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Pope Saint Paul VI (3 April 1969): “Although the text of the Roman Gradual—at least that which concerns the singing—has not been changed, the Entrance antiphons and Communions antiphons have been revised for Masses without singing.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

“Anticipated” Mass or “Vigil” Mass on Saturday Night?

Jeff Ostrowski · March 19, 2014

731 Vianney N HIS BEAUTIFUL and powerful sermons, St. John Vianney talks about how the early Christians celebrated vigils: prayer and fasting. In other words, the early Christians took vigils seriously.

As part of the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the Church gave permission for Mass to be celebrated at night (whereas formerly Mass could only be said in the morning). Furthermore, the Church said that one can fulfill the Sunday obligation by attending Mass on Saturday evening. Some call them anticipated Masses while others prefer to call them vigil Masses.

Over the centuries, the vigil Mass often took on a somewhat “penitential” character. Vigils for the Ascension, Christmas, and so forth were not as “bright” and “happy” as the actual feast day (for the reasons given by St. John Vianney).

HERE’S THE PROBLEM:

Under the current arrangement, one could attend a “vigil” Mass for some great feast (on Saturday night) and miss out on the festivity itself. Imagine fulfilling one’s obligation by means of the “extended Pentecost Vigil” in MR3, yet not experiencing the actual Pentecost Mass! I’m told MR3 has added even more vigils (for the Epiphany and other feasts).

HERE’S THE QUESTION:

Can the Sunday Formulary be celebrated on the vigil? Obviously not for Easter Sunday, but I’m told “yes” for the rest. Is this true? Are the vigil Masses optional? I don’t know. Do you? How does your parish decide?

Here are some comments by Canon A. G. Martimort, Archbishop Henri Jenny (Cambrai, France), and Bishop Karel Calewaert (Ghent, Belgium):

Msgr. Jenny broached the problem of first Vespers and the Sunday precept. He proposed that the celebration of Mass on Saturday evening should be considered a Sunday Mass, following the example of the Easter Vigil. Msgr. Martimort replied that he was scandalized and said that this way of celebrating Sunday, after the fashion of the Easter Vigil, led to the suspicion that the Easter Vigil was celebrated on Saturday evening. Father Calewaert opposed the proposal because it would gravely damage Sunday. The President thought that any danger might be avoided by conceding a faculty to local Ordinaries: it would not be the first time and it would help meet pastoral needs.

— Development of the Liturgical Reform (Nicola Giampietro), page 108.

WE HAVE OFTEN DISCUSSED the concept of piccoluomini logic (as Msgr. Schuler called it) and noticed the harm it has done to the liturgy. Probably the most common example of piccoluomini logic is the assertion that Mass readings are “purely didactic” whereas formerly people realized the Epistle and Gospel are, in fact, prayer.

False logic seems to have been applied to the notion of “vigil” Masses. In a superficial way, someone said, “Vigil Masses ought to be at night, because that’s what vigil means to me.” They failed to consider how the liturgy had developed over the centuries. Formerly, vigil Masses were always offered the morning before … I wish they had kept this arrangement.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Anticipated Vigil Mass Saturday Night Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
    Using “Ye” vs. “You” is rather tricky, because it depends upon which era one is trying to recreate—if that makes any sense. In other words, the rules haven’t always been the same for these two. Nevertheless, Father Philip George Caraman (the legendary Jesuit scholar) gives us a masterclass using Saint Luke’s Gospel. Father Caraman was close friends with Monsignor Ronald Knox, Evelyn Waugh, and Sir Alec Guinness.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
    My pastor asked me to write brief articles each week for our parish bulletin. Those responsible for preparing similar write-ups may find a bit of inspiration in these brief columns. The most recent article speaks about the recent announcement by Pope Leo XIV, which does have an impact on church musicians. Scheduled for publication on 2025 08 10th, it’s called: “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Chants” • 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
    All the chants for 3 August 2025—which is the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)—have been added to the feasts website, as usual under a convenient “drop down” menu. The COMMUNION ANTIPHON (from the book of Wisdom) is stunning. That feast website has been called “the best kept secret of Church music.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

Ronald Knox explained why the Modernists do not compose hymns: “Birds of prey have no song.”

— Fr. George William Rutler (2016)

Recent Posts

  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”
  • “Pope Leo XIV Has Announced…”
  • “Chants” • 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
  • “Corn” From Heaven?

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