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Aramis
Guest
4 sunday masses is illicit unless one is a vigil. Canon 905 of the Codex Iuridicus Canonici only permits 3 masses a day, and only when there’s a shortage of priests.
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jmcrae
Guest
Or unless they are celebrated by different priests. One priest may say up to three Masses per day. If there are two priests, the second priest could say the fourth one, or else he could say two of the four, and leave the other two for the other priest.
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Tepeyac
Guest
The parish I was thinking of is well attended on Christmas Day, in my experience, and several Masses are standing room only on Sundays. It just seemed to me that Christmas was on a par with regular Sundays when it came to scheduling issues. In the past the scheduling was the same, which is why I thought the reduction was strange. I know that priests in this parish have had parmission to celebrate twice in a day because of the numbers.
By the way, I’m not disgruntled about daily Mass.
If needs are being met then that’s fine. But I was wondering if that’s true in this case. If masses are standing room only on Sundays then there would appear to be enough demand for Christmas Day (as I pointed out in the OP, the Christmas and Sunday schedules used to be virtually identical). I’m curious about this shift and if others had seen this too.
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rinnie
Guest
You are right Joe and also why heat the whole church. Unfortunally God don’t get free heat either. Plus a shortage of Priests.
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DaveBj
Guest
The paucity of Christmas masses makes it a pain for me. Workers in industrial security do not get holidays off. I have to work 0800-1600 on Christmas day. Our parish has a midnight mass and one on Christmas morning; I don’t remember if it is 0830 or 1030. If there is no vigil mass, the only one I can go to is the midnight mass, which means I will be :yawn: at work.
DaveBj
DaveBj
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malphono
Guest
Funny thing is that in the “old days” the Christmas schedule was the same as the Sunday schedule, with the addition Midnight. In some places it still is, and that makes sense. What doesn’t make much sense to me is to abbreviate the Christmas schedule, at least not by more than one (to compensate for Midnight). The fact is (whether any of us likes it or not) that Christmas better attended than most ordinary Sundays.
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Rachel_J
Guest
That was directed at me - one priest. In our case, one is a vigil… so it doesn’t break canon law on that point. In terms of only allowing 3 in one day with permission… I believe he’s a canon lawyer so I’m sure he’s got all required permission.
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DaveBj
Guest
I checked–in our parish, I have only one option–the 4:00 PM children’s mass, which is usually packed out by “proud parents.” Oh joy!
DaveBj
DaveBj
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Phemie
Guest
Only if the only other option were missing Mass and committing a mortal sin would I attend the 5:30 ‘Family Mass’ in my parish. It’s SRO, kids practically hanging from the light fixtures, swarming all over the sanctuary and nobody saying 'NO!"… Last year one of the choir members had to rush over to catch a falling candle because the kids were running around like little lunatics and knocked over a candle holder. One kid burned himself on a spotlight. And the pastor (no longer in that position) beatifically smiling and saying “Relax, parents, Christmas is all about kids.”
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CWBetts
Guest
I have a dumb question that may be a little off topic: To fulfill our Christmas obligation, how mant Masses are we to attend?
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Phemie
Guest
One.I have a dumb question that may be a little off topic: To fulfill our Christmas obligation, how mant Masses are we to attend?
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jmcrae
Guest
Just one - any one of them from the anticipated Vigil Mass until the Mass of Christmas Day, at whatever time you go, is okay.I have a dumb question that may be a little off topic: To fulfill our Christmas obligation, how mant Masses are we to attend?
I like to go to three, though, when I can - Midnight Mass, Dawn Mass and Mass of Christmas Day. Each one has different readings, and by the end of it, you have heard the whole story in the readings.
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CWBetts
Guest
The reason I ask is I come from a tradition that says “go every time the doors are open” and I admit I do tend to have a bit of a legalist streak being a former Baptist
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Phemie
Guest
That’s if they use the different readings. We can have the same readings at all three Masses. As for Mass at Dawn, I don’t think I’ve experienced that since the mid 60s when it started immediately after the Midnight Mass. I can’t recall a parish I’ve been in in the past 20 years having more than the Midnight Mass then the Mass during the Day.Just one - any one of them from the anticipated Vigil Mass until the Mass of Christmas Day, at whatever time you go, is okay.
I like to go to three, though, when I can - Midnight Mass, Dawn Mass and Mass of Christmas Day. Each one has different readings, and by the end of it, you have heard the whole story in the readings.
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jmcrae
Guest
I can tend to be like that, too, although we have so much going on at our parish that I could very easily turn church-going into a full time job, with overtime.
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jmcrae
Guest
The years that I was doing the readings at the 8:30 am Mass, we did the Mass at Dawn readings, because I pretty much bullied Father into it.
I said, “The sun will be coming up in the middle of Mass; how is this not a Dawn Mass?” He didn’t have a ready come-back other than, “I don’t have a homily prepared for those readings;” I said, “So? Wing it - you’re a smart guy; you’ll think of something. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be in persona Christi, and under the influence of the Holy Spirit?” He couldn’t argue with that, so, we did the dawn readings.
The homily was one of his best, too.
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DaveBj
Guest
One. The vigil, or the midnight, or the dawn, or the mid-morning.I have a dumb question that may be a little off topic: To fulfill our Christmas obligation, how mant Masses are we to attend?
DaveBj
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