Priest continues to say mass

By her own admission, Emma de Vera who is a sister of Fr. Raul del Prado said that her brother continues to say mass. Her declaration was made during an informal “Kapihan” monthly gathering of Filipino press people to which she does not really belong. Among those present were Jaime Pimentel, Emma’s husband Ric de Vera, Romy Cayabyab, Titus Filio and this writer.

Mrs. De Vera likewise said that other people are present during the mass which Fr. Raul celebrates in his own private dwelling at Leumeah, NSW. She in fact invited this writer to attend mass at the Kapitbahayan Cooperative premises where the priest apparently says mass regularly.

But the real issue lies not in Fr. Raul’s ability to say mass. He is a priest and nobody is disputing that. What is being questioned is the legality of his saying mass in Australia. Because he does not have a celebret, he should not be saying mass in any part of Australia. (A celebret is defined in page 12 of this issue.)

The issue lies in the definition of a “private mass.” Fr. John Flader, a Doctor of Canon Law, said in his letter to Emma de Vera that “if Fr. Raul does not have faculties from any bishop, in Australia or in the Philippines, he should not celebrate mass publicly.” (See copy of Fr. Flader’s letter in page 12.)

In the 60s, when I was in high school at Ateneo de Manila, I used to wake up early to reach Loyola Heights at 7:00am. Inside the Faculty House which was the private dwelling of several Jesuit priests, there were many small altars where each priest celebrates daily private masses.

There were many of us serving as acolytes. Other than one acolyte and one priest in each altar, there was no one else attending individual masses celebrated by each Jesuit priest. That was a private mass.

If anyone would take pains in doing a research, he would discover that private masses were abolished during the Second Vatican Council. Thus, such masses were no longer being celebrated in private.

The presence of people attending, regardless of number, however small, disqualifies the mass from being classified as private.

I really don’t know what Fr. John Flader is talking about – as a “private mass.” By the way, the mere fact that Fr. Flader is a Doctor of Canon Law does not make him infallible and all statements coming from him should not be accepted as absolute. Even the Pope’s infallibility refers only to matters of Christian doctrine, as he is said to be guided by the Holy Spirit. — DINO CRESCINI

“Pope Paul VI also stressed that “No Mass is ‘Private’, explaining
that “each and every Mass is not something private, even if a priest
celebrates it privately; instead, it is an act of Christ and of the
Church.”