Sunday Mass schedule
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    Our parish is changing Sunday Mass schedule to give more time between the Masses. So, instead of 12 o'clock Mass, we will have a Mass at 5 PM with a contemporary group who wants to do.

    If 4:30 PM Mass on Saturday is considered as a Sunday Mass (as is done here) how 5 PM can be still a Sunday Mass? Is there any guidelines on Sunday (and Saturday) evening Masses?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    The Church day usually starts and ends at midnight, but the General Norms for the Calendar provide that the observance of Sundays and Solemnities starts on the evening of the preceding day.
    http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/documentText/Index/2/SubIndex/38/ContentIndex/100/Start/97

    So yes, the observance of Sunday runs longer than 24 hours, and the observance of Saturday is correspondingly shortened. Sunday liturgy begins with Vespers on Saturday evening or with a vigil Mass of Sunday, and the observance of Sunday ends with Compline.

    In this diocese, that Vespers can be said at any time from 3 pm on, and the first vigil Mass can be offered at 4 pm or later.

    And people do make use of the extra hours: it's common for college chaplaincies to offer Sunday evening Masses quite late: one institution used to offer them as late as 11 pm Sunday.
  • miacoyne
    Posts: 1,805
    I would think people try not to go to Mass so late on Sunday, unless there's a real good reason. I didn't want my schola sing on 5 PM Mass on every Sunday. Would you? Because that means I will be habitually going to Mass very late on Sunday, and feel like I will also be encouraging people, who want to hear chant, to go to Mass late. There's a chance if you wait till late, you might not make to the Sunday Mass at all.
    Sunday is the Lord's day, our priority is set to go to Mass, not after we do eveything else.

    Thank you for the info.
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