Sunday Evg Mass-Legal?

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davy39

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The other day, we received a paper from our sister parish that wanted our opinion of switching our sat. afternoon Mass to Sun. nite at 7 pm. I didn’t think it was possible to have Sun. Mass that late on Sunday. What is the ruling on this?
 
we have parishes in our area that have sunday evening mass. they are filled with young adults. i think it is wonderful to see that many young adults celbrating Mass, without their parents dragging them there. i also am curious if their is a ruling in this issue.
 
My current parish has Mass at 5 PM and 9PM on Sunday. When I was a teenager, I attended a Mass at 5:30 PM.

Why wouldn’t you be able to have Sunday Mass on Sunday night? Mass on Saturday is a vigil Mass, in anticipation of Sunday.
 
I see no reason why this would be prohibited. We have a few in my area.

I think it is fantastic for those people who go out of town on the weekend and need to get to Mass after they return home on Sunday afternoon!
👍
 
there are at least a dozen parishes here, including campus ministry center, that have Sunday evening Masses, and come to think of it they seem to me more conservative parishes, so it must be okay, our bishop is pretty strict about this stuff. but every parish also has Saturday evening Mass as well. that is our second most crowded Mass, so it must be popular.

I love to go to 5:00 Sat especially if I work late because of catechist training, quincenera, wedding etc., also if I have a lot going on on Sunday-1st communions, RCIA etc., because then I feel I am going to Mass for worship, not as part of my job.
 
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davy39:
The other day, we received a paper from our sister parish that wanted our opinion of switching our sat. afternoon Mass to Sun. nite at 7 pm. I didn’t think it was possible to have Sun. Mass that late on Sunday. What is the ruling on this?
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We have 10 Masses in our church on Sunday, the last one starting at 8.30pm.
 
I typically attend a Sunday evening Mass. There are all kinds of them around here. Anything from 5 PM to 10 PM. Usually, I consider anything before 7 an “early Mass”. In fact, I sometimes attend a 10 PM weekday Mass, also.
 
There is a rule about the time of Mass on Saturday evening, I believe, but not about Sunday. The Saturday rule states that for the Mass to be valid for Sunday, it must be between the hours of 4 PM and 7 PM, or something like that.

Sunday Mass is Sunday Mass, no matter what time it is held.
 
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davy39:
The other day, we received a paper from our sister parish that wanted our opinion of switching our sat. afternoon Mass to Sun. nite at 7 pm. I didn’t think it was possible to have Sun. Mass that late on Sunday. What is the ruling on this?
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Technically if necessary Sunday Mass can be celebrated up to midnight Sunday night.
 
I believe the the member who posted the question was not aware that Sunday, being the Lord’s Day, is longer than other days of the week. It begins at sundown Saturday and lasts until midnight Sunday. Sunday Mass may be celebrated at any hour during this time.
 
I’m sure that many members here are, like myself, old enough to remember (even back to pre-VII) when Sunday night Mass in the US was routine. It fell into use when the vigil or anticipatory Mass was introduced, and that is a relatively recent innovation (the last 30 years or less).

If I were voting in that parish, I would say forget about these night Masses completely (with the obvious exception of Holy Thursday, the Easter Vigil, and Midnight Mass at Christmas) and get your butt into Mass on Sunday morning, which is the traditional and intended time for the major parish Mass of the week. Christ didn’t rise on Saturday or Sunday night. The reason all those “young adults” are showing up on Sunday night is that they are sleeping off their partying in the morning, which is no excuse for missing Mass.
 
Our cathedral has a 7:00 PM Mass. It’s nice to know I have that option when I’ve been out of town, on the road, snowed in for the morning, or otherwise been unable to attend my usual Sunday morning Mass.

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jbuck919:
The reason all those “young adults” are showing up on Sunday night is that they are sleeping off their partying in the morning, which is no excuse for missing Mass.
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Or working in the nursery during AM Mass. Or traveling. Or being snowed in. Or working at their job. Or taking care of a sick child. Or, well, I think you get the idea. There are many reasons for going to a PM Mass. Not all the people attending are sleeping off a hang over.
 
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maryjk:
Or working in the nursery during AM Mass. Or traveling. Or being snowed in. Or working at their job. Or taking care of a sick child. Or, well, I think you get the idea. There are many reasons for going to a PM Mass. Not all the people attending are sleeping off a hang over.
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Let me see, on Sunday morning - we get up and have breakfast, then prepare for CCD (we do both music and teaching) - we are at the Parish getting things ready for the children while the parents are at 10 AM Mass, then at 11:30 CCD begins - lasts til 12:30. We are there until at least 1 PM waiting for the last parents to pick up children (locking the kids outside on the curb seems so, well, unChristian)… we then go home for lunch and a some quiet time before Sunday evening Mass.
 
When participating in the Liturgy of the Hours, Sunday readings begin with Sunday Evening Prayer 1, on Saturday night. After that I would assume any masses may be applied to your Sunday obligation.

The following morning is Sunday Morning Prayer and then Sunday Evening Prayer 2 (followed by Sunday Night Prayer)

As to which mass is more appropriate theologically:
The morning mass celebrates the resurection of the Lord.
The evening mass celebrates that the mass is a meal, an evening meal.
 
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maryjk:
Or working in the nursery during AM Mass. Or traveling. Or being snowed in. Or working at their job. Or taking care of a sick child. Or, well, I think you get the idea. There are many reasons for going to a PM Mass. Not all the people attending are sleeping off a hang over.
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I knew the point would come up of people who have demands that keep them from being there on Sunday morning. Exigent demands are excused. If you can’t get there because of an exigent demand in your life, you just don’t get there.

Working at the nursery at AM Mass is not an exigent demand because there is not supposed to be babysitting at Catholic Masses. You either stay home with the child because it would be imprudent to bring him/her along, or you bring him/her along.

Vacation tripping is an optional “excusal” from Mass and is simply to be confessed.

Abstaining from Mass because of work can be an exigent circumstance if one is on a shift system in a job that one had to accept in order to support self or family. But if one has an option, one does not take a job that requires working on Sunday morning. And an observant Catholic never takes a job that requires permanent Sunday morning duties no matter what.

In practice, these exceptions, mentioned in charity I am sure, are exactly that, exceptions. People who go to Mass on Sunday evening in this day and age couldn’t drag themselves out of bed on Sunday morning. Ask any current or former college student whose chaplaincy still indulges this.
 
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Chatter163:
I believe the the member who posted the question was not aware that Sunday, being the Lord’s Day, is longer than other days of the week. It begins at sundown Saturday and lasts until midnight Sunday. Sunday Mass may be celebrated at any hour during this time.
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While Mass celebrated on the evening of the previous day satisfies an obligation to assist at Mass, I know of nothing that says Sunday is longer than 24 hours, from midnight to midnight.

tee
 
Sunday is a “day of rest”, no? I see nothing wrong with getting a little needed rest on Sunday morning. For many people an evening Mass is just more convenient, plain and simple. For others it is a necessity due to whatever good reasons. And even if it is due to partying late, there’s nothing inherantly wrong with indulging in a litte celebration of life. I know plenty of good Catholics (young, old, and middle aged; single people, empty nest widows, and people with families) who choose to go to an evening Mass. If the option were not available, would they go in the morning? Almost certainly. But this is what suits them best and enables them to pray in peace. I suppose that the long confessional lines at the Opus Dei parish during one of these Masses or the heartfelt devotion of a priest who made a special dedication to our Lady that he would celebrate an evening Mass each and every day (including major holidays when other parishes just close up) is merely a sign of the heavy drinkers out there, though.
 
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