ASK FATHER: TLM of “anticipation” on Saturday evening

From a priest…

QUAERITUR:

Dear Fr. Zuhlsdorf in Christ,

A blessed Eastertide to you. I hope you are well.

Although I’ve been offering the Extraordinary Form almost exclusively (unless I’m called upon to offer an NO Mass in some parish), I’m unclear about the rules for EF Mass of Anticipation.

After what time must I offer the Sunday Mass – or may I offer a “Mass of BVM on Saturday” around 7:00 pm or so?

I greatly appreciate your help with this and my previous questions. God’s blessings for you and your work.

In Christ and His Sorrowful Mother,…

A priest can now say a Traditional Mass at, say, 7 PM.  That’s not a problem, even though waaaay back in the day it wasn’t common.  As a matter of fact, I think that it was not allowed, once upon a time, for Mass to begin after noon.  If memory serves, Pius XII allowed for evening Masses for people who had to work in the morning.  Moreover, way back, there were’t electric lights in the church and in the streets and paths to church.  But I digress.  Back when, for evening Masses, the texts of that same day were used, not of the next day.

A traditional Mass celebrated at 7 PM on a Saturday evening would still use the texts of the Saturday, whatever it was.

Also, no matter which texts were used for the Mass on Saturday evening, participation at that Mass would fulfill the Sunday obligation.