So, can I attend a SSPX mass or not?

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Armor_of_Light

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Too much conflicting information! At least in my 2 days of reading internet posts.

Mass?
Confession?

As a catholic (loyal to the Pope) can I go to SSPX for sacraments?

Thanks
 
Mass: as long as you are attending the Mass at an SSPX location and not an “affiliated” location, and as long as you attend Mass for a want to attend the EF Mass and not to “protest the Pope” or some business, and as long as there are no licit parish EF Masses within reasonable distance, then yes, you may attend.

Confession: no.
 
Armor_of_Light said:
Too much conflicting information! At least in my 2 days of reading internet posts.

Mass?
Confession?

As a catholic (loyal to the Pope) can I go to SSPX for sacraments?

Thanks
Click to expand...
There will be arguments on the Mass both ways, but as you said, you’re loyal to the Pope, so unless they are regularized, I would just say no.

Confession though, is another story. SSPX confessions and marriages are invalid (not merely illicit), so no matter what anyone says to the contrary (all that “supplied jurisdiction because of the crisis” stuff), you should not go to them for Confession.
 
The SSPX and the Sacraments: Cliff Notes!

Baptism: Valid. Even non-Catholics can validly baptize if all the criteria is met.

Confirmation: Valid, but illicit.

Eucharist (aka Mass): Valid, but illicit. Can only attend if no EF is in your area and you aren’t going due to a “protestant” mindset (irony!).

Confession: Invalid.

Holy Orders: Valid, but highly illicit.

Marriage: Extremely mostly sure that this is invalid, because you need canonical faculties to marry a man and a woman.

Anointing of the Sick: Tough to say. I think the actual anointing is valid, but a lot of people get “bulk Sacraments” with this, and if that’s the case then any of the above applies to this one.
 
YoungTradCath said:
Mass: as long as you are attending the Mass at an SSPX location and not an “affiliated” location, and as long as you attend Mass for a want to attend the EF Mass and not to “protest the Pope” or some business, and as long as there are no licit parish EF Masses within reasonable distance, then yes, you may attend.

Confession: no.
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Right. This is correct.

But, in regards to confession its a no because they have suspended priests, who are suspended ‘a divinis’.

SSPX affiliated chapels are almost always independent, and may be merely associated with the SSPX, and the validity of their sacraments is doubtful as the priest might be fully independent, rather than SSPX.

But remember, never ever EVER go to a Mass in disobedience to the successor of St Peter! That is unacceptable.
 
For me, I think the question we should ask ourselves is less “Can I?” and more “Should I?”

Their bishops were validly (but illicitly) consecrated. Consequently, their priests are validly (but illicitly) ordained as priests. Any validly-ordained priest can validly celebrate Mass, even if it is illicit to do so.

However, even a validly ordained priest needs to have been given the faculties by his local ordinary in order to validly celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (see Canon 966). Since the SSPX bishops have not been given an office by the Church, they don’t really have the authority to confer these faculties.
 
Melchior said:
Anointing of the Sick: Tough to say. I think the actual anointing is valid, but a lot of people get “bulk Sacraments” with this, and if that’s the case then any of the above applies to this one.
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If the Anointing is accompanied by confession and there is danger of death, the Church supplies the necessary jurisdiction by virtue of the law, and the absolution is then valid. The key thing here is danger of death.
 
Joe_5859 said:
For me, I think the question we should ask ourselves is less “Can I?” and more “Should I?” Their bishops were validly (but illicitly) consecrated. Consequently, their priests are validly (but illicitly) ordained as priests. Any validly-ordained priest can validly celebrate Mass, even if it is illicit to do so. However, even a validly ordained priest needs to have been given the faculties by his local ordinary in order to validly celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (see Canon 966). Since the SSPX bishops have not been given an office by the Church, they don’t really have the authority to confer these faculties.
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I’m going to have to look up ‘valid’ and ‘licit’ now! Thanks for the CliffNotes Melchior…It helps a lot.

I’m curious is all…I’d like to go if I get a chance to, but of course not if I’m not supposed to!
 
YoungTradCath said:
Mass: as long as you are attending the Mass at an SSPX location and not an “affiliated” location, and as long as you attend Mass for a want to attend the EF Mass and not to “protest the Pope” or some business, and as long as there are no licit parish EF Masses within reasonable distance, then yes, you may attend.

Confession: no.
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This is a succinct restatement of the official position of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, which is part of the Vatican. You can find a scan of the original letter on the topic out there, I think through Father Z’s blog.
 
Armor_of_Light said:
Mass?
Confession?

As a catholic (loyal to the Pope) can I go to SSPX for sacraments?

Thanks
Click to expand...
+J.M.J.

YES, yes and yes.
You CAN and SHOULD go to receive the Sacraments from the Society of St Pius X.

You should also support them financially and in spirit, and most importantly with your prayers.

Be sure to ask the priests if you have any questions ; the priests are excellent.
 
FilsdelaBVM said:
+J.M.J.

YES, yes and yes.
You CAN and SHOULD go to receive the Sacraments from the Society of St Pius X.

You should also support them financially and in spirit, and most importantly with your prayers.

Be sure to ask the priests if you have any questions ; the priests are excellent.
Click to expand...
Oy. Reported for promoting this nonsense.
 
Armor_of_Light said:
I’m going to have to look up ‘valid’ and ‘licit’ now! Thanks for the CliffNotes Melchior…It helps a lot.

I’m curious is all…I’d like to go if I get a chance to, but of course not if I’m not supposed to!
Click to expand...
Valid sacrament: the sacrament actually “happens”
Invalid sacrament: due to some defect, the sacrament does not “happen” even though it was “supposed” to

Licit: means it is “allowed” to happen or is supposed to happen
Illicit: means it is not “allowed” to happen, but the sacrament will technically “happen”

For example, SSPX Masses are valid but illicit. The Eucharist really is present at an SSPX Mass, just as at any Catholic Mass. However, because SSPX priests are suspended, the Mass is illicit; they aren’t supposed to be saying Mass.

A sacrament is either valid or it isn’t. It is cut and dry. Liceity can get in to much more arcane details. For example, if a non-suspended priest celebrates Mass, it is valid, but if he oddly keeps changing those "he"s in the Gospel reading to "she"s, he is committing an illicit act. Or if he wears black vestments for a Mass that calls for red and he has red available. And so on.
 
I would like to seem them regularized… Part of it is because I think it would be good for the Church as a whole and partly because then there would be no ambiguity!
 
Amen…I totally recognize the Papacy…and attend Mass regularly…attended a SSPX Mass (the Mass of my childhood) and was moved by the reverence…it was 6 a.m, there was snow on the ground…Sunday morning Mass…everyone was very well dressed, infants also…there was no talking in church prior to Mass…incidentally I went to Confession the day before in this parish…(I was visiting this area) and it was beautiful…I didn’t get the usual 4/4…and I wasn’t told that what I was confessing WASN"T a sin…There is no ambiuity with the people in this parish…also…the individual administering the Sacrament of Holy Communion was the Priest…not some woman wearing a sleeveless dress/short skirt…I don’t make it a habit of attending Mass at this church…but if I were in the area I would definitely attend Holy Mass there…I love Pope Benedict and believe that he is sensitive to this entire ongoin situation with the SSPX owing to his recent actions allowing the Latin Mass be offered to the faithful who request it…PAX
 
Armor_of_Light said:
Too much conflicting information! At least in my 2 days of reading internet posts.

Mass?
Confession?

As a catholic (loyal to the Pope) can I go to SSPX for sacraments?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Mass – yes

Confession – unless their is a ‘special’ reason, such as no other Parishes in communion with Rome or a dire situation, most likely not, but this is still very much of an open question.
 
Kevin812 said:
Mass – yes

Confession – unless their is a ‘special’ reason, such as no other Parishes in communion with Rome or a dire situation, most likely not, but this is still very much of an open question.
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It isn’t, at least on the Confession side. The law clearly states that for confession to be valid, the priest must have faculties. The Holy See itself has declared that SSPX priests remain suspended, which by definition means no faculties. They can claim supplied jurisdiction and cry crisis all they want, but no faculties, no absolution. SSPX confessions are invalid
 
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