Tonight at Mass

[occupant]

I attend weekday mass at my parish, but every so often, due to work, i cannot go when they have it. the small town outside mine has one in the evening time, so i went there this evening.
anyway, the priest could not make it so the deacon celebrated, for lack of a better term, the mass. he didn’t concecrate the bread and wine, just simply took the bread out the tabernacle and gave us communion. it felt weird being there to me just because a priest wasn’t there.
is this allowed in the Church?

 

[fatherwannabe]

Yes, a service of Word and Communion is allowed in the absence of a priest. It is by no means the “norm” or even “desired” but it is allowed. The deacon should have brought the Eucharist out from the tabernacle, placed it on a corporal on the altar, and all said the “Our Father.” Then he would proceed with “This is the Lamb…” Then distribution, a closing prayer and a blessing.

 

[estesbob]

I attend weekday mass at my parish, but every so often, due to work, i cannot go when they have it. the small town outside mine has one in the evening time, so i went there this evening.
anyway, the priest could not make it so the deacon celebrated, for lack of a better term, the mass. he didn’t concecrate the bread and wine, just simply took the bread out the tabernacle and gave us communion. it felt weird being there to me just because a priest wasn’t there.
is this allowed in the Church?

This was a Communion Service-we have one every Monday in my Parish.

 

[benedictgal]

Actually, Communion services should not be a regular occurrence. They are only allowed under specific parameters such as Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest. They also should not be done during the week.

According to Redemptionis Sacramentum:

1. Particular Celebrations carried out in the Absence of a Priest
   [162.] On the day known as the Lord’s Day, the Church faithful gathers together to commemorate the Lord’s Resurrection and the whole Paschal Mystery, especially by the celebration of Mass.263 For “no Christian community is built up unless it is rooted in and hinges upon the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist”.264 Hence it is the Christian people’s right to have the Eucharist celebrated for them on Sunday, and whenever holy days of obligation or other major feasts occur, and even daily insofar as this is possible. Therefore when it is difficult to have the celebration of Mass on a Sunday in a parish church or in another community of Christ’s faithful, the diocesan Bishop together with his Priests should consider appropriate remedies.265 Among such solutions will be that other Priests be called upon for this purpose, or that the faithful transfer to a church in a nearby place so as to participate in the Eucharistic mystery there.266

[163.] All Priests, to whom the Priesthood and the Eucharist are entrusted for the sake of others,267 should remember that they are enjoined to provide the faithful with the opportunity to satisfy the obligation of participating at Mass on Sundays.268 For their part, the lay faithful have the right, barring a case of real impossibility, that no Priest should ever refuse either to celebrate Mass for the people or to have it celebrated by another Priest if the people otherwise would not be able to satisfy the obligation of participating at Mass on Sunday or the other days of precept.

[164.] “If participation at the celebration of the Eucharist is impossible on account of the absence of a sacred minister or for some other grave cause”,269 then it is the Christian people’s right that the diocesan Bishop should provide as far as he is able for some celebration to be held on Sundays for that community under his authority and according to the Church’s norms. Sunday celebrations of this specific kind, however, are to be considered altogether extraordinary. All Deacons or lay members of Christ’s faithful who are assigned a part in such celebrations by the diocesan Bishop should strive “to keep alive in the community a genuine ‘hunger’ for the Eucharist, so that no opportunity for the celebration of Mass will ever be missed, also taking advantage of the occasional presence of a Priest who is not impeded by Church law from celebrating Mass”.270

[165.] It is necessary to avoid any sort of confusion between this type of gathering and the celebration of theEucharist.271 The diocesan Bishops, therefore, should prudently discern whether Holy Communion ought to be distributed in these gatherings. The matter would appropriately be determined in view of a more ample co-ordination in the Bishops’ Conference, to be put into effect after the recognitio of the acts by the Apostolic See through the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. It will be preferable, moreover, when both a Priest and a Deacon are absent, that the various parts be distributed among several faithful rather than having a single lay member of the faithful direct the whole celebration alone. Nor is it ever appropriate to refer to any member of the lay faithful as “presiding” over the celebration.

[166.] Likewise, especially if Holy Communion is distributed during such celebrations, the diocesan Bishop, to whose exclusive competence this matter pertains, must not easily grant permission for such celebrations to be held on weekdays, especially in places where it was possible or would be possible to have the celebration of Mass on the preceding or the following Sunday. Priests are therefore earnestly requested to celebrate Mass daily for the people in one of the churches entrusted to their care.

So, there needs to be a really compelling reason as to why this was done.

 

[estesbob]

Actually, Communion services should not be a regular occurrence. They are only allowed under specific parameters such as Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest. They also should not be done during the week.

According to Redemptionis Sacramentum:

So, there needs to be a really compelling reason as to why this was done.

In theory -yes-in fact it is very common. .

 

[bpbasilphx]

Actually, Communion services should not be a regular occurrence. They are only allowed under specific parameters such as Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest. They also should not be done during the week.

---

**I know this is discouraged except on Sundays when EMHCs are the ones leading.

However, is it really discouraged if a Deacon is leading this service on a Weekday? I should think that’s a quite normal Diaconal function, since he is an ORDINARY Minister of Communion.**

 

[Eucharisted]

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=101032

 

[Phemie]

Actually, Communion services should not be a regular occurrence. They are only allowed under specific parameters such as Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest. They also should not be done during the week.

---

**I know this is discouraged except on Sundays when EMHCs are the ones leading.

However, is it really discouraged if a Deacon is leading this service on a Weekday? I should think that’s a quite normal Diaconal function, since he is an ORDINARY Minister of Communion.**

I don’t think this is about who leads. The parameters are given so that confusion doesn’t arise. Even the OP called it “Mass” and it’s not unusual to hear “I went to Sister’s Mass”. Heck, even in my parish I had to correct minutes of meetings that referred to last Sunday’s and this coming Sunday’s “Celebrations of the Word with Communion” as “Mass”. There are still people who don’t understand that there is a difference and as long as we keep giving Communion they will not see the difference.

RS 165 quoted by benedictgal, says “It is necessary to avoid any sort of confusion between this type of gathering (Sunday Celebrations of the Word) and the celebration of the Eucharist. The diocesan Bishops, therefore, should prudently discern whether Holy Communion ought to be distributed in these gatherings.”

So Rome is not gung-ho for ‘Communion Services’ because a Communion Service, in a church, is often not seen to be any different from Mass by a large number of the faithful. Hey, bonus, they don’t have to be there as long. And as long as they get Communion they don’t see that something is missing. Omit Communion and, sadly, a large percentage won’t bother to gather in community for a Liturgy of the Word.

I’m aware of communities who couldn’t care less if they get a priest to celebrate Mass more than once every 2 or 3 months as long as when he’s there he consecrates enough Hosts to last them until his next trip. A priest just interferes with their way of doing things. They may be the extreme but unfortunately they exist.

 

[puzzleannie]

I anyway, the priest could not make it so the deacon celebrated, for lack of a better term, the mass. he ?

there is a better term, it is communion service in the absence of a priest. a mouthful, [edited].

whether or not it should have been permitted is not your problem, as long as you know it was not Mass.

what the rules say and what actually happens in a given diocese depend on a lot of factors, so get ready for more of these as the priest shortage continues.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I attend weekday mass at my parish, but every so often, due to work, i cannot go when they have it. the small town outside mine has one in the evening time, so i went there this evening.
anyway, the priest could not make it so the deacon celebrated, for lack of a better term, the mass. he didn’t concecrate the bread and wine, just simply took the bread out the tabernacle and gave us communion. it felt weird being there to me just because a priest wasn’t there.
is this allowed in the Church?

Yes, it is allowed. A deacon however does not celebrate Mass, he would conduct a Communion Service.

In this case however the faithful arrived intending to participart in the celebration of Mass, unexpectedly the celebrant was unable to be there. Since they were already assembled, it was good that they were able to pray together and receive Holy Communion outside of Mass.

In my opinion however, Wednesday evening Mass is not an obligation and a Communion Service should not be regularly scheduled.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Actually, Communion services should not be a regular occurrence. They are only allowed under specific parameters such as Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest. They also should not be done during the week.

---

I know this is discouraged except on Sundays when EMHCs are the ones leading.

However, is it really discouraged if a Deacon is leading this service on a Weekday? I should think that’s a quite normal Diaconal function, since he is an ORDINARY Minister of Communion.

The Deacon is the one who should be leading the Communion Service on Sunday, when the parish does not have a priest available. The parish can come together to Morning and Evening Prayer during the week, this can be lead by the Deacon or a Religious or Lay leader if no Deacon is available.

 

[Phemie]

The Deacon is the one who should be leading the Communion Service on Sunday, when the parish does not have a priest available. The parish can come together to Morning and Evening Prayer during the week, this can be lead by the Deacon or a Religious or Lay leader if no Deacon is available.

That’s all well and good but deacons in my part of the world are as rare as hen’s teeth, located only in the major cities and not in the small communities that are most likely to find themselves in need of these celebrations.

 

[bpbasilphx]

Even the OP called it “Mass” and it’s not unusual to hear “I went to Sister’s Mass”.

---

To some people, EVERYTHING that happens in Church is a “mass.” I saw one person on these fora even refer to "mass of the vespers."

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

That’s all well and good but deacons in my part of the world are as rare as hen’s teeth, located only in the major cities and not in the small communities that are most likely to find themselves in need of these celebrations.

Then on Sunday, a Male Religious, Female Religious, Male Layperson, or Female Layperson, (in that order) who have been granted permission by the Bishop should lead the Communion service in the absence of a priest.

 

[estesbob]

Then on Sunday, a Male Religious, Female Religious, Male Layperson, or Female Layperson, (in that order) who have been granted permission by the Bishop should lead the Communion service in the absence of a priest.

I know what you say is right BUT I have never been in a Parish that did not have a Communion serice on the Priests day off(usally Monday). i now live in the Archdiocese of Denver and the only Parishes I have seen that dont have one at least once a week are those parish’s with more than one Priest. I know Archbishop Chaput is very Conservative but even in his Diocese this appears tp be the norm. Personally I am glad to be able to receive on a Monday when otherwise i would not-even though i know I am under no opbligation to do so.

 

[occupant]

there is a better term, it is communion service in the absence of a priest. a mouthful, but correct, so please become part of the tide that uses correct language.

whether or not it should have been permitted is not your problem, as long as you know it was not Mass.

what the rules say and what actually happens in a given diocese depend on a lot of factors, so get ready for more of these as the priest shortage continues.

EXCUSE ME! sheesh… thanks for being so matter-of-fact because of my ignorance.
i hope you never make a mistake and know everything so you never get called out.

 

[paperwight]

EXCUSE ME! sheesh… thanks for being so matter-of-fact because of my ignorance.
i hope you never make a mistake and know everything so you never get called out.

Ummm… I’m quite sure puzzleannie didn’t mean to upset you. Please don’t be put off.

 

[fatherwannabe]

there is a better term, it is communion service in the absence of a priest. a mouthful, but correct, so please become part of the tide that uses correct language.

whether or not it should have been permitted is not your problem, as long as you know it was not Mass.

what the rules say and what actually happens in a given diocese depend on a lot of factors, so get ready for more of these as the priest shortage continues.

REALLY nice charity, there, Annie…

 

[fatherwannabe]

there is a better term, it is communion service in the absence of a priest. a mouthful, but correct, so please become part of the tide that uses correct language.

whether or not it should have been permitted is not your problem, as long as you know it was not Mass.

what the rules say and what actually happens in a given diocese depend on a lot of factors, so get ready for more of these as the priest shortage continues.

Let’s not be rude, Annie! (Was that nice enough, Ms. Moderator?)