years I have almost always gone to Saturday night mass only, with four kids it is just way easier and they are in a much easier mood and we get so much more out of mass, we have tried to all go to Sunday mass and have barely made it on time, the kids are tired and cranky, and getting us all ready, showered, dressed etc. is next to impossible, where as we have all day Saturday to prepare all of us to be ready to go to Saturday evening mass. It won’t always be this way but for now this works very well for us and I know many people who only go to Saturday night mass and have no young kids, they just find this works for them.
If the Catholic church didn’t want us to go to Saturday mass all the time they would be preaching it, writing about it , making sure we understood that we were not supposed to do it all the time, until they start doing such things, I’m going Saturday night and anyone who disagrees, I could care less
M
maryjk
Guest
Maybe the same person could sleep in on Saturday.
While my son was in the second grade, the only CCD class for second grade was held at 9 am Saturday. Since I was a teacher, I needed to be there by 8:30. That meant leaving my house by 8:00. Saturday was not the day to sleep in. Many times I went to Mass Saturday evening, so I could sleep in one day a week.
On another note, there are other reasons for going to Saturday evening Mass regularly. Last year I taught the five year olds. Class was held during 10:30 Mass. That meant that I could go an Saturday evening. My other option was at 8am Sunday. Attend Mass, then hang around for an hour until my class started. And I couldn’t get into the classroom early since there was another class going on. In addition, I would have had to run back to take my son home after Mass or make him sit through a class for five year olds.
- Status