Low Mass

A Private Mass (Latin missa privata, today missa sine populo ) is in the Roman Catholic church a silent Mass ( Missa LEcta ), which is not parish or conventual Mass is celebrated without public notice.

Liturgy Legal Situation

The priest may celebrate such a Mass only on days on which he himself does not celebrate other Holy Mass, not in addition to the celebration of a community fair. The Second Vatican Council saw " the liturgical rites to Community celebration with involvement and active participation of the faithful created " and certain "that the celebration in the community is preferable to speak privately completed by the individual ." The Roman Missal of Pope Paul VI. contains its own order of the Eucharistic celebration " without people" ( sine populo ). It is celebrated by the priest with the assistance of an altar. In a Missa sine populo is the order of the community fair modified application, insofar as the acolyte takes the "role" of the people. Only a just and reasonable cause, the priest may only celebrate ( the so-called Missa solitaria ). In this case, all the usual styling remain among the celebrants, such as the greeting "The Lord be with you", and the final blessing " bless you [ ... ] ". Also, a private Mass is the liturgy of the Catholic Church. It is part of the sanctification of the Church and is celebrated in the general and in particular anempfohlenen concerns.

Since the promulgation of the Motu Summorum Pontificum proprios in September 2007, it is permitted any Roman Catholic priest again, the private Mass according to the Missale Romanum of St.. Pius V. to celebrate in the edition of the year 1962. He need for any special permission of the bishop or religious superior.

History

The rapidly increasing since the early Middle Ages private masses were the cultic veneration of the relics of the saints owed ​​that have been recovered in the altars and worshiped by a daily celebration of mass. The early medieval Benedictine abbey saw himself as the image of the urban Roman Church system, which summarized all the churches of the city as a city church under the direction of the bishop understood ( church family ); This found expression in the practice of worship station in one of the station churches. In the abbeys, the churches of the city were to some extent summarized on the monastery grounds, as " church town " with a variety of churches and sanctuaries, or even as a side altars built in the monastery church.

The resulting intellectual trade system knows the Convention Office as a "major exhibition " in the role of the Roman station celebration and next to it a variety of " side measuring" in the other shrines and on the "side altars " in order to send you the proper ritual worship. The celebration of such incidental or private masses not be explained by the private devotion of the individual priest monk, but should be seen as necessary and important part of the overall liturgy of the Abbey. The fact that an increasing number of monks were ordained priests, did not meet the pastoral constraints or a plated clericalism, but the growing number of liturgical duties of the monastic organism.

Martin Luther criticized certain forms of private trade, calling them " private masses " - particularly those in which the priest alone, took communion to himself, he refused on principle.

In the Eastern Churches private masses are not common.