My question to the sspx, exactly. I was told because the masses will be 30 in a row. Like that should make a difference? I would think "quantity discount", right?
Not quite. In their defense --- I always try to be fair-minded
even if it undercuts my own arguments --- when you request Gregorian Masses, you are asking for a single priest to block out 30 consecutive Masses to the exclusion of any others. IOW, he can't accept Mass stipends from anyone else to be scheduled during that time frame.
Ceteris paribus, you've bumped up any other Masses an additional month. So it can be well argued, I think, that the additional stipend is a matter of justice to the priest. I have no issue with that part of it, in and of itself. He also has to make a commitment to say Mass every day for 30 days straight --- generally speaking, he can't skip a day. (Am I correct on this? Does it have to be 30 consecutive
days, or just 30 consecutive
Masses to the exclusion of any other intentions? Not all priests say Mass every day.)
As a practical matter, Gregorian Masses are best assigned to priests who have no ongoing daily duties to a large number of faithful, such as priests in monasteries, retired priests, and so on.