# Would a Priest Perform a Mass if her were All Alone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030 "2017-06-28T02:16:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/21 "2017-06-28T13:57:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And **Nava** , I’m aware that not all monks are priests, but monasteries will still often have a fairly high proportion of priests, compared to the general public. [St. Andrew’s Abbey](https://standrewabbey.org/meet-the-monks), for instance, which runs my high school, currently numbers 17 priests and 8 brothers among their members, though some of them also have pastoral duties at various parishes and probably celebrate Mass there. “Compared with the general public”, even 1 priest in 100 men is more than the general average, and I’ve seen convents with that ratio (I also know others with 100% priests, although those tend to have very few people). But in the interests of fighting ignorance I thought that it was important to point out that priest does not equal monk. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/22 "2017-06-28T14:10:29Z")
While we’re at it, then, we might also mention that “monk” is not a gendered term: Nuns are monks, too. I don’t think there’s any single word for “male monk”, the way “nun” means “female monk”. And in English, the word “convent” is usually reserved for nuns, where 1 priest out of 100 men would be quite unusual indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/23 "2017-06-28T15:01:00Z")
Church attendance is variable, but the Mass of a priest is constant. The typo makes the title a trick question, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/24 "2017-06-28T15:03:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While we’re at it, then, we might also mention that “monk” is not a gendered term: Nuns are monks, too. I don’t think there’s any single word for “male monk”, the way “nun” means “female monk”. Merriam-Webster’s [disagrees](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monk) > [@Chronos](#): > > And in English, the word “convent” is usually reserved for nuns, where 1 priest out of 100 men would be quite unusual indeed. [on both counts](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convent). ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/25 "2017-06-28T18:15:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > While we’re at it, then, we might also mention that “monk” is not a gendered term: Nuns are monks, too. I don’t think there’s any single word for “male monk”, the way “nun” means “female monk”. > > And in English, the word “convent” is usually reserved for nuns, where 1 priest out of 100 men would be quite unusual indeed. If we’re discussing the RCC, then “monk” is indeed a gendered term. Perhaps the ungendered term that you’re thinking of is a “[monastic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monasticism)” Monastic women are nuns. Monastic men are monks. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/26 "2017-06-28T18:23:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It’s hard to imagine a situation where nobody at all shows up for daily mass, though. And I don’t know if it’s made explicit in canon law, but Jesus said “wherever two or three are gathered, I am in their midst”, which makes it sound like you’d need one or two more present. I was an altar boy for several years. We did early morning masses at 6AM and 7AM every day, and the church was mostly empty. There would generally be a couple of old ladies sitting 'way in the back, in the very last pews, and they paid little or not attention to the mass going on – they were busy praying their rosaries. I suspect they like the Mass going on as “background noise”. Or maybe they felt they got extra grace from attending. In any event, the priest and altar boys were pretty much irrelevant to them, and they could’ve done without us. As far as people paying close attention to what was going on at the altar, aside from the three of us there wasn’t anyone. So it’s really easy for me to imagine a situation where no one shows up. I attended – well, participated in, such masses for years ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/27 "2017-06-28T18:57:29Z")
Out of curiosity, was that before or after Vatican 2? I’m also surprised you had servers at all at those masses-- I’ve never been to a daily mass that had servers. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/28 "2017-06-28T19:00:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The Mass does not include a sermon. Catholic church services actually include two different liturgies, the Liturgy of the Word (the readings and the sermon) and the Liturgy of the Eucharist (preparation, consecration, and distribution of communion). Although they’re typically celebrated together, only the latter is, strictly speaking, the Mass. bolding mine, kept section headers and removed descriptions [http://www.santorosario.net/english/mass/2.htm](http://www.santorosario.net/english/mass/2.htm) THE PARTS OF THE MASS From the General Instruction of the Roman Missal \*\*The Mass is made up of two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. \*\*There are also certain rites that open and conclude the celebration. THE INTRODUCTORY RITES The Entrance The Greeting The Act of Penitence The Kyrie Eleison The Gloria The Collect THE LITURGY OF THE WORD The Biblical Readings The Homily The Profession of Faith The Prayer of the Faithful THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST The Preparation of the Gifts The Eucharistic Prayer The Communion Rite The Lord’s Prayer The Rite of Peace The Fraction Communion THE CONCLUDING RITES ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/29 "2017-06-28T19:49:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Out of curiosity, was that before or after Vatican 2? > > I’m also surprised you had servers at all at those masses-- I’ve never been to a daily mass that had servers. I also was an altar boy who served at 6:00AM daily mass. This was definitely after Vatican II (and obviously well before my present atheistic state). Two alter boys per mass; you would get shifts of three days (M,T,W or Th,F,S) at the same time each day (there were I think three shows a day - this was before you could go Saturday afternoon and have it count for Sunday). If you couldn’t make it you were expected to get a sub. If the audience was light or non-existent, you were expected to make all the “responses”. If you were really reliable, you would get assigned to weddings (where you would get tipped) or funerals (where you _might_ get a tip depending on the particular funeral director). ETA: Occasionally there would be a visiting priest who would need to say his daily mass, usually at an unscheduled time with nobody in the church (unless they happened to wander in). Even at those masses at least one altar boy would get assigned. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/30 "2017-06-28T19:56:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Out of curiosity, was that before or after Vatican 2? > > I’m also surprised you had servers at all at those masses-- I’ve never been to a daily mass that had servers. After Vatican II\*. We always had at least two servers at Mass, even early in the morning. \*But I started before Vatican II. I was in the last generation that had to memorize the Mass in Latin. When I’ve said this before, I got protests. But I stand by it – after Vatican II you still _could_ have Latin masses, but vernacular became the rule, and our altar boys stopped learning the latin prayers. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/31 "2017-06-28T22:06:24Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > \*\*The Mass is made up of two parts: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. \*\*There are also certain rites that open and conclude the celebration. So it’s an agglutinous Mass. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/32 "2017-06-28T22:06:25Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > St. Peter’s Church in my Chicago neighborhood was eventually surrounded by railroad facilities and freight houses, so had virtually no parishioners. 😕 I presume you don’t mean the St. Peter’s on Madison in the heart of the Loop; even when nobody lived downtown, there have always been plenty of workers who go to Mass before/after work or at lunch-hour. Where is/was this St. Peter’s? ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/33 "2017-06-28T22:29:28Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > After Vatican II\*. We always had at least two servers at Mass, even early in the morning. > \*But I started before Vatican II. I was in the last generation that had to memorize the Mass in Latin. > When I’ve said this before, I got protests. But I stand by it – after Vatican II you still _could_ have Latin masses, but vernacular became the rule, and our altar boys stopped learning the latin prayers. I am not old enough to know for certain, but my understanding is that those old ladies in the back with their rosaries were a holdover from pre-Vatican II, when it was apparently common to do so during Mass, as no one understood it anyway. (Yes, they may have learned the proper responses/prayers. That doesn’t mean they understood them. ) About the servers at daily Mass- I’ve always seen them - but I’ve also only attended weekday Masses at churches with a parochial school right next door and altar servers would be excused from class for the 8 or 9 am Mass or a funeral. I suspect the presence/absence of a school might make the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/34 "2017-06-28T23:39:00Z")
Thank you, every one and all! I’ve learned a lot from this thread, and you’ve helped me avoid various mistakes and boners! > [@gkster](#): > > OP, just a comment on phrasing. To “say a Mass” or “celebrate Mass” both sound OK to me as an observant Catholic, but “perform Mass” isn’t a phrase that Catholics use. . . . For example, this! I had no idea. My ignorance has been reduced by a measurable amount! Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/35 "2017-06-28T23:42:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Would a Priest Perform a Mass if her were All Alone? **Her** better be all alone before someone finds out there is a woman priest:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/36 "2017-06-29T01:23:33Z")
The dreaded tipo monxter strikes again. Amd again! ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/37 "2017-06-29T04:08:02Z")
> [@John\_Bredin](#): > > :I presume you don’t mean the St. Peter’s on Madison in the heart of the Loop; even when nobody lived downtown, there have always been plenty of workers who go to Mass before/after work or at lunch-hour. Where is/was this St. Peter’s? Southwest corner of Polk & Clark. During or right after World War II, one of the Franciscans got the idea that they should relocate to the center of the Loop to minister to office workers. They bought a theater to convert into a church, but in the early 1950s concluded that was inadvisable and commissioned Vitzthun & Burns to do Chicago’s last Art Deco building. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/38 "2017-06-29T19:23:54Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Thank you, every one and all! I’ve learned a lot from this thread, and you’ve helped me avoid various mistakes and boners! Please ask away! TV at least contains too many mistakes - especially when the Church is a main part of a plot and it’s clear they haven’t hired a consultant! For example, a priest is not sitting in the confessional 24/7 waiting for someone to stumble in and confess. Green vestments aren’t worn to a funeral. You wouldn’t say “great sermon” to a Catholic priest. You genuflect on your right knee to God in church and on your left to the Pope. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/39 "2017-06-29T19:35:42Z")
If a Mass is held and there is no one there does it make a sound? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030/40 "2017-06-29T19:40:08Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > If a Mass is held and there is no one there does it make a sound? Boy, if I weren’t an agnostic I’d answer this with a line out of Jean Anouilh’s _Becket_: Priest: (pointing to the red sanctuary lamp\*) My son, there is always someone present in Church. \*often (but not officially, apparently) said to represent the presence of God > **[Sanctuary lamp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_lamp)** > > A sanctuary lamp, chancel lamp, altar lamp, everlasting light, or eternal flame is a light that shines before the altar of sanctuaries in many Jewish and Christian places of worship. Prescribed in Exodus 27:20-21 of the Torah, this icon has taken on different meanings in each of the religions that have adopted it. The passage, which refers to prescriptions for the tabernacle, states: > And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-priest-perform-a-mass-if-her-were-all-alone/790030.md?page=3)