From a reader:
A local parish has a Spanish-language Mass on Monday night, but uses Sunday’s liturgy. Is this ever allowed, even with a dispensation? If so, would it fulfill one’s Sunday obligation? It seems very strange to me.
When there is no saint or other feast celebrated during the week days, you can use the previous Sunday’s Mass formulary, though you wouldn’t use the Gloria or Creed or Sunday Preface and you use the proper readings assigned for that week day.
However, you don’t fulfill your Sunday Mass obligation on Monday, right? You fulfill your Sunday obligation on Sunday, or the Saturday evening which – liturgically speaking – is already considered to be Sunday.
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I do believe there’s a diocese in India where, due to the way the workweek is set up, the bishop allows the Sunday liturgy on Friday (and the fulfillment of the obligation)so that the poorer Catholics can make it, since they’re forced to work on Sundays.
I don’t know which one it is. I heard this from a priest who recently visited there, though, and was asked to say Mass there.
Why don ‘t more priests use the Instructions or Suggestions found in the Ordo?
This seems like a modified version of what happened on plain vanilla feriae back in the older form. The Mass of the Sunday was used. The only thing different here is that the modern two year weekday Lectionary would be used.
During the year, this happens in the Ordinary Form on ferias anyway.
I believe the Bishop does have the authority to transfer the Sunday obligation to another day when a priest cannot offer Mass in that locale on Sunday.
Fr. Sotelo: It would be good to get to the bottom of that.
Ten or twenty years ago, I saw a good bit of this kind of liturgical abuse.
Typically, it starts as a group of “marginalized” Catholics of one sort or another who gather for fellowship sometime during the week. Sometimes there is mass, sometimes other forms of prayer, sometimes just a blessing before a pot luck dinner. The idea of gathering during the week is obviously a good thing, and should be encouraged.
Father Z identifies the abuse though, in what happens next.
Some priest is correct that it is sad that these people aren’t going to Sunday mass at their regular parishes, because they are “marginalized.” (Teenagers, gay people, Spanish speakers, etc.) The priest’s solution? They should have the opportunity to follow the liturgical year via the Sunday cycle. Never mind that it ain’t Sunday, and the obligation for mass is not fulfilled.
The priest’s intentions come from a noble, if erroneous, sentiment. I fear they do more harm than good, because the result is that these groups become even more marginalized, and often just drop away from the Faith completely, since they are never plugged into the parish and its worship.