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“A much greater source of anxiety to Us is the style of action of those who maintain that liturgical worship should shed its sacred character, who foolishly say we should substitute for sacred items & furnishings ordinary common things in daily use.” —Pope Saint Paul VI (14 Oct 1968)

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Views from the Choir Loft

“Simultaneous Fulfillment” of Mass Obligation?

Jeff Ostrowski · November 24, 2017

3830 Calendar CCORDING to current USA law, a Catholic may fulfill the Sunday obligation by attending Mass on Saturday evening, sometimes called an “anticipated” or “vigil” Mass. The readings and propers chosen for Saturday night make no difference. (The same holds true for any Holy Day of Obligation.)

Christmas falls on a Monday in 2017.

Can you “double dip” the fulfillment of your Mass obligation? In other words, does attending Mass on Sunday evening fulfill both the Sunday and Monday obligations? Reading the Code of Canon Law, we might erroneously believe this:

Can 1248 • A person who assists at a Mass celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the feast day itself or in the evening of the preceding day satisfies the obligation of participating in the Mass.

For years, this has caused tremendous confusion online. Many authors feel we must attend Mass twice but struggle to provide documentation. Some appeal to “the common and constant opinion of learned persons” argument. But the Congregation for the Clergy has already clarified the matter of simultaneous fulfillment by the faithful:

328 simulatneous-fulfillment-mass-obligation DOUBLE DIPPING

    * * Source • USCCB Document on “Double-Dipping” (1974)


I’m not a canon lawyer, but this document seems to leave no room for “double dipping” (as Andrew Motyka dubbed it several years ago). Therefore, you must attend Mass twice—once for Sunday, once for Christmas—but there are many ways this can lawfully be done. You could go Saturday night and Monday night. Or you could go Sunday evening and Christmas morning. My personal preference is to go Sunday morning and Monday morning.

For the record, rules like these apply to the Extraordinary Form as well. (Similar to how EF Catholics are bound by the current laws on fasting and not, say, the 1950s regulations.)

HIS DUBIUM was answered at the precise moment we would expect. After all, “anticipated fulfillment” of Mass obligation was a new concept, and (to be brutally honest) ruptured the traditional practice of the Church, which had always celebrated vigils on the preceding morning. It should be noted—and cannot be repeated enough—that the choice of formularies makes no difference when it comes to fulfilling one’s obligation to attend Mass. As the above document points out:

On the evening of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, when this falls on December 24, it is possible to have both the evening Mass of the Sunday and the vigil Mass of Christmas. In the same way, when Christmas occurs on a Saturday, the evening Mass might be either that of Christmas or the anticipated Mass for the Feast of the Holy Family.

That is why one can attend a Wedding (“Nuptial Mass”) on Saturday evening and fulfill one’s Sunday obligation, although I believe such a Mass cannot begin too early in the afternoon.


Fun fact : Archbishop Bugnini, in that 1974 document, clearly says nobody can be forced to receive Holy Communion in the hand:

Furthermore, even when an Episcopal Conference petitions the Holy See for the faculty to distribute communion in the hand (see Memoriale Domini, May 29, 1969), this manner of reception can in no way be imposed on the faithful. Rather, the freedom and possibility of receiving communion in the traditional manner must always be granted.

It was recently clarified by the USCCB that kneeling of Communion cannot be denied.

The following are offered for your consideration:

    * *  PDF Download • Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma

    * *  PDF Download • Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia

    * *  PDF Download • Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama

    * *  PDF Download • USCCB Statement on “Double Dipping”

    * *  PDF • “Evening Masses and Days of Obligation” (58 pages)

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: anticipated Mass, simultaneous Mass obligation, vigil Mass 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

    15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    This coming Sunday—13 July 2025—is the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). All the chants have been conveniently assembled and posted at the feasts website. The OFFERTORY, Ad Te Levávi, is particularly beautiful.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
    Our readers will be interested in this job offering for Music Director at Saint Adalbert’s Basilica, located 40 minutes from where I live. My pastor was recently elevated to this basilica. He is offering $80,000 per year, plus benefits. I’m told Saint Adalbert’s Basilica is utterly gorgeous and contains one of America’s most magnificent pipe organs. It would be fantastic to have a colleague nearby!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplest “Agnus Dei” Ever Published
    Our choir is on break during the month of July. I needed a relatively simple “Agnus Dei,” so I composed this setting for organ & voice in honor of Saint René Goupil. It has been called the simplest setting ever composed. I love CARMEN GREGORIANUM (“Gregorian Chant”), especially the ALLELUIAS, INTROITS, and COMMUNION ANTIPHONS. That being said, some have pointed out that certain sections of the Kyriale aren’t as strong as the Graduale or Vesperale. There’s a reason for this—but it would be too complicated to explain at this moment.
    —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

“The choir shall henceforth sing or say no anthems of our Lady or other Saints, but only of our Lord, and then not in Latin; but choosing out the best and most sounding to Christian religion they shall turn the same into English, setting thereunto a plain and distinct note for every syllable one: they shall sing them and none other.”

— 1548 Edict of King Edward VI (a heretic) for Lincoln Cathedral

Recent Posts

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  • Music Director Job • $80,000 per year
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