Case 3. Mass on Board Ship

Caius, a priest destined by his superiors for a mission in South Africa, obtains a special privilege of celebrating Mass on a ship during the voyage. He would like, however, to become more certain whether he himself is bound on Sundays to celebrate Mass in order to satisfy the ecclesiastical precept, whether he is bound to notify other Catholics who may happen to be sailing with him that Mass will be celebrated, and whether they are bound to seize the opportunity and hear Mass. Hence it is asked:

1. Under what conditions is it lawful to celebrate Mass on a ship?

2. Is there an obligation of using a privilege?

3. What is to be said of the case?

1. On what conditions may Mass be said on board ship?

Mass may not be said on board ship without an Apostolic indult, which is granted only on the following conditions: “(a) That the vessel be safe and be far distant from shore; (b) that the sea be calm; (c) that there also be present with the celebrant another person, either a priest or a deacon, who, if any motion should arise from which there would be danger that the Chalice might be overturned, can rescue the Chalice from a danger of this kind with his hand.” The Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith brought these conditions to the notice of priests dependent on its authority in an instruction issued March 1, 1902, and added: “If on the ship there is no proper chapel or fixed altar, let the missionaries take every care that the place chosen for the celebration of Mass present nothing indecent or unbecoming; which would certainly occur if the most august mystery of the Altar were celebrated in cabins destined for the private uses of travelers.” This, however, must not be understood too literally, as the same Congregation explained to a certain bishop, Aug. 13, 1902: “The decree regards abuses only; the celebration in cabins, however, is not absolutely prohibited when all the circumstances remove dangers of irreverence.”¹

1 Mocchegiani, Jurisprudentia Eccles., tom. ii, n. 810 f.

2. Is there an obligation to use a privilege?

We must distinguish between privileges which are granted to a whole body, like the privilege of the forum granted to clerics, and the privilege of exemption granted to regulars, and privileges granted to individuals, like that of a private oratory. No privileged person is at liberty to forego the first; merely personal privileges of the second kind may be used or not, at the option of the privileged person, unless charity, or some other extrinsic reason, requires their use.

3. The case. Caius, a priest, was going out to the South African missions, and obtained the privilege of saying Mass on board ship. He wanted to know whether he himself was bound to use this privilege on Sundays if he could do so, whether he was bound to tell other Catholics on board that Mass was to be said on Sundays, and whether these were bound to take the opportunity offered of satisfying the precept of hearing Mass. St. Alphonsus (III, no. 319) teaches that one who has the privilege of a private oratory is bound to use the privilege if he can not go to Church, because he is bound to hear Mass on Sundays, if he can do so without serious inconvenience. Other theologians, however, with Gury-Ballerini (I, no. 348) deny this, and apply the principle, “No one is bound to use a privilege, as it would then become a burden.” The faithful, however, can satisfy the precept of hearing Mass wherever it is said, except in a private oratory, strictly so called, and on a portable altar by special privilege. If there is room in the place where Mass will be said for the Catholics on board, Caius should tell them, though he is not under a strict obligation to do so, as he has not the cure of their souls. Those who know of the opportunity will do well to make use of it if they can do so without serious inconvenience, but they are not under a strict obligation in the matter.