Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest

While the Church has always believed that the celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of its life, pastoral circumstances, as well as declining numbers of priests may mean that a community does not have a priest to lead their celebration of Sunday Mass.

“In the celebration of Mass … Christ is really present in the very liturgical assembly gathered in his name, in the person of the minister, in his word, and indeed substantially and continuously under the Eucharistic species.”   (GIRM 27)

So when a Catholic community gathers on a Sunday without a priest present, the Church encourages it still to celebrate the Paschal Mystery, even though it cannot celebrate the Eucharist.  This way the community can still, as the Body of Christ, uphold the importance and dignity of Sunday, the Lord’s Day.

In addition to the Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest by the Congregation for Divine Worship, the Australian Bishops have also produced local directives for the Dioceses of Australia.  These outline three ways a liturgical assembly may celebrate Sunday in the absence of a priest.

‍The Presence of Christ

‍As Christ is present through the proclamation of the Word of God, a Sunday Celebration of the Word may be celebrated.  This celebration resembles the Liturgy of the Word at Sunday Mass with the proclamation of the same readings (including the Gospel).  The Word, therefore, becomes the central focus of the Sunday Celebration.

If there are consecrated hosts from a previous Mass, (or hosts can be brought to the church from another Eucharistic celebration), a Sunday Celebration of the Word may also include Holy Communion.  While in the past people may have called this a “Communion Service”, this does not reflect the focus of the celebration, which is the proclamation of the Word of God.

In addition, the inclusion of Holy Communion does not make the celebration a Eucharistic one, and it should not be treated as such.  For example, the bishops insist that the altar is not used because the sacrifice of Mass is not offered there at this time.

‍Liturgy of the Hours

‍An alternative to a Sunday Celebration of the Word (and Communion) is for the community to gather and pray the traditional prayer of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours.

A community may celebrate Morning or Evening Prayer.  Again, the Word is central to the celebration, through the praying of the psalms and the proclamation of scripture.

‍Eucharist

‍As the celebration of the Eucharist is central to our faith, no celebration in the absence of a priest can completely take its place.

Yet for a community without a priest, it is still important for it to gather for prayer, especially on the Lord’s Day.  This way the Body of Christ continues to be strengthened.  Christ may not be present in the person of the ordained minister, or in Christ’s Body and Blood.  Yet, as the General Instruction of the Roman Missal reminds us, Christ is still made present through the community which gathers to pray, and the Word which is proclaimed in the midst of that community.

When celebrating these liturgies, the community looks forward to the time when there is a priest in their midst and they can next celebrate the Eucharist.

In the meantime, they are encouraged by Christ’s promise, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst.”    (Mt 18:20)

Revised and adapted for the NLC 2024.​Originally published in  ‘Prayer and Devotions’. ©  Diocese of Parramatta. 2007. Reprinted with permission.

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