Wednesday Liturgy: Requiem Masses on Sundays of Advent
ROME, DEC. 7, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: With the coming of Advent, if I am correct, on Sundays even a funeral Mass is prohibited. Therefore, can a priest from outside come and celebrate an anniversary requiem Mass on a Sunday, say, at 11 a.m.? -- F.J., Puduchcheri, India
A: Effectively, the Sundays of Advent, like those of Lent and Easter, are among the highest level celebrations in the liturgical table of precedence. For this reason, practically no other Mass may be celebrated on these days, including ritual and funeral Masses.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), No. 380, says: "Among the Masses for the Dead, the Funeral Mass holds first place. It may be celebrated on any day except for Solemnities that are holy days of obligation, Holy Thursday, the Easter Triduum, and the Sundays of Advent, ent, and Easter, with due regard also for all the other requirements of the norm of the law."
Only solemnities which are also holy days of obligation are higher on the liturgical table than these Sundays. Thus, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in Spain and Italy takes precedence over the Sunday of Advent.
That the ritual Masses are forbidden does not necessarily preclude the celebration of some rites. A rite that is usually inserted into a specific part of the Mass, such as an ordination or a religious profession, may be held on a Sunday of Advent, but the prayers of the Mass and the violet or rose color of the vestments all correspond to the Sunday.
Since the funeral Mass has unique characteristics in several parts of the celebration, it cannot be so easily accommodated into a festive liturgy. If it is impossible to delay a funeral until the following Monday, then the Funeral Liturgy Outside of Mass should be used on the Sunday itself (See the Order of Christian Funerals, No. 178).
If this is the case for a funeral, then it is much more so for an anniversary Mass. Indeed, anniversary requiem Masses are much lower down the liturgical table of precedence and, apart from the cases already mentioned in GIRM 380, may not be celebrated on the following days: solemnities, All Souls' Day, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Easter Octave, all other Sundays and feasts.
In conclusion, it is not possible for a priest to come and celebrate this anniversary requiem Mass on a Sunday of Advent.
He may come and celebrate a Mass whose intention is the repose of the soul of a particular person. He may mention this intention in commentaries, the homily and the prayer of the faithful. The prayers and readings, however, must be of the day.
For very serious motives, exceptions can be made to these rules. For example, after the earthquake at L'Aquila, Italy, last year the Pope permitted a funeral Mass for all the victims together on Good Friday, a day in which the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist.
Q: With the coming of Advent, if I am correct, on Sundays even a funeral Mass is prohibited. Therefore, can a priest from outside come and celebrate an anniversary requiem Mass on a Sunday, say, at 11 a.m.? -- F.J., Puduchcheri, India
A: Effectively, the Sundays of Advent, like those of Lent and Easter, are among the highest level celebrations in the liturgical table of precedence. For this reason, practically no other Mass may be celebrated on these days, including ritual and funeral Masses.
The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), No. 380, says: "Among the Masses for the Dead, the Funeral Mass holds first place. It may be celebrated on any day except for Solemnities that are holy days of obligation, Holy Thursday, the Easter Triduum, and the Sundays of Advent, ent, and Easter, with due regard also for all the other requirements of the norm of the law."
Only solemnities which are also holy days of obligation are higher on the liturgical table than these Sundays. Thus, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in Spain and Italy takes precedence over the Sunday of Advent.
That the ritual Masses are forbidden does not necessarily preclude the celebration of some rites. A rite that is usually inserted into a specific part of the Mass, such as an ordination or a religious profession, may be held on a Sunday of Advent, but the prayers of the Mass and the violet or rose color of the vestments all correspond to the Sunday.
Since the funeral Mass has unique characteristics in several parts of the celebration, it cannot be so easily accommodated into a festive liturgy. If it is impossible to delay a funeral until the following Monday, then the Funeral Liturgy Outside of Mass should be used on the Sunday itself (See the Order of Christian Funerals, No. 178).
If this is the case for a funeral, then it is much more so for an anniversary Mass. Indeed, anniversary requiem Masses are much lower down the liturgical table of precedence and, apart from the cases already mentioned in GIRM 380, may not be celebrated on the following days: solemnities, All Souls' Day, Ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Easter Octave, all other Sundays and feasts.
In conclusion, it is not possible for a priest to come and celebrate this anniversary requiem Mass on a Sunday of Advent.
He may come and celebrate a Mass whose intention is the repose of the soul of a particular person. He may mention this intention in commentaries, the homily and the prayer of the faithful. The prayers and readings, however, must be of the day.
For very serious motives, exceptions can be made to these rules. For example, after the earthquake at L'Aquila, Italy, last year the Pope permitted a funeral Mass for all the victims together on Good Friday, a day in which the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist.
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