Article I: Of the Priest Celebrating the Sacrifice of the Mass

The power of offering the sacrifice of the Mass belongs only to priests.

It is not lawful for several priests to concelebrate, except in the Mass of the ordination of presbyters and in the Mass of the consecration of Bishops according to the Roman Pontifical.

§ 1. A priest foreign to the church in which he asks to celebrate, presenting authentic and still valid commendatory letters of his Ordinary, if he is secular, or of his Superior, if religious, or of the Sacred Congregation for the Eastern Church, if he is of an Eastern rite, is to be admitted to the celebration of Mass, unless in the meantime it is established that he has committed something because of which he ought to be repelled from the celebration of Mass.

§ 2. If he lacks these letters, but his probity is especially clear to the rector of the church, he can be admitted; but if he is unknown to the rector, he can still be admitted once or twice, provided that, vested in ecclesiastical dress, he receives nothing by any title from the celebration from the church in which he offers, and signs his name, office, and diocese in a special book.

§ 3. Particular norms concerning this matter, given by the local Ordinary, with the prescriptions of this canon preserved, are to be observed by all, even exempt religious, unless there is question of admitting religious to celebrate in a church of their own religious institute.

All priests are held by the obligation of offering the Holy Sacrifice several times a year; moreover, the Bishop or religious Superior is to take care that the same at least on each Sunday and on other feasts of precept perform divine functions.

§ 1. Except on the day of the Nativity of the Lord and the day of the Commemoration of all the faithful departed, on which there is the faculty of offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice three times, it is not lawful for a priest to celebrate several Masses in a day, unless by apostolic indult or by faculty granted by the local Ordinary.

§ 2. Nevertheless the Ordinary cannot impart this faculty unless, in his prudent judgment, because of a scarcity of priests on a feast day of precept, a notable part of the faithful cannot assist at Mass; nor is it in his power to permit more than two Masses to the same priest.

A priest conscious to himself of mortal sin, however much he may judge himself contrite, is not to dare to celebrate Mass without prior sacramental confession; but if, with availability of a confessor lacking and necessity urging, nevertheless having elicited an act of perfect contrition, he has celebrated, he is to confess as soon as possible.

It is not lawful for a priest to celebrate unless the natural fast from midnight has been observed.

It is permitted to apply Mass for any persons whatever, both living and also the deceased expiating their sins in the fire of purgatory, with the prescription of can. 2262, Sec. 2, n. 2 preserved.

A priest is not to omit to dispose himself by pious prayers for the oblation of the Eucharistic Sacrifice, and, when it has been completed, to give thanks to God for so great a benefit.

§ 1. A priest about to celebrate Mass is to wear suitable clothing which reaches to the ankles and the sacred vestments prescribed by the rubrics of his rite.

§ 2. Moreover, let him abstain from skullcap and ring, unless he is a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, a Bishop, or a blessed Abbot, or unless an apostolic indult permits him the use of them in celebrating Mass.

To no priest celebrating, except Bishops and other prelates enjoying the use of pontificals, is it lawful, by the sole cause of honor or solemnity, to have an assisting presbyter.

§ 1. A priest is not to celebrate Mass without a server who serves him and responds.

§ 2. The server serving Mass is not to be a woman, unless, with a man lacking, for a just cause, and under this law: that the woman respond from a distance and in no way approach the altar.