More 4 please

I few weeks ago I mentioned/complained to a priest friend that in the two years since the new translation of the Missal had come in, I had only heard Eucharistic Prayer IV used once.  It was in Letterkenny Cathedral, and the reason it was used was it was on the missalette. 

(On an unrelated note, while I don't have massive hangups about missalettes the way some people do, I do dislike the shorter ones which are "forcing" priests to use the Apostles Creed because the Nicene doesn't fit.  And a few weeks ago an entire paragraph of the second reading was missing.)

My friend said you couldn't use Eucharistic Prayer IV on Sundays as the preface was fixed for that prayer and there were special prefaces for use on Sundays.

Being the polite, respectful, chappette I am, I didn't argue the case too much with him, though I thought he was wrong.  But now I've done my research and he was wrong.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 365 d, states: "Eucharistic Prayer IV has an invariable Preface and gives a fuller summary of salvation history. It may be used when a Mass has no Preface of its own and on Sundays in Ordinary Time.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 365 d, states: "Eucharistic Prayer IV has an invariable Preface and gives a fuller summary of salvation history. It may be used when a Mass has no Preface of its own and on Sundays in Ordinary Time.
What is a Mass with a preface of its own (or proper preface)?

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments clarified this in an official reply to a doubt in the mid-1970s. The response specified that a proper preface meant preface of the day, not the preface of the season.  Only those Masses are considered to have proper prefaces which are obligatory on a specific day.

In practice this means the Masses of major solemnities which have prescribed prefaces, such as Christmas, Easter, and the Sacred Heart; or one of a specific range of prefaces, such as Sundays of Advent and Lent.

Thus, Eucharistic Prayer IV may be used on Sundays of Ordinary Time. It may also be used for daily Masses during the same period, and may even be used for daily Mass during periods such as Advent and Lent. Though it may be pastorally better to use the seasonal preface unless there is a very good reason for using Eucharistic Prayer IV.

Likewise, this Eucharistic Prayer may be used for any votive Mass, even if the rubrics indicate another preface. Since the celebration of the votive Mass is itself an option, the Mass's variable elements are not strictly obligatory.

For example, the preface of St. Joseph is obligatory on March 19 -- and consequently Eucharistic Prayer IV may not be used on that day. If, however, a priest celebrates a votive Mass of St. Joseph on any day that such Masses are allowed, he would be free to use either the preface of St. Joseph, or another legitimate preface.


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