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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

Trination on All Souls: My Thoughts

Fr. David Friel · November 3, 2015

AllSoulsAltar ANY THANKS to all the readers who took part in the lively discussion thread on my previous article. The question posed was whether the permission given to all priests to offer three Masses on All Souls’ Day should be interpreted as an encouragement to do so.

First, allow me to say that I view this question as one that has no definitive answer. The Church does not seem to have a clear statement on the subject anywhere. So, I consider this a matter on which reasonable minds can disagree.

Having said that, I also believe that the laws, documentation, and pastoral practice of the Church give us clues that lean in favor of one interpretation. Thus, my own answer to the question as posed is an unequivocal yes. I will endeavor at this point to explain why, while at the same time responding to some of the points raised in the discussion thread.

T THE OUTSET, let me acknowledge that the pastoral reality in many places is that priests binate, trinate, etc. very often (weekly, if not more frequently). I do so, myself, a couple of times a week on average, with the mix of weddings, funerals, daily Masses, and Sunday Masses in a busy parish. But let us also acknowledge that this is not a good thing. In many places, it is necessary for the good of the faithful, but the laws of the Church that limit priests in their offering of Masses exist for good reason.

The discussion of how often these limits are exceeded (whether through disregard or through genuine pastoral need) has no bearing, however, on the question being asked. The laws as they are written are very strict; they guard against bination quite strongly, with notable exceptions for All Souls’ Day and the Nativity of Our Lord. The fact that three Masses are permitted in the law only on two days of the whole liturgical year is a clear sign that there is something unique about these days.

All Souls’ Day is formally called the “Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.” On the food chain of liturgical celebrations, a Commemoration falls very low. (Other examples of Commemorations would be saints’ days that fall in the strong seasons of Lent or Advent.) Above Commemorations, the Church observes Memorials and Feasts. Then, at the very top, there are Solemnities. Thus, it cannot be on account of the liturgical solemnity that priests are granted such special permission.

Exactly 100 years have passed since the bull of Pope Benedict XV authorized the trination on All Souls’ Day. The early 20th Century, of course, was a time very different from our own, and it would be unfair to impose certain modern considerations upon our evaluation of the permission this document granted. For this reason, I do not think that issues such as a vocations crisis or clergy “burn out” can be understood as the reasons for this exceedingly rare permission.

Nor do I get any sense that this provision is made so that more of the lay faithful can attend Mass on All Souls’ Day. While there is nothing wrong with that—in fact, that would be a wonderful thing—nothing in the law gives any indication that this is a motivating factor. I think, rather, that an argument made on these grounds would be another case of imposing modern preconceptions upon legislation from an earlier time.

From my perspective, the most convincing explanation for this unusual permission is that Holy Mother Church wants to extend herself as much as possible in support of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. The allowance for three Masses per priest, I believe, is an act of mercy meant primarily for the benefit of the Holy Souls. Of course, no one doubts that every Mass benefits the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, too, but it would seem that the good of the Church Suffering is the reason for this legislation.

Another factor that supports this perspective is the presence in the Roman Missal of three separate Mass formulae for All Souls’ Day. Only this Commemoration and Christmas Day are afforded such a generous treatment in the missal. (The history of the three Masses for Christmas is entirely separate; a good summary is available here.) It would be unconvincing to suggest that these formularies are extra, or superfluous, since the missal does not make a habit of offering multiple Mass formularies just so that the priest may choose one he prefers (examples such as the Ritual Masses for Marriage and various Commons are distinct, inasmuch as they are not assigned to one particular day). Much more likely, these three sets of orations are provided because there is an expectation that they will be needed by a priest who is trinating.

For all of these reasons, I gladly trinate every November 2nd.

OPE JOHN PAUL II memorably recalled his first days as a priest in his book, Gift and Mystery, written on the occasion of his golden jubilee. The late great pontiff, ordained on All Saints Day 1946, writes about celebrating his first Masses on All Souls’ Day:

On that day, every priest may celebrate three Masses… So, in a sense, I celebrated three “first” Masses. It was a deeply moving experience. I celebrated the three Masses in the crypt of Saint Leonard, which, in Wawel Cathedral at Krakow, is the front part of the so-called episcopal cathedral of Herman… I chose this place for the celebration of my first Masses in order to express my spiritual bonds with those buried in that Cathedral…

This, then, was why I wanted to celebrate my first Masses in the crypt of Saint Leonard: I wanted to express my special spiritual bond with the history of Poland, a history symbolized by the hill of Wawel. But there was more. My choice also had a particular theological significance. As I said, I had been ordained the day before, on the Solemnity of All Saints, when the Church gives liturgical expression to the reality of the Communion of Saints—communio sanctorum. The saints are those who, having accepted the Paschal Mystery of Christ in faith, now await the final resurrection…

Few people were at those first Masses celebrated on the hill of Wawel: among others, I remember my godmother Maria Wiadrowska, my mother’s elder sister. The altar server was Mieczyslaw Malinski, who in a way made present the spirit and person of Jan Tyranowski, at the time already seriously ill.

Later, as a priest and bishop, I always visited the crypt of Saint Leonard with great emotion. How I would have liked to celebrate Mass there on the fiftieth anniversary of my priestly ordination! (Gift and Mystery)

I hope that this discussion has been beneficial. Above all, I hope that the prayers we offer during this month of November are beneficial for all our beloved dead.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: All Souls, Pope Saint John Paul II Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and serves as Director of Liturgy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. —(Read full biography).

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President’s Corner

    New Bulletin Article • “12 October 2025”
    My pastor requested that I write short 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 latest article (dated 12 October 2025) talks about an ‘irony’ or ‘paradox’ with regard to 1960s switch to vernacular in the liturgy.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Reminder” — Month of October (2025)
    Those who don’t sign up for our free EMAIL NEWSLETTER miss important notifications. Last week, for example, I sent a message about this job opening for a music director paying $65,000 per year plus benefits (plus weddings & funerals). Notice the job description says: “our vision for sacred music is to move from singing at Mass to truly singing the Mass wherein … especially the propers, ordinaries, and dialogues are given their proper place.” Signing up couldn’t be easier: simply scroll to the bottom of any blog article and enter your email address.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Music List” • 27th in Ordinary Time (Year C)
    Readers have expressed interest in perusing the ORDER OF MUSIC I’ve prepared for 5 October 2025, which is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C). 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 spectacular feasts website alongside the official texts in Latin. Readers will want to check out the ENTRANCE CHANT posted there, which has a haunting melody (in the DEUTERUS MODE) and extremely powerful text.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    “American Catholic Hymnal” (1991)
    The American Catholic Hymnal, with IMPRIMATUR granted (25 April 1991) by the Archdiocese of Chicago, is like a compendium of every horrible idea from the 1980s. Imagine being forced to stand all through Communion (even afterwards) when those self-same ‘enlightened’ liturgists moved the SEQUENCE before the Alleluia to make sure congregations wouldn’t have to stand during it. (Even worse, everything about the SEQUENCE—including its name—means it should follow the Alleluia.) And imagine endlessly repeating “Alleluia” during Holy Communion at every single Mass. It was all part of an effort to convince people that Holy Communion was historically a procession (which it wasn’t).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Canonic” • Ralph Vaughan Williams
    Fifty years ago, Dr. Theodore Marier made available this clever arrangement (PDF) of “Come down, O love divine” by P. R. Dietterich. The melody was composed in 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams (d. 1958) and named in honor of of his birthplace: DOWN AMPNEY. The arrangement isn’t a strict canon, but it does remind one of a canon since the pipe organ employs “points of imitation.” The melody and text are #709 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Did they simplify these hymn harmonies?
    Choirs love to sing the famous & splendid tune called “INNSBRUCK.” Looking through a (Roman Catholic) German hymnal printed in 1952, I discovered what appears to be a simplified version of that hymn. In other words, their harmonization is much less complex than the version found in the Saint Jean de Brébeuf Hymnal (which is suitable for singing by SATB choir). Please download their 1952 harmonization (PDF) and let me know your thoughts. I really like the groovy Germanic INTRODUCTION they added.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“There are some so restless that when they are free from labour they labour all the more, because the more leisure they have for thought, the worse interior turmoil they have to bear.”

— Pope Gregory the Great

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