Article I. On the Time of Celebration

381. Principles. - I. It is lawful to celebrate daily, and indeed this is praiseworthy, unless the unworthiness of the celebrant or a special prohibition of the Church stands in the way. The Church prohibits Mass from being celebrated on the day of Parasceve, or Friday of Holy Week; likewise, it prohibits several Masses from being offered in the same church on Thursday and Saturday of the same Week without necessity. This is established from various Decrees of the Congregation of Rites ¹. - St. Lig., no. 350.

¹ These Decrees provide that no private Mass be said in churches besides the conventual Mass. By these decrees, however, it is not prohibited that in churches of Regulars who lack a private oratory, another Mass be celebrated on Thursday of Holy Week for distributing Easter Communion to the sick. It is prescribed, however, that this be done with the doors closed.

It is not ordinarily lawful, apart from a special privilege, to celebrate before dawn or after midday, nor before the recitation of the Matins of the Office ². For it is thus stated in the Rubrics of the Missal: A private Mass can be said, at least after Matins and Lauds, at any hour from dawn until midday. It is lawful, however, to begin Mass before dawn, provided that it is not completed before dawn. It is likewise lawful to prolong the celebration beyond midday, provided that it is at least begun at midday; for the time of dawn and midday is to be understood not mathematically, but morally. - St. Lig., no. 341, and others.

² This clause from sec. XV regards not the hour of celebrating commonly prescribed for priests, but the order to be observed between the recitation of the Breviary and the celebration of Mass for canons who sing in choir. Therefore, it is added in the same place when the Mass must otherwise be celebrated after the recitation of Prime, or Terce, or Sext. But with regard to the other Rubric (sec. 1, De ritu servando, etc.), where it is said: The priest who is to celebrate Mass... after at least Matins together with Lauds has been completed, should devote himself somewhat to prayer, and should say the prayers placed below according to the opportunity of the time; it could be observed that, just as no one until now has judged a privilege necessary for omitting the prayers in question, so it could not absurdly be thought concerning the recitation of Matins by force of that context.

III. In like manner, a privilege of celebrating one hour before dawn or after midday ought to be understood as one hour before or after the time assigned to others who are not privileged; otherwise the privilege would be of little benefit. - Thus St. Lig., no. 346, and others commonly.

382. Questions. - QUESTION 1. Does one who celebrates before dawn or after midday sin gravely?

Reply. Affirmatively, if he anticipates or prolongs by much the time established by the Church; but otherwise, if the change is slight. Indeed, if a just cause is present, he will be free from every fault. But what is to be regarded as a notable change is disputed. According to the more common and more probable opinion, it is not held grave unless the celebration is begun a full hour before or after the established time. - St. Lig., no. 346.

QUESTION 2. When is it lawful to anticipate the time of celebration?

Reply. 1. In necessity, for example, so that Viaticum may be administered to a dying person, in which case it would be lawful to celebrate even at midnight. 2. Where there is a reasonable custom, for example, so that artisans and servants may be able to hear Mass very early in the morning. 3. By force of a privilege granted by the Pope or Bishop ³. - See St. Lig., no. 343 et seq.

³ St. Alphonsus (Lib. 6, no. 344) adds other cases, namely: 1. After the solemn Mass on a feast, if the solemn Mass is prolonged to an hour or more after midday, and indeed probably even after two hours..., lest a large part of the people be deprived of Mass. 2. For the cause of a journey, for one hour after midday or before dawn. 3. Likewise on account of the funeral of some great person, or of a sermon, or of a public supplication.

QUESTION 3. What kind of sin is it to celebrate Mass before the recitation of Matins?

Reply. More probably, it is only a venial sin, because no grave disorder appears in this, unless it is done from contempt and habitually without any cause. But any reasonable cause excuses from every sin. - Thus St. Lig. with others commonly ⁴.

⁴ St. Alphonsus (Lib. 6, no. 347) says that there are three opinions of the Doctors concerning this question. The second of them holds that there is no fault in this, because no law appears which prescribes it under fault; and the rubric is only of counsel, not of precept. See the preceding Note.

383. QUESTION 4. Is it lawful to celebrate more than once in a day?

Reply. Negatively, speaking generally, according to the present practice of the Church, although formerly it was not prohibited. This is established from various places of Canon Law and from the Decree of Benedict XIV of March 16, 1746.

Except: 1. The feast of the Nativity of the Lord, on which it is lawful to celebrate three Masses. 2. If a pastor, before the ablution, is informed that Communion is to be given to a sick person, and he has already consumed his own Host, and no other fasting priest can be found. Thus commonly. - St. Lig., no. 351.

QUESTION 5. When is it lawful to celebrate Mass twice in a day with the permission of the Bishop?

Reply. With the Bishop permitting, Mass can be celebrated twice by the same priest on Sundays and feast days of precept if a grave cause or some necessity requires it, but not on account of custom alone. - Benedict XIV, Const. Declarasti nobis, and Const. Consuluisti de celebratione Missae. But the abuse of celebrating twice in the same church in which several Masses had already been offered was reproved by the S. Congregation of Rites, and the response was: It is not expedient, and the abuse is to be eliminated. - May 22 and Sept. 11, 1841.

QUESTION 6. When is there judged to be a necessity of celebrating twice in a day? Reply. In three cases, according to the common opinion of theologians, namely: 1. When a parish priest has two parishes to govern, and the inhabitants of one cannot go to the church of the other, nor is there available another priest who could celebrate in either one. 2. When in the same parish some part of the people is too far distant from the church and could easily assemble in some chapel or in another church; it was answered to the Bishop of Langres in the year 1847 that it was sufficient for this if a certain community consisting of twenty persons were one mile distant from the church. - Revue des sciences ecclesiastiques, vol. 6, July 1862, pp. 93-94. 3. When the whole people cannot assemble in a parish church that is too small, and there is no other priest who can celebrate another Mass; for then the Bishop can permit the parish priest to offer Mass twice in the same church. - See Bouix, De Parocho, no. 470. - Likewise Revue des sciences ecclesiastiques, ibid.

QUESTION 7. Can one who celebrates two Masses accept a doubled stipend?

Reply. Negatively; and Pius IX strictly prohibited this. - Thus the S. Congregation of the Council, Sept. 25, 1858, in una Galliarum. But does the supplement to his allowance, which is generally given to a priest celebrating two Masses in consideration of his fatigue, have the character of a stipend?

The S. Congregation of the Council replied negatively in March 1861.

QUESTION 8. In this case would it be lawful to accept a double stipend on the condition that the second stipend be expended for a pious use?

Reply. Negatively, without an Indult of the Supreme Pontiff, which the Pontiff indeed refused to grant to the Archbishop of Cologne. - Thus the S. Congregation of the Council, March 21, 1863.

384. QUESTION 9. Is it lawful on the night of the Nativity of the Lord to celebrate all three Masses before dawn?

Reply. Negatively, without the permission of the Bishop for a just cause, or without an Apostolic indult. For the Rubric of the Missal expressly prohibits this, which reads thus: The first Mass is said in the night; the second at dawn; and the third in the day. This is also established from the Decree of the S. Congregation of Rites issued on Dec. 18, 1702, which reads thus: It is not lawful at midnight of the Nativity of the Lord successively to celebrate the other two Masses and to distribute Holy Communion. - St. Lig., no. 343.

QUESTION 10. For what length of time ought a Low Mass to last?

Reply. The general rule is that the Mass ought neither to be longer than half an hour, lest those present be affected with weariness, nor shorter than a third of an hour, because otherwise it cannot be celebrated becomingly. But you will not excuse from mortal sin a priest who, in offering Mass, does not reach a quarter of an hour, according to that couplet received by custom:

If your Mass shall have been shorter than one quarter, You will be believed guilty of mortal fault.

St. Ligorius adduces the reason: because in so short a space he must necessarily commit two grave defects, the one of grave irreverence toward the Sacrament, the other of grave scandal toward the people. But it is to be desired, and earnestly commended to all priests, that in offering Mass they complete half an hour ⁵.

⁵ On this matter St. Alphonsus speaks thus (Lib. 6, no. 400): Preachers cry out, writers rightly teaching cry out, that the completion of Mass in less than a quarter of an hour cannot be excused from grave fault; but how many are there who take care to avoid these things? Corruption of this kind ought to be pursued not with the pen, but with tears, while daily we see the greatest part of priests perform this tremendous Sacrifice worse than they treat temporal affairs of lighter moment, yawning in such a way that they seem to have no faith in so great a mystery.

385. QUESTION 11. How much time, after Mass has been completed, ought to be spent in giving thanks to God?

Reply. There is no altogether certain rule. But the more lenient require at least a quarter of an hour. - St. Lig. earnestly advises that at least half an hour be devoted to this pious exercise by a priest, who ought to furnish an example to the faithful ⁶. On this matter, see St. Alphonsus (Lib. 6, no. 400).

⁶ Thus St. Alphonsus (Prax. Confess., no. 156): Let the Confessor take care to suggest to the penitent that after Communion he remain in thanksgiving for the time that he can. Very few are the Directors who diligently do this, namely, inculcate in their penitents that they give thanks for some notable time after receiving the Eucharist; and the reason is that there are very few priests who, after the Sacrifice of the Mass, remain with Jesus Christ in thanksgiving, and therefore they are ashamed to suggest to others what they themselves do not do. Thanksgiving ordinarily ought to last for a full hour; let it be done at least for half an hour, in which the soul may exercise itself in loving and petitioning. St. Teresa says that after Communion Jesus exists in the soul as upon a throne of mercy, that He may bestow graces upon it, saying: What wilt thou that I do to thee? And elsewhere: After Communion let us not omit so excellent an opportunity for conducting business. His divine Majesty is not accustomed to repay hospitality badly if He is well received in the soul.