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Views from the Choir Loft

Should Priests Trinate on All Souls’ Day?

Fr. David Friel · November 1, 2015

OR GOOD REASON, Holy Mother Church limits the frequency with which priests may offer Holy Mass. Celebrating Mass too often runs the risk of reducing the sacred liturgy to routine action. It also encourages the abuse of stipends, the abuse of concelebration, and misunderstanding of the nature of the Holy Sacrifice.

Ordinarily, a priest is not to celebrate Mass more than once per day. There are exceptions, however, to this norm, which allow for bination or trination. One such exception is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (“All Souls’ Day”), whereon priests are permitted to offer up to three Masses. Should this permission be understood as an encouragement to offer three Masses on All Souls’ Day? Certainly, one could not argue that it is a requirement. But should the norms be seen as simply permission, or also as invitation?

I am posing this question to our readers, both clergy & laity. I do have my own opinion, which I will withhold for now. Your insights and perspectives would be most welcome (please contribute via Facebook comments).

Allow me to share some of the relevant liturgical documentation to inform your thinking. The opportunities when it is permissible to offer Mass more than once per day are stipulated in GIRM #204. This section states:

For a particular reason, having to do either with the significance of the rite or of the festivity, the faculty is given to celebrate or concelebrate more than once on the same day in the following cases:

a. A priest who has celebrated or concelebrated the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday may also celebrate or concelebrate the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper;

b. A priest who has celebrated or concelebrated the Mass of the Easter Vigil may celebrate or concelebrate Mass during the day on Easter Sunday;

c. On the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas Day), all priests may celebrate or concelebrate three Masses, provided the Masses are celebrated at their proper times of day;

d. On the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day), all priests may celebrate or concelebrate three Masses, provided that the celebrations take place at different times, and that the norms established regarding the application of second and third Masses are observed;

e. A priest who concelebrates with the Bishop or his delegate at a Synod or pastoral visitation, or concelebrates on the occasion of a meeting of priests, may celebrate Mass again for the benefit of the faithful. This holds also, with due regard for the prescriptions of law, for groups of religious.

The specific GIRM rubric that refers to All Souls’ Day (above) actually originates from Incruentum altaris sacrificium, a 1915 bull of Pope Benedict XV (available HERE). This document states:

All priests are permitted to celebrate three Masses on All Souls’ Day, provided these take place at different times and on condition, moreover, that while they may at their preference apply one of the Masses in favor of any person and accept for that Mass a stipend, they may not accept a stipend for the second or for the third Mass, the second of which they are bound to apply respectively for all the faithful departed and the third for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.

Is this permission to be understood as an encouragement? What do you think?


A discussion about this post is underway.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: All Souls Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.—(Read full biography).

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Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
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Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

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“With all the powers of modern music open to him, from romanticism through French impressionism to the German and Russian modernists, he is yet able to confine all these contradictory forces on the groundwork of the Gregorian tradition.”

— Theodor Rehmann (on Msgr. Jules Van Nuffel)

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