QUAERITUR: wrong readings at Sunday TLM

From a reader:

At my parish’s Extraordinary Form Mass this morning, the priest, I think accidentally, used the readings and prayers for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost instead of those for the Fifth Sunday. Did this affect the validity of the Mass? I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t had it been in the Ordinary Form, but am not sure what the rubrics state for older form.

No, this would not affect the validity of Mass.

It did not affect your Mass obligation either.

Of course, if the priest is constantly doing this, then perhaps someone should double-check which Ordo he is using!

These things happen occasionally. 

I would not give this a second thought.

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13 Comments

  1. Victor says:

    Being the organist at our Usus Antiquor Mass, I accidentally sang the wrong Gradual today. But I doubt anybody realized it (well, perhaps the priest)…

  2. uptoncp says:

    It’s an easy mistake to make, particularly, I should think, if the priest uses both forms so has to juggle with two systems of counting Sundays.

  3. Henry Edwards says:

    Especially easy at some times, such as Eastertide when, for instance, the OF 6th Sunday of Easter is the EF 5th Sunday after Easter. (The OF count starting on Easter Sunday, the EF count starting on the Sunday after Easter.)

  4. gambletrainman says:

    Having served at traditional Masses for the last 25 years, I have seen every priest I have served, mistakenly read the Mass for either the following Sunday or the previous Sunday. Of course, what will happen is they will start off with the Introit of the wrong Sunday, then, when they got to the Collect, they realized what they were doing, then went to the correct day. Trust me, even though the hand missals have the English AND Latin side by side, No one knew the priest was doing the wrong Mass.

  5. Supertradmum says:

    We know when the EF priest is saying the wrong Mass, as he has done twice, as we follow the Latin. I am sure many who go to the EF know. Both times, in 2009, the priest corrected himself when he got to the ambo and realized his mistake.

  6. DT says:

    It certainly helps when the priest is an assisted by an MC who can direct him to the proper readings and prayers! :)

  7. jesusthroughmary says:

    “Being the organist…, I accidentally sang….”

    Umm….

  8. Alice says:

    It must have been the day for it. At Mass this morning, I heard everyone flipping around in their books looking for the readings and, since I had put the page number on the hymnboard, I wondered whether I had made a mistake. Then I realized that what the lector was reading and what I had heard last night were somewhat different.

  9. Athanasius says:

    It also depends on his missal, or the lectionary for reading at the sermon. He might have read the right ones in Latin (the part of the Mass) and the wrong ones in English at the beginning of his sermon (which is not part of the Mass in the old Rite). It is probably no more than an innocent mistake.

  10. The Egyptian says:

    referencing an earlier post, would an Ipad help ?

  11. Egyptian: LOL! Perhaps.

  12. Re: “Being the organist”

    If there’s only one musician at a Mass, particularly in the EF, it’s usually an organist (God willing and the guitarists and pianists not having invaded). If there’s only one musician, that’s usually the psalmist, too. You’re allowed to sing the gradual from the loft if you want or need to.

    So yeah, it might not sound like a logical statement to some, but it is — at least to someone my age!

  13. AnAmericanMother says:

    Suburbanbanshee –

    Happens all the time at our place, usually at the early Masses. If choir members happen to be there, we all head for the loft and can manage a tiny schola.

    Fortunately our organist/music director has a lovely tenor voice and can sing pretty much anything.

    Would y’all mind saying a prayer for him, incidentally? He’s at the AGO convention this week, and he’s one of five finalists in the NCOI (the National Contest for Organ Improvisation). I’m sure he’ll uphold the honor of Catholic music quite impressively . . . but a prayer for steady nerves and inspiration through the intercession of St. Cecilia (and/or St. John) would not come amiss.

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