In the March 4 issue of
The West Texas Catholic, an announcement was made in regards to the discontinuation of the Sunday 5:00pm Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral. This 5:00pm Sunday Mass was celebrated for the last time on March 18, the Fifth Sunday of Lent.
I want to take a moment to explain what went into this decision. I assure you this decision was made after much consultation, study, prayer and discernment. There was also ample input from Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, the St. Mary’s Parish Council and the St. Mary’s Mass Time Survey Committee.
As a Canon Lawyer, I love to expose people to the hidden beauty of the Law. A good and timely example of this is
Canon 905, 1 and 2. Behind it’s legal language lies a pastoral sensitivity for the spirituality of the priest, and the opportunity for enhancing good liturgy in the parish.
Canon 905, 1 and 2 states:
905 § 1. A priest is not permitted to celebrate the Eucharist more than once a day except in cases where the law permits him to celebrate or concelebrate more than once on the same day.
§ 2. If there is a shortage of priests, the local ordinary can allow priests to celebrate twice a day for a just cause, or if pastoral necessity requires it, even three times on Sunday and Holy Days of Obligation.
This law serves to ensure that the manner of celebrating by priests does not become too hurried or routine due to the pressures of multiple Masses. Through his teaching and homilies, Bishop Zurek has reinforced what is envisioned in the law and the importance of care-taking a priest’s own spirituality and health. By natural extension, we must also caretake the spirituality and health of our deacons, music ministers, liturgical ministers and all those involved in Sacred Liturgy.
This law also serves to enhance our experience at Mass. An additional Mass should only be offered when the Church is unable to accommodate all the Faithful who wish to attend. The commentary also states that the mere convenience of the Faithful would not be adequate reason for a priest to celebrate multiple Masses unless a sufficient number of them could not otherwise attend.
The Apostolic See discourages the multiplication of Masses when a church is large enough to accommodate the Faithful at a smaller number of Masses. According to
Eucharisticum Mysterium 26, the pastoral effort is weakened by multiple Masses because the participation of the people in a scattered congregation is diminished and the effectiveness of overworked priests is reduced. Multiple Masses leading to a half-full church on the Lord’s Day tends to detract from the value of the Eucharist as a sign and source of ecclesial unity.
Discontinuing a well-established Sunday Mass is never an easy thing to do or accept. I pray all those affected will prayerfully consider all of the pastoral and liturgical reasons as to why this decision has been made. Let us pray for our priests, let us pray for an increase of vocations in our diocese, let us pray for all of our liturgical ministers and let us pray for and support all of the wonderful members of St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish. May this decision lead us to the ecclesial unity and communion envisioned by Mother Church. May St. Mary’s Cathedral always be a model of good liturgy and most importantly, ecclesial unity for the whole diocese.
Monsignor Michael Colwell, JCL, is rector at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Amarillo, and Co-Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Amarillo.