Which day do you assist at Mass?

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I normally act as the Master of Ceremony for the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on Sunday Mornings, and on occasion Saturday night, depending what kind of liturgy is going down.
 
Excluding when I attend weekday Masses, I would vote Sunday. Saturday evening Masses are for only when one cannot otherwise attend on Sunday.
 
The choir sings on Sunday morning so that’s where I have to be.

On the rare occasion the choir sings on a Saturday evening (other than Holy Days and the Easter Vigil) I am there. I think it’s happened maybe three or four times during the last 10 years.
 
PKinsale said:
Saturday evening Masses are for only when one cannot otherwise attend on Sunday.
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I hope you mean this is your personal rule. It is not the rule for the entire Church. Saturday evening and Sunday are both perfectly acceptable.
 
PKinsale said:
Saturday evening Masses are for only when one cannot otherwise attend on Sunday.
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According to WHOM?

Saturday evening masses are just as valid and good and “count”, even if the only reason for attending Saturday is because one wants to sleep on Sunday morning!

Don’t be more Catholic than the Pope.
 
PKinsale said:
Saturday evening Masses are for only when one cannot otherwise attend on Sunday.
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I believe this is the old rule. The current one doesn’t discriminate people who are otherwise free on Sunday. The rule is on holy days of obligation, the night before is a vigil Mass which would count for the holy day’s Mass. Sunday is a holy day of obligation.
 
I usually go both days.

I love the 4:00 Mass on Saturdays, and my boys often serve. Sometimes I think we are the only people under 50. Even if they aren’t serving, I go if I am able. That left Sunday almost the only day that I didn’t attend Mass, and that didn’t seem quite right. DH prefers the 8:30 Mass on Sunday mornings, so most of the time, I will also go with him.

Mass rocks!
 
PKinsale said:
Excluding when I attend weekday Masses, I would vote Sunday. Saturday evening Masses are for only when one cannot otherwise attend on Sunday.
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What you say is not correct.

Canon Law:

Can. 1248 §1 The obligation of assisting at Mass is satisfied wherever Mass is celebrated in a Catholic rite either on a holyday itself or on the evening of the previous day.
 
PKinsale said:
Excluding when I attend weekday Masses, I would vote Sunday. Saturday evening Masses are for only when one cannot otherwise attend on Sunday.
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I think this is a rather conservative rule based on one’s own assumption. Sometimes I contemplate whether or not I want to go Saturday evening just so I can sleep in a little on Sunday morning. However, most of the time I go Sunday morning.

I actually kind of have to be there at the early Mass on Sunday morning because a lot of the servers never show up. I get pulled every week.
 
For a long time I managed the EMHC’s to the homes, hospitals etc. Most of them left from the 9 o’clock mass. Also I ran the RCIA and we had dismissal at the 9 o’clock. While both could do without me, I was in the habit of being there in case any problem arose. Also I frequently took the Eucharist to the homes from that mass. That is the best time for those we visit - they are up, have had breakfast, and are not yet waiting for lunch. Thus the habit is ingrained, and I have become friends with many others who attend that mass.
 
What do you mean by “assist”? I don’t mean to hijack this thread, but I ask this because of the issues we face over the meaning of “full and active participation.” It is my understanding that attending in congregation counts as “assisting” (as in the definition used in Canon 1248 quoted by someone else in this thread.) But over the past 40 years, especially in the U.S., we’ve come to understand “assisting at Mass” to mean taking a role in the Mass beyond that of being a congregant or engaging in physical activities not previously associated with congregants at a Mass (such as lay people employing the orans gesture.)
 
SKWill said:
What do you mean by “assist”? I don’t mean to hijack this thread, but I ask this because of the issues we face over the meaning of “full and active participation.” It is my understanding that attending in congregation counts as “assisting” (as in the definition used in Canon 1248 quoted by someone else in this thread.) But over the past 40 years, especially in the U.S., we’ve come to understand “assisting at Mass” to mean taking a role in the Mass beyond that of being a congregant or engaging in physical activities not previously associated with congregants at a Mass (such as lay people employing the orans gesture.)
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Yes, assisting at means attending Mass.
 
I’m a reader for the Saturday evening Mass so that’s the one I usually attend.
 
I did not use the word “rule” I completely recognize the validity of the Saturday evening Mass and that it fulfills the Sunday obligation. And I recognize that there are many good reasons to attend Saturday evening Mass.

That said, if there is no good reason, Sunday Mass is better.
 
PKinsale said:
I did not use the word “rule” I completely recognize the validity of the Saturday evening Mass and that it fulfills the Sunday obligation. And I recognize that there are many good reasons to attend Saturday evening Mass.

That said, if there is no good reason, Sunday Mass is better.
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Yet, it’s not better. There is no difference between the Sunday Mass on Saturday evening, the Sunday Mass on Sunday morning, or the Sunday Mass on Sunday afternoon. They are all equal, and no one is a better option than another.
 
And technically, Sunday begins at 5PM (at least in my diocese), so all the “weekend” Masses are Sunday Masses.🙂
 
Here’s my argument for Mass on Sunday morning.

For those who go to Mass Saturday evening, they awake to a new day, probably late, and have a nice leisurely brunch and catch a football game or read the Sunday New York Times. They may go to the mall or the park or a soccer game or a barbecue.

One element (the main one, in fact) of their spiritual life has been safely checked off and tucked away the evening before. It has the tendency to secularize the day, when it becomes a habit. Until very recently, this was the sense of the Church. In 1970 or thereabouts, what was a solid custom was added to the long list of things to be changed without explanation or reason. Want to sleep in? Most places have Masses all morning and into the afternoon.

And I have to say, most folks here seem to agree with me even though they do not admit it. 89% go to Mass on Sunday rather than Saturday.
 
PKinsale said:
Here’s my argument for Mass on Sunday morning.

For those who go to Mass Saturday evening, they awake to a new day, probably late, and have a nice leisurely brunch and catch a football game or read the Sunday New York Times. They may go to the mall or the park or a soccer game or a barbecue.

One element (the main one, in fact) of their spiritual life has been safely checked off and tucked away the evening before. It has the tendency to secularize the day, when it becomes a habit. Until very recently, this was the sense of the Church. In 1970 or thereabouts, what was a solid custom was added to the long list of things to be changed without explanation or reason. Want to sleep in? Most places have Masses all morning and into the afternoon.

And I have to say, most folks here seem to agree with me even though they do not admit it. 89% go to Mass on Sunday rather than Saturday.
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It is sad that you seem to think that those who choose to go to Mass on Saturday night are also the type for which Mass is something to just check off and the religious obligation is done for the week. One can still observe Sunday as a Holy Day while going to Mass on Saturday.

Also, I would expect to see more people going to Mass on Sunday as there are simply more Masses on Sunday.

As for me, generally I go on Sunday as most of the year I’m either teaching religious ed or singing in the choir, both of which are Sunday morning, so I go to Mass while I’m already there. I do sometimes go on Saturday if I don’t have anything going on on Sunday. On the rare occasion that I can actually enjoy a day at home, I take advantage of it. And the Saturday Mass time works better with the bus schedule, meaning I don’t have to arrive crazy early or have to wait forever after Mass for the next bus. 🤷
 
PKinsale said:
Here’s my argument for Mass on Sunday morning.

For those who go to Mass Saturday evening, they awake to a new day, probably late, and have a nice leisurely brunch and catch a football game or read the Sunday New York Times. They may go to the mall or the park or a soccer game or a barbecue.

One element (the main one, in fact) of their spiritual life has been safely checked off and tucked away the evening before. It has the tendency to secularize the day, when it becomes a habit. Until very recently, this was the sense of the Church. In 1970 or thereabouts, what was a solid custom was added to the long list of things to be changed without explanation or reason. Want to sleep in? Most places have Masses all morning and into the afternoon.

And I have to say, most folks here seem to agree with me even though they do not admit it. 89% go to Mass on Sunday rather than Saturday.
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Note that Jesus said:
"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath;
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Mark 2:27 It is a day for worship, rest, and relaxation. While there is a need for spiritual life, it is not a Puritan Sabbath to be spent exclusively in prayer. It is to be celebrated and enjoyed.
 
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