Are the Masses in Your Parish Valid but Illicit?

Some, if not most Catholics are familiar with the term “valid but illicit.”  It’s a disconcerting term.

If, for instance, you ever attended an SSPX Sunday Mass, you attended a Mass that was valid, but it was also a Mass that was illicit.  But what exactly does that mean?  Did you fulfill your Sunday obligation by attending the SSPX Mass or not?

If you ask Catholic Answers the question, “what does valid but illicit mean?” you’ll get a somewhat legalistic answer.  The AI generated response says, in part, “Valid but illicit” denotes that a sacramental act produced its intended sacramental effect (valid) while being performed contrary to ecclesiastical law or liturgical prescription (illicit).”

The response goes on to say, “A valid-but-illicit act therefore truly effects what it intends (for example, conferring sacramental orders or effecting a consecration) but does so unlawfully, rendering the minister or participants culpable of violating the law and the act morally or canonically wrong.”

The answer to the question “did you fulfill you Sunday obligation when you attended an SSPX Mass” then, is ‘yes.’  So if the Mass is a valid Mass, why should we be concerned if it is illicit?  A priest friend of mine has a good response to this question.  He says simply, “Valid and illicit sacraments still give grace, but valid and licit sacraments give immensely more grace!”

Causes of Illicitness

Illicit simply means unlawful, as in not in keeping with Church laws.  And there are a number of things that can result in a Mass being illicit.   For instance, if a cross is not present on or near the altar the Mass is illicit (but it’s still a valid Mass).

In the case of a Mass presided over by an SSPX priest, the Mass is illicit solely because SSPX priests do not have the faculties to say Mass in any dioceses or archdioceses.  Most SSPX priests are validly ordained priests, so a Mass presided over by a validly ordained SSPX priest is a valid Mass.  However, because the Mass is not in conformance with the canonical laws of the Church it is illicit.

But even masses celebrated by parish priests with faculties can be elicit. In general, a failure to observe the required liturgical elements mandated by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) results in liturgical abuse (sometimes minor, sometimes major) which makes the Mass illicit.

Seemingly Minor Changes = Illicit Mass

If, for example,  the Creed is omitted at a Sunday Mass the Mass is illicit (but still valid.)  Or if a layperson delivers the homily instead of the priest or deacon, the Mass is illicit.  And if the priest fails to mix water with the wine the Mass is illicit (but both the Mass and the Consecration are still valid).

Even changing the prescribed actions or words of prescribed texts in the GIRM can result in an illicit Mass.

The priest presider, for instance, cannot leave the sanctuary once Mass has started.   So if a priest leaves the sanctuary to deliver the homily, the Mass becomes illicit.

Some “progressive” parishes sometimes omit the word “men” when saying the Nicene Creed.  Instead or “for us men and for our salvation” the congregation says, “for us and for our salvation.”  This, too, results in an illicit Mass.

And have you ever been to a Mass where members of the laity join with the priest and/or deacon to role play or act out some of the Gospel readings during Lent?  If so, you attended an illicit Mass.   (The reading of the Passion during Holy Week is a possible exception.  One Liturgist I consulted, however, said even this is not allowed.)

Are the people in your parish are still holding hands during the Our Father?  If so, they are guilty of a liturgical abuse which also results in an illicit Mass.  Per the Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship (Notitiae 11 [1975] 226), “Holding hands has for a long time been on its own a sign of communion rather than of peace. Moreover, it is a liturgical gesture introduced spontaneously, though on private initiative: It is not found in the rubrics. . . . For this reason, if it is a matter of substitution, this must simply be rejected.”

Just a Small Nuance?

Someone knowing all of this may opine, “So what if the Mass is slightly unlawful as long as it is a valid Mass.”  Such a thought raises the question, what is the impact of a slightly unlawful Mass?  Or to put it another way, what’s the difference between some graces and immensely more graces?

If the answer to this question  is ‘not a lot,’ then attending a valid but illicit Mass is no big deal.

But what if the answer to this question is, ‘It’s comparable to a drink of water versus a five-gallon jug  of water.’  If this is the case, it’s a whole new ballgame.  Some graces help us but a lot of graces give us immensely more help.

Unfortunately for us, only God knows the answer to the question.   Even so when it comes to grace, I’d prefer more as opposed to less.  Catholics then, should want to attend a valid and licit Mass as opposed to a valid but illicit Mass.

Take Action

If the Masses at your parish are often or even just sometimes illicit, you should do something about it.  As laypeople we should expect our priests to preside at Masses that provide us with the maximum amount of grace possible.

If your pastor or one or two of the priests in you parish are presiding over illicit Masses, it is your duty to offer correction.  You should bring the liturgical abuse to the priest’s attention in a charitable way.

A politely written letter (or email) to the offending priest is a good starting point.  Cite the liturgical abuse and quote the GIRM or the applicable Canon Law.  And realize, too, that the priest may not even know that he is erring.

If, however, the priest is willfully disregarding the GIRM, he may rebuff your concerns.  If this happens, you may need to write another letter or email to the priest with a copy to the bishop.

Stop Liturgical Abuse

Kevin Orlin Johnson wrote an article entitled  “The Ten Most Common Liturgical Abuses,” over 25 years ago.  Sadly, some of the liturgical abuses he mentions are still with us today.

As the Vatican II document Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium) states in 22.3, no person, “even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.”  So priests (or Liturgy Directors)  who play fast and loose with the Liturgy of the Mass are not doing anyone any favors.  In fact they are likely depriving us of grace.

Even worse, when a priest or the parish’s Liturgy Director decides Mass should be more entertaining, or decorates the altar like this, the illicitness goes to a whole new level.

As Johnson notes in the opening paragraphs of his article, “ When the Mass is presented as something casual, entertaining, or improvisational, the whole point of it disappears.”

Way More than a “shared meal”

The Mass is a liturgical bloodless re-presentation of Christ’s sacrifice for us.  But many progressive theologians and clerics these days are pitching the Mass as communal “shared meal.”  And shared meals – whether family meals or something more – are supposed to be happy, fun get togethers.

During the Consecration at Mass we do recall the Last Supper.  But the Last Supper was not a happy, fun-get-together kind of meal.  It was the beginning of Christ’s Passion.  It was a solemn occasion during which He instituted the Sacrament of  the Eucharist, the source and summit of the Christian life.

Friendly and happy should never replace reverence and piety.   Don’t let progressive priests turn the Mass into something less than it is.  Don’t let them deprive you of the graces you receive when you attend a valid and licit Mass.