ACK IN THE 1990s, it was my pleasure to serve Mass for numerous members of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP). This included priests from France, Germany, Australia, Africa, Ireland, England, and many other places. I was given the unforgettable privilege of serving as MASTER OF CEREMONIES for various superiors of the FSSP, including Father Arnaud J. Devillers and Father Josef M. Bisig. These are the memories a young boy never forgets.
(1 of 3) Puzzling Comment • A high-ranking member of the FSSP once made a rather intriguing comment. For years, I have been attempting—without success—to verify what he said. It has to do with the notion of a “parish” church. Once upon a time, Catholics were supposed to attend Mass within their “parochial boundaries.” Basically, that meant you were obligated to be a member of the parish near your home. These days, that rule has been almost entirely forgotten. If memory serves, faint traces of it remain on the books—but absolutely nobody enforces it.1
(2 of 3) Puzzling Comment • Nowadays, Catholics can fulfill their Sunday obligation anywhere without special permission. They can go to Mass at a Benedictine monastery on Sunday, or an Oratory, or college run by Franciscans, or any parish Mass. However, I’m told this wasn’t always true. Catholics were to fulfill their Sunday obligation at their parish. They weren’t allowed to “pop in” to the local Dominican Monastery for Sunday Mass. (Has anybody else heard about this?)
(3 of 3) Puzzling Comment • As I was saying, a high-ranking FSSP priest once told me Catholics were supposed to fulfill their Sunday obligation at their parish Mass. He said when Catholics traveled (or went on vacation) they were not obligated to attend Mass on Sunday. The reason—according to this priest—was because it was impossible for them to reach their parish Mass when they were in another city or country.
In Need Of Assistance • For years, I’ve been (unsuccessfully) attempting to verify what he said. Can any of our readers help?
1 For instance, when a couple wants to get their baby baptized, I believe they are (technically) supposed to give “first opportunity” to their parish priest. But the pastor can waive it by allowing some other priest to do it. Put another way, the parish priest technically has a ‘right’ to baptize the babies born to members of his parish. However, from what I can tell, very few people adhere to this rule.
