Saturday Wedding: does it fulfill my Sunday obligation?

[Tantum_ergo]

Can you provide any insight into why the verb used is “assist” rather than “participate”?

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To make things more clear. As we all know, what one person defines a given word as meaning is not necessarily the definition another person holds to. . .and living language evolves. You can have one word with several variations of meaning–some of them quite obscure–and if the ‘authoritative’ meaning and the ‘popular meaning’ begin to diverge, the situation becomes very sticky. Just ask most Protestants if one can ‘pray’ to anybody but God, for example. . .

All Masses require a priest. A valid Mass can be said by a priest, alone, without any other person ‘participating’.

The priest is offering the Mass and we assist him in our presence.

That assistance can require certain actions in which we participate, but even if we never opened our mouths or moved from the pew, we still ‘assist’ at the Mass provided we are doing our best to follow by listening and prayer.

To say that we ‘participate’, in what is fast becoming the ‘popular’ meaning, goes beyond ‘assistance’ to having what amounts to a large role–if not an equal role–in a given situation. We laity do not have an ‘equal’ role in the Sacrifice of the Mass to that of the priest–never did, never will.

By using the very clear word “assist”, we see that we have a role but not an equally ‘participatory’ role to that of the priest.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

After composing this post, I see now that cameron_lansing is hard at work again dispensing expertise and wisdom to go along with it. I touched on a couple other points below, so I’ll go ahead and post this. This is true, so far as I know.This is true - some people misread it to include the phrase “except when the wrong readings are used.” I know that Maronites celebrate Vigil Mass for Sundays on Saturday evening, however for Pascha the Vigil may not begin until midnight.I don’t recall the documents which discuss wedding masses after 4pm, but I think it encourages exactly what you say - normal readings for the vigil rather than wedding-specific readings. However, it is a suggestion, not binding law. And regardless, it does not invalidate the mass attended by the OP, and thus Canon 1248 says she’s fulfilled her obligation.

I would also point out the example Chatter163 gave, and which I’ve heard elsewhere in relation to other Holy Days: If there is more than one feast or solemnity on a given day, one or more masses celebrated may use the readings from the feast other than the Holy Day of Obligation. As long as you’ve participated on that day (or the previous evening), you’ve fulfilled your obligation. There is no need to call ahead to the church downtown near your office to find out what readings they’ll be using at the noon mass on such a double feast Holy Day.

This little bit is in the document on the Lectionary, I’ll try to find it again. By the way you are correct Maronites do have a Saturday evening Mass each week, I attended one once, now that you mention it. A person should not have to concern themselves with what readings are used, since they have no ability to determine them anyway. If someone shows up at the normal 5:30 Saturday Mass and it turns out to be a wedding Mass, with special readings, then they have met their Sunday obligation. If someone uses improper readings it’s not their fault. Instead of trying to have one Mass count for two why not just attend the wedding Mass on Saturday and then a proper Sunday Mass on Sunday for your Sunday obligation? Is that really too much?

 

[Digitonomy]

To say that we ‘participate’, in what is fast becoming the ‘popular’ meaning, goes beyond ‘assistance’ to having what amounts to a large role–if not an equal role–in a given situation.

That is an interesting theory - I view it exactly opposite. By attending mass, we are all participants (as opposed to celebrants). But to actually assist at mass strikes me as more direct and active assistance to the celebrant, such as that done by the sacristan, reader/lector, EMHC, etc. In other words, in my mind assisting is a larger role than participating.

However, the only people who have an obligation to assist by my definition are the ordained and possibly instituted ministries. So I guess I was wondering whether Canon 1248 applied specifically to them, and only by extrapolation to the rest of the faithful… Or if “assist” has a more technical meaning in this context that I’m not aware of - perhaps exactly as you’ve explained.

 

[cameron_lansing]

"Can you provide any insight into why the verb used is “assist” rather than “participate”?

For a start, I would look at actual language of the text to consider the issue before proceeding in a discussion about this. This will help avoiding reading into the law or making conclusions not supported by the canon itself. Consider the following.

In canon 1247, the obligation (precept) to which the faithful are bound is of participating at Mass on Sundays and other feast days: “Die dominica aliisque diebus festis de praecepto fideles obligatione tenentur Missam participandi . . .” The obligation is one of participation.

Both notions, participating and assisting, are contained in the actual text of canon 1248:
" Praecepto de Missa participanda satisfacit qui Missae assistit . . ." So the obligation is participation, and the way in which it is satisfied is by assisting.

Then too, go back to the context of the beginning canons on the Eucharist. Note the titles and view the canons.

Title III. Most Holy Eucharist (de Sanctissima Eucharistia), 897
Chap. I. Eucharistic Celebration (de Eucharistica Celebratione), 899
Art. 1. Minister Of Most Holy Eucharist (de Sanctissime Eucharistiae Ministro), 900
Art. 2. Participation In Most Holy Eucharist (de Sanctissima Eucharistia Participanda), 912

How will that affect your discussion? Something to consider.

However, I should make it clear that I agree with “why not just attend the wedding Mass on Saturday and then a proper Sunday Mass on Sunday for your Sunday obligation? Is that really too much?”

 

[Scottgun]

However remember that sometimes you will get an incorrect response even from the priest, who may just be trying to be nice.

I can’t imagine any priest doing this unless they were flagrant liturgy abusers in which case someone concerned with obligations is going be suspicious of anyway.

 

[lizaanne]

Instead of trying to figure out a way to avoid attending an extra Mass one weekend. go to the wedding Saturday and just stop and attend Mass Sunday morning before returning or stop along the way Sunday morning for Mass. It’s only an hour!

I have NEVER tried to find a way to avoid Mass.

~Liza

 

[1ke]

Instead of trying to figure out a way to avoid attending an extra Mass one weekend.

Why do you assume such a motive on the part of the OP (or any Catholic, for that matter)?

go to the wedding Saturday and just stop and attend Mass Sunday morning before returning or stop along the way Sunday morning for Mass. It’s only an hour!

You are assuming the OP is traveling by car, and that she has many Masses to choose from.

When DH and I got married, his family traveled to my location at the time for the wedding (out of state). Our wedding was in the afternoon and the reception was a dinner.

This area where I now live (and my DH’s family lives) is very rural, and we only have 1 mass per weekend. The surrounding churches (within 1 hour’s drive) also only have 1 mass, and none are Sunday evening.

The airline schedule was also equally meager to our little regional airport. So, arranging travel around Mass would have been impossible for my husband’s family.

Fortunately, we had our own priest in tow for the wedding and I arranged to use a conference room at the hotel for a crack-of-dawn Mass for the travellers before their departure. If I hadn’t made extra-special arrangements, and had my own priest, my DH’s family would have had to miss Mass on Sunday to travel home.

And, keep in mind that traveling is a legitimate reason to be dispensed from mass- if it’s not possible to get to one.

 

[anniemart]

**Thank you BroRich SFO and Cameron Lansing…you both cleared up quite a bit for me today…I’ll be sharing your answers with the study group.

God Bless you both for choosing your vocation!**

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Why do you assume such a motive on the part of the OP (or any Catholic, for that matter)?

You are assuming the OP is traveling by car, and that she has many Masses to choose from.

When DH and I got married, his family traveled to my location at the time for the wedding (out of state). Our wedding was in the afternoon and the reception was a dinner.

This area where I now live (and my DH’s family lives) is very rural, and we only have 1 mass per weekend. The surrounding churches (within 1 hour’s drive) also only have 1 mass, and none are Sunday evening.

The airline schedule was also equally meager to our little regional airport. So, arranging travel around Mass would have been impossible for my husband’s family.

Fortunately, we had our own priest in tow for the wedding and I arranged to use a conference room at the hotel for a crack-of-dawn Mass for the travellers before their departure. If I hadn’t made extra-special arrangements, and had my own priest, my DH’s family would have had to miss Mass on Sunday to travel home.

And, keep in mind that traveling is a legitimate reason to be dispensed from mass- if it’s not possible to get to one.

Actually we are not discussing the original post any longer. The original poster asked if a Saturday morning/afternoon wedding will fulfill their Sunday obligation? The answers is, NO. We are now off into the area of Saturday evening weddings, the readings required by the Proper of the Lectionary for Saturday evening Mass, The Sunday Mass obligation and the reasons allowing the obligation to be dispensed. In other words we are no longer talking about the original posters, original question any longer.

 

[JimG]

Found this question on the Ask An Apologist forum. It would seem that any Mass celebrated after 4pm Saturday, whether it be a funeral, wedding, ordination, or any other Mass, fulfills the Sunday obligation, regardless of the readings.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Found this question on the Ask An Apologist forum. It would seem that any Mass celebrated after 4pm Saturday, whether it be a funeral, wedding, ordination, or any other Mass, fulfills the Sunday obligation, regardless of the readings.

This is the one that I didn’t agree with the AAA forum answer and it triggered a discussion on the open boards about the same time and lead to me finding the one little paragraph in a document stating that a Mass on evening prior to a Holy Day must use the proper readings either for the Vigil if the Vigil has it own readings or the Holy Day to be a licit for meeting the Obligation.

 

[Chatter163]

This is the one that I didn’t agree with the AAA forum answer and it triggered a discussion on the open boards about the same time and lead to me finding the one little paragraph in a document stating that a Mass on evening prior to a Holy Day must use the proper readings either for the Vigil if the Vigil has it own readings or the Holy Day to be a licit for meeting the Obligation.

Which document is this? Care to share?

 

[AlexV]

This issue has come up almost endlessly on these fora.

Simply put: the REAL reason this issue has any interest is because of a little appreciated liturgical fact.

Let’s say it’s Saturday, 14 September. It’s the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, in EITHER calendar. Vespers - even in the ordinary usage - is of the Holy Cross. NOT the First Vespers of Sunday.

That’s because Holy Cross trumps the Sunday per annum.

However, this causes a problem. What Mass do you celebrate that evening?

Quite frankly, you should be celebrating Holy Cross. That creates a problem for people who come to Mass, however, expecting the “Sunday Mass”.

SOME ordinaries have issued specific guidelines here (though it’s by no means certain they have this authority). They’ve decreed that ALL Saturday night Masses are ALWAYS of the Sunday.

Okay, what about Saturday night, December 25?

It’s Christmas. Period. Not Holy Family.

Many/most parishes follow the (smart) solution: there doesn’t always HAVE to be a Saturday night Mass. Who says? No such rule exists. So many places will cut a Saturday night Mass on, say, December 25. Probably not on September 14, etc.

Incidentally, when I worked in one parish, the quickest way to enrage quite a few people (almost ALL of them old) was to cancel the Saturday night Mass. Some of them couldn’t grasp why the Easter Vigil wasn’t at 5:00 pm. I digress.

My pastor then did the liturgically sound thing: he’d cancel Saturday night Mass when it wasn’t properly the anticipated Mass of Sunday. He’d replace it sometimes with Vespers to celebrate the feast. He was liturgically conscious.

But the bottom line is, Canon Law does NOT say the obligatory Sunday Mass MUST have the Sunday readings, and indeed there are occasions where even on Sunday the Mass will be different. For example, your parish has a Sunday night Mass on August 14. Sorry, it’s Assumption Vigil. If you attend, you HAVE fulfilled the Sunday obligation, since the obligation is for SUNDAY, not for the liturgical texts proper to the Sunday. Obviously the spirit of the law comes into play here, however, and one shouldn’t seek to avoid “obligations”.

 

[porthos11]

Saturday evening Masses after 4pm should use the proper readings for the Sunday. They don’t have to, but if they don’t, the Mass is not properly the Anticipated Mass for Sunday. Many people misread the Canon that says that attendance at any Mass in any Catholic Rite on the Holy Day or the preceeding evening (vigil) satisfies the obligation. No Eastern Rites that I know of have Vigils for Sunday or Holy Days. So that limites us to the Latin Rite for Saturdays.

But the canon is clear. Saturday evening Mass or Divine Liturgy in Any Rite fulfills the obligation. Nowhere does the canon indicate that the Mass must explicitly be a vigil. If any, this fact of no vigil Masses in Eastern rites only serves to reinforce the interpretation that a Mass does not have to be a vigil. Otherwise, why even bother to mention Any Rite and then only find out that Any Rite meant only Latin Rite?

Instead of trying to figure out a way to avoid attending an extra Mass one weekend. go to the wedding Saturday and just stop and attend Mass Sunday morning before returning or stop along the way Sunday morning for Mass. It’s only an hour!

With this, however, I agree. But then I think the OP was asking for the minimum.

 

[Aramis]

No Eastern Rites that I know of have Vigils for Sunday or Holy Days. So that limites us to the Latin Rite for Saturdays.

Ruthenian Rite does. Not in all parishes.

ak-byz-cath.org/st_nick_info_page.htm