Does the Church consider Saturday evening Mass same as Sunday Mass? Is my Sunday obligation fulfilled if I went for Saturday evening Mass?

The Church permits going to Mass on Saturday evening instead of on Sunday, and it doesn’t have to be an emergency.

Sunday is the most important and holiest day of the week for us as Christians because it is the day of Christ’s Resurrection. Our participation in the Eucharist on Sunday is our celebration of the new Passover–of Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection for our salvation. That is why we are required to go to Mass every Sunday.

At the same time, there is also an ancient tradition (going back even to Judaism) of keeping the vigil. A vigil is an observance of a holy day on the evening before (sometimes into the night). Even the word “vigil” comes from Latin for “watchful” or “keeping awake.”

The reason that a Mass on Saturday evening satisfies the Sunday obligation is because the Saturday evening Mass is a vigil Mass for Sunday–you’re anticipating the celebration of Sunday on the evening before!

So as long as the Mass being celebrated is a vigil Mass for Sunday, then it 100% satisfies your obligation. In the eyes of the Church, a Saturday vigil is a Sunday Mass.

You can also check what the Church teaches on the Sunday obligation in the Catechism and in the Code of Canon Law. The Catechism speaks about the Sunday obligation in sections 2180-2183 and the Code in canons 1246-1248.