Question: Is the Catholic Mass really celebrated the same throughout the whole world?

Answer: One of the truisms of the Catholic Faith is that “wherever you go in the world, the Mass is the same.” In fact, the answer to this question is both “yes” and “no.”

On the one hand, the essential elements of the Roman Rite are the same. The structure of the Mass as it is presented in the Roman Missal is consistent and this is one of the beauties of belonging to a liturgical tradition.

On the other hand, however, there are elements of celebrations that can vary depending on the country or even local region you might be in. For example, in certain parts of the world, certain feasts and solemnities are celebrated on different days (even here in the United States the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord can be celebrated on Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter or it may take the place of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, depending on what diocese you are in). Whether it is the use of certain liturgical colors, local celebrations of regional saints, special seasonal blessings of crops or produce, or the use of dance and processions all demonstrate a sort of organic variety that can exist even within our established liturgical tradition. While we always respect what is essential to the rite, such local variations and traditions are very much in keeping with the vision of liturgical renewal and adaption envisioned by the Second Vatican Council’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (nos. 37-40).

©LPi