I keep forgetting to ask, but for what seems like for about the last 7 or 8 months at Low Mass, the priest at my SSPX chapel, at the ablutions after Communion uses only water, no wine.

For whatever reason he has stopped using wine to purify his fingers. I saw a few times that the altar boy brought both the wine and water, but Father only used the water, he specifically shook off using the wine.

Anyone know what's up with that?

I was an altar server pre VII (born in 1951) and one always brought the cruets of wine and water to the altar at the ablutions and the priest would motion toward the water if only that was to be used, otherwise both were used, and this seemed to be a uniform practice among priests as I recall.

The reason, as I recall, was as others here have said:  if he is saying another Mass shortly (a second Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day, or a funeral Mass after the regular daily Mass), wine was not taken at the ablutions.

This is interesting.  It does seem to be for no reason though I'm sure he has a reason; it's just not known.  He probably doesn't realize that this is even noticed by the faithful.  Priests should, however, be aware that their every move on the altar really is noticed by people.  Most people don't get too bent out of shape about things--after all, with all the Masses a priest says, the people realize that things happen and they aren't concerned.  But when a priest starts doing something new, and it becomes consistent, it will be noticed.

I know that wine is not used in the ablutions in the Novus Ordo (whether the rubrics call for it I don't know, but I know that I've never seen it used).  I remember that I specifically  noticed the use of wine at the ablutions when I first started to attend the traditional Mass because it was another significant difference.  I'm sure that this isn't a factor, just that it is an interesting fact in connection with the ablutions.

It occurred to me that I have a book that might explain this:  “Matters Liturgical”, a translation of the “Collectio Reum Liturgicarum” by Rev. Joseph Wuest, C.SS.R, first published in 1889.;  translated by Rev. Thomas Mullaney, C.SS.R.; re-arranged and enlarged by Rev. William Barry, C.SS.R., S.S.L.  My eight edition of the English edition was published in 1955.

From the Third Part, Sacred Rites: The Mass, The Parts of the Mass, 240 The Ablutions:

c) “If a priest celebrates two or three Masses on the same day but not in immediate succession, he shall take the wine of the first ablution and the wine and water of the second ablution at the last Mass only.  At the preceding Mass or Masses he can take the two ablutions in the usual way and saying the usual prayers, except that only water may be used for each ablution (PIUS XII: CONST. OF JAN. 6, 1953 AD IV; HOLY OFFICE: INSTR. OF JAN. 6 1953 AD 7;…)”.

There were simplified rubrics introduced in 1960, which were incorporated in the 1962 Roman Missal.  Perhaps the above instruction was modified by these, but I really don’t know.  The 1960 rubrics were in affect when I began serving but we were trained by older priests who often retained their old habits.