Vigil Mass at Noon?
I recently attended Sunday Mass at noon--on a Saturday.
It is well known that the Sunday obligation is fulfilled by attending Mass on Saturday evening. Opinions vary, however, as to the definition of "evening" in this context.
Dictionary.com offers the following definitions:
evening
1) The period of decreasing daylight between afternoon and night.
2) The period between sunset or the evening meal and bedtime.
Anyway you slice it, noon doesn't exactly seem to qualify as "evening," does it?
I had been curious about the Saturday noon Sunday vigil Mass at Immaculate Conception parish here in Jacksonville for quite some time. On account of anticipated travel and associated logistical difficulties, the curiosity became a welcome convenience one recent weekend.
Had it been a squishier, less traditional parish, I would have been more inclined to question the notion that 12:00 noon might qualify as part of the evening. But this was Immaculate Conception, the most traditional parish in town. What's more, the priest celebrating the noon-vigil was one of the most highly-respected and holiest of Our Lord's ministers in these parts.
What's more yet, our own truly outstanding bishop was surely aware of this long-standing practice at Immaculate Conception and had at least implicitly approved of it by allowing it to continue.
I was, therefore, entirely comfortable attending the Saturday noon-vigil Mass and attending to other business on Sunday.
Ok, not entirely. So, I did a quick Google search and found this interesting article, which reaches the conclusion that evening begins at 4:00 PM.
Still, I'm generally alright with IC's noon-vigil, thanks to Dictionary.com's fourth and final definition of "evening":
4) Chiefly Southern U.S.: The time from noon to twilight.
I figure, without binding guidance as to the definition of the word "evening," it is reasonable to assume that the ordinary, local usage would prevail.
And Jacksonville is nothing if not Southern.
As for you Yankees and Left Coasters, there's still no excuse for you.
I recently attended Sunday Mass at noon--on a Saturday.
It is well known that the Sunday obligation is fulfilled by attending Mass on Saturday evening. Opinions vary, however, as to the definition of "evening" in this context.
Dictionary.com offers the following definitions:
evening
1) The period of decreasing daylight between afternoon and night.
2) The period between sunset or the evening meal and bedtime.
Anyway you slice it, noon doesn't exactly seem to qualify as "evening," does it?
I had been curious about the Saturday noon Sunday vigil Mass at Immaculate Conception parish here in Jacksonville for quite some time. On account of anticipated travel and associated logistical difficulties, the curiosity became a welcome convenience one recent weekend.
Had it been a squishier, less traditional parish, I would have been more inclined to question the notion that 12:00 noon might qualify as part of the evening. But this was Immaculate Conception, the most traditional parish in town. What's more, the priest celebrating the noon-vigil was one of the most highly-respected and holiest of Our Lord's ministers in these parts.
What's more yet, our own truly outstanding bishop was surely aware of this long-standing practice at Immaculate Conception and had at least implicitly approved of it by allowing it to continue.
I was, therefore, entirely comfortable attending the Saturday noon-vigil Mass and attending to other business on Sunday.
Ok, not entirely. So, I did a quick Google search and found this interesting article, which reaches the conclusion that evening begins at 4:00 PM.
Still, I'm generally alright with IC's noon-vigil, thanks to Dictionary.com's fourth and final definition of "evening":
4) Chiefly Southern U.S.: The time from noon to twilight.
I figure, without binding guidance as to the definition of the word "evening," it is reasonable to assume that the ordinary, local usage would prevail.
And Jacksonville is nothing if not Southern.
As for you Yankees and Left Coasters, there's still no excuse for you.
posted by Anonymous at
12:02 AM
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