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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

    “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Some have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I prepared for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (10 August 2025). If such a thing interests you, feel free to download it as a PDF file. As always, the Responsorial Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, and Mass Propers for this Sunday are conveniently stored at the feasts website.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
    This coming Sunday—10 August 2025—is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). The COMMUNION ANTIPHON is really gorgeous, and two of its features are worth mentioning. First of all, the Gospel reading assigned is from Saint Luke, whereas the the antiphon—although it matches the account—comes from Saint Matthew. (If anyone can point to a similar example, please notify me.) Furthermore, if you look at the authentic Gregorian Chant version posted on the feasts website, you’ll notice that it’s MODE III but ends on the ‘wrong’ note. A comparable instance of such a ‘transposed’ chant would be KYRIE IV.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    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

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

“A penalty is decreed against clerics, who, being in sacred Orders, or holding benefices, do not wear a dress befitting their Order. […] In these days, the contempt of religion has grown to such a pitch that—making but little account of their own dignity, and of the clerical honor—some even wear in public the dress of laymen…”

— ‘Council of Trent (Session 14, Chapter 6)’

Recent Posts

  • Is this what the new “Youth Mass” looks like?
  • “Music List” • 19th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
  • This Sunday’s Communion Antiphon
  • Using “Ye” Vs. “You” Correctly
  • Installment #3 • “Serious Problems with the Lectionary Translation”

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