| ROME, 5 MAY 2009 (ZENIT) Answered by Legionary of Christ Father
Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum
university.
Q: I understand a Gregorian Mass to consist of 30 Masses said with
unbroken succession. Recently an elderly priest told me that if it is
interrupted even for one day, one has to begin the Masses all over. I
have also met an elderly religious who was catechizing the lay faithful
in the same line. Here then are my questions: 1) Has this Gregorian Mass
(or Masses) any liturgical or canonical foundation? 2) Does the
effectiveness of the Masses depend on celebrating them without
interruption? 3) If this is so (as it is widely held), are we not coming
close to superstition or what St. John of the Cross referred to as lack
of simplicity of faith? According to him, "These people attribute so
much efficacy to methods of carrying out their devotions and prayers and
so trust in them that they believe that if one point is missing or
certain limits have been exceeded their prayer will be profitless and go
unanswered. As a result they put more trust in these methods than they
do in the living prayer, not without great disrespect and offense toward
God."
—
P.C., Rome
A: The practice of Gregorian Masses goes back to a tradition hailing
from Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604). According to legend, a
deceased monk appeared and requested 30 Masses to be celebrated for the
release of his soul from purgatory. On completion of the stipulated days
he appeared once more radiant in heavenly glory.
From this legend the practice of celebrating 30 consecutive Masses
for one and the same person with the intention of procuring release from
purgatory became an established custom which has been regulated in
various ways over the centuries.
Present regulation stems from a declaration published by the Sacred
Congregation of Divine Worship on Feb. 24, 1967, which mitigated some of
the restrictions mentioned by our reader and of which the elderly priest
is apparently unaware.
According to the aforementioned declaration, maintaining the
tradition that the Gregorian Mass is a series of 30 consecutive
celebrations, it is not required that the same priest celebrate all the
Masses nor that they be celebrated on the same altar. Thus, if a priest
who has accepted the obligation of celebrating the series finds himself
impeded on any particular day, he may request another priest to take the
intention for him.
Likewise, it could happen that the priest cannot find a substitute
and the series is interrupted because of an unforeseen impediment (for
example, an illness), or for a reasonable cause (the celebration of a
funeral or a wedding). In this case the Church has disposed that the
fruits of suffrage (which, until that moment, Church practice and the
piety of the faithful have attributed to this series) are maintained.
The priest retains the obligation to complete the 30 Masses as soon as
possible but need not begin the series anew.
I do not believe that this pious custom induces superstition or
reflects a magical concept. It presumes that the soul is in purgatory
and thus recognizes the reality that few people are immediately ready
for heaven after death. It is also an act of faith and confidence in the
infinite intercessory power of the Mass with respect to souls undergoing
purgation. As such, the request for such a series of Masses is a
spiritual act of mercy akin to obtaining plenary indulgences on behalf
of the deceased.
The Just Judge is also infinitely merciful and can be as generous to
those who have toiled but an hour as he is toward those who bore the
brunt of labor all day long. * * * Follow-up:
Gregorian Masses [5-19-2009]
After our May 5 column on "Gregorian Masses," a New Jersey reader
inquired: "What is the relationship of a 'Gregorian Mass' to 'Gregorian
chant'? Indeed, do these Gregorian Masses use the Gregorian chant? If
so, 30 of such Masses seem unrealistic in the parish setting, and raise
another question: Are these intended to replace the daily Mass in a
parish?"
Actually the only relationship between Gregorian chant and Gregorian
Masses is that both are historically linked to Pope St. Gregory the
Great.
In themselves, Gregorian Masses do not necessarily affect the liturgy in
any way as they refer only to the priest's intention in offering the
Mass. There are no special rites or formulas attached to Gregorian
Masses.
Our reader has a point, however, that Gregorian Masses are rarely
celebrated in parish settings. This is not because of special rites but
because a parish priest would find it very difficult to dedicate 30 days
of Masses for one single intention, especially when many parishioners
request Masses.
Therefore Gregorian Masses are usually celebrated in monasteries,
seminaries, priestly houses of studies, and other similar locales with
priests in residence with relatively few pastoral commitments. These are
usually the only ones who can take upon themselves the commitment to
celebrate 30 consecutive Masses for the same deceased person.
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