Wednesday Liturgy: Pre-recorded Masses
ROME, MAY 26, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: I am a priest and have been wondering for some time about the validity/liceity of Masses I've celebrated for my diocesan television station. I celebrated specific Masses, including Christmas and Divine Mercy Sunday, well in advance of the actual dates. I believe these are valid, but are they licit? -- J.R., Queens borough, New York
A: We dealt fairly amply with the question of televised masses and related questions in our columns of Jan. 18 and Feb. 1, 2005.
In this column, while illustrating the different norms issued by the U.S. bishops' conference we touched on the question of pre-recorded Masses:
"The least satisfactory solution, to be avoided if possible, is the pre-recorded telecast. "Viewers must be informed that it is pre-recorded and has certain limitations such as having been celebrated outside the liturgical day or season. The guidelines give as an example the 'taping of "Christmas morning Mass" on Monday of the fourth week of Advent.'
"Other disadvantages are that the Mass usually must take place in a studio and not in a community that regularly gathers for worship. Editing may include inappropriate special effects, or shorten some elements which are not convenient for worship. Editing may even make the priest and ministers appear to be actors. "However, if no alternative is available, this Mass should be taped on the closest possible date to the day of transmission and only one liturgy may be taped with the same group on any one day. "Also, the full liturgy should be recorded and editors should not eliminate any elements of the Mass (the Gloria or a reading) due to time constraints."
With this in mind we can say that if these norms are respected, then the pre-recorded Mass is both valid and licit, albeit it is not the ideal situation.
The complete guidelines can be found online at the U.S. bishops' conference Web site: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/tv.shtml.
Q: I am a priest and have been wondering for some time about the validity/liceity of Masses I've celebrated for my diocesan television station. I celebrated specific Masses, including Christmas and Divine Mercy Sunday, well in advance of the actual dates. I believe these are valid, but are they licit? -- J.R., Queens borough, New York
A: We dealt fairly amply with the question of televised masses and related questions in our columns of Jan. 18 and Feb. 1, 2005.
In this column, while illustrating the different norms issued by the U.S. bishops' conference we touched on the question of pre-recorded Masses:
"The least satisfactory solution, to be avoided if possible, is the pre-recorded telecast. "Viewers must be informed that it is pre-recorded and has certain limitations such as having been celebrated outside the liturgical day or season. The guidelines give as an example the 'taping of "Christmas morning Mass" on Monday of the fourth week of Advent.'
"Other disadvantages are that the Mass usually must take place in a studio and not in a community that regularly gathers for worship. Editing may include inappropriate special effects, or shorten some elements which are not convenient for worship. Editing may even make the priest and ministers appear to be actors. "However, if no alternative is available, this Mass should be taped on the closest possible date to the day of transmission and only one liturgy may be taped with the same group on any one day. "Also, the full liturgy should be recorded and editors should not eliminate any elements of the Mass (the Gloria or a reading) due to time constraints."
With this in mind we can say that if these norms are respected, then the pre-recorded Mass is both valid and licit, albeit it is not the ideal situation.
The complete guidelines can be found online at the U.S. bishops' conference Web site: http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/tv.shtml.
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