Q: Our Parish hosts a lovely annual Mass of Remembrance on the evening of All Souls, but we have a dilemma in scheduling next year, as All Souls falls on a Saturday. The Ordo provides for All Souls Evening Prayer to be celebrated after All Saints Evening Prayer on Nov 1 for Pastoral reasons… does that mean we could celebrate Mass with the All Souls readings on the evening of Nov 1? We’re trying to avoid a daytime Mass in order to best serve our parishioners.
Thanks in advance for any insight.
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A: The USCCB’s BCDW published a clarification on All Souls’ Day 2024 in the November 2023 Newsletter:
“On Saturday evening, priests should anticipate the Mass of the 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time at normally scheduled anticipated Masses, though the Mass of All Souls’ Day may be used outside that usual schedule.”
We’re planning our regular Ordinary Time Saturday afternoon Mass for the parish and then an evening All Souls Mass for those who wish to come. A canonist will have to verify this, but the All Souls evening Mass should fulfill the Sunday obligation.