Chapter IV. On the Time of the Celebration of Mass

I say 1st. The Sacrifice of the Mass can be celebrated on all days, except those which are excluded by the proper rite of the priest (Can. 820).

Indeed, a priest laudably celebrates daily, unless either his own unworthiness or the prohibition of the Church stands in the way.

I say 2nd. §1. The beginning of Mass to be celebrated is not to be made earlier than one hour before dawn or later than one hour after noon.

§2. On the night of the Nativity of the Lord, only a conventual or parochial Mass can be begun at midnight, but not another without apostolic indult (Can. 821).¹

¹ Cf. Addenda, p. 1128, n. 87.

Question 1. Does one sin gravely who celebrates before and after the time prescribed by the Church?

Resp. 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 change is judged notable is controverted. According to the more common and more probable opinion, it is not held grave unless the celebration is begun a whole hour before or after the established time. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 246.

Question 2. When is it lawful to anticipate or prolong the time of celebration?

Resp. It is lawful 1st. in necessity, for example, that Viaticum may be administered to one dying, in which case it would be lawful to celebrate even at midnight; 2nd. where there is a reasonable custom, for example, so that workers and servants may be able to hear the Sacrifice very early in the morning; 3rd. by force of a privilege granted by the Pope, or of a faculty from the Bishop, or even from a religious Prelate as regards subjects, given in some particular case for a reasonable cause; 4th. when otherwise a great part of the people would lack Mass; from the cause of a journey, of some more solemn funeral, of a sermon, of a public supplication, of the conferral of Orders, at least for one or another hour. Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 343 and following. - Lehmkuhl, n. 217.

Question 3. Is it lawful to celebrate more often in a day?

Resp. §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 from apostolic indult or from power granted by the local Ordinary.

§2. But the Ordinary cannot impart this faculty unless, in his prudent judgment, on account of scarcity of priests on a feast day of precept, a notable part of the faithful cannot be present at Mass; nor is it in his power to permit more than two Masses to the same priest (Can. 806).

The Baltimore Fathers, Third Plenary Council, nn. 103 and following, speak thus: "Up to this time the Church has wished to determine by no precise rule when otherwise repetition of Mass is legitimate or even necessary. Rather, it has preferred to leave the matter to be decided by the judgment of Ordinaries, so that in their prudence and charity, according to the gravity of the cause, they may repeat Mass or permit it to be repeated by their missionaries.

"But neither does the Holy See wish that, on account of fear of the rigor by which the formula of the faculty is fortified, those using the same should be excessively anxious. For from often-repeated Apostolic declarations and responses it is manifest that for repetition a true necessity is indeed required, but by no means an absolute one, rather a moral one, which is to be judged to exist as often as, with supply of priests lacking and with all other circumstances maturely weighed, it is judged that it will be vehemently useful to the faithful that priests celebrate Mass twice on the same feast day. If such a necessity has been present, let them not only not fear liability of illicit repetition, but rather let them judge that they will be failing in their duty if either they themselves do not repeat Mass for the necessity of the people or do not concede this faculty to their missionaries.

"Let missionary priests note well that they can never use the aforesaid faculty except 'dependently upon the Ordinary, to whom it pertains to pass sentence both concerning the true necessity and concerning the possibility of applying canonical remedies,' and that permission is not to be presumed by anyone so long as recourse to the Ordinary is open." - Cf. Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, nn. 103 and following; and Appendix, pp. 233 and following. - Acta S. Sedis, vol. 12, pp. 232 and following; vol. 13, pp. 340 and following; vol. 16, pp. 35 and following.

Question 4. Can one who celebrates two Masses receive two stipends?

Resp. Negatively, entirely, with a special indult excluded.

§2. But as often as he celebrates more than once in a day, if he applies one Mass from a title of justice, the priest, except on the day of the Nativity of the Lord, cannot receive alms for the other, except some remuneration from an extrinsic title (Can. 824).¹

On the day of the Commemoration of all the faithful departed, it is lawful for a Priest to apply one of the three Masses, which pleases him more, to whomever he shall have preferred, and to receive a stipend from it. S. C. C. 15 Oct. 1915.²

¹ Cf. Addenda, p. 1095, n. 29; p. 1109, n. 52.

² Cf. Addenda, p. 1095, n. 29; p. 1109, n. 52.

Question 5. Is it lawful on the night of the Nativity of the Lord to celebrate all three Masses before dawn?

Resp. Negatively, without the permission of the Bishop from a just cause, or without Apostolic indult. For the Rubric of the Missal expressly prohibits this, which has it thus: "The first Mass is said in the night; the second at dawn; and the third in the day." This is established also from the Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites issued on 18 Dec. 1702, which has itself thus: "It is not lawful at midnight of the Nativity of the Lord to celebrate successively the two other [Masses] and to exhibit holy Communion."

§3. Nevertheless, in all religious or pious houses having an oratory with the faculty of habitually reserving the Most Holy Eucharist, on the night of the Nativity of the Lord, one priest can celebrate the three ritual Masses, or, with the things to be observed being observed, only one which may avail also for the satisfaction of the precept for all present, and can administer holy communion to those asking (Can. 821).

Cardinals have the faculty of celebrating, or of permitting others to celebrate before them, Mass on Feria V of Greater Week and three Masses on the night of the Nativity of the Lord. - According to this privilege, before the Cardinal himself it would be lawful on the night of the Nativity to say three Masses, in any church with open doors, and to administer communion. - Cf. Can. 239.

Question 6. How much space of time must a read Mass last?

Resp. The general rule is that Mass ought neither to be longer than half an hour, lest those standing by be affected with weariness, nor shorter than a third part of an hour, because otherwise it will not be possible to celebrate decently. But you will not excuse from mortal sin a priest who, in making the Sacrifice, does not reach a quarter of an hour; because, as St. Alphonsus says, in so brief a space he must necessarily commit two grave defects, one of grave irreverence toward the sacrament, the other of grave scandal toward the people. Wherefore that distich is known:

If your Mass shall have been shorter than one quarter,

You will be believed guilty of mortal fault.