A very odd Christmas Mass Experience

[marytk]

I was going to recommend the early morning Mass if there is one. They tend not to be swamped with visitors. The music might be simpler. I use to like going with my Dad to the Student Chapel for Christmas morning. They had a really packed midnight Mass. There was just one morning Mass . It was very nice. Most of the students had gone home.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

On Christmas, if you attend the earliest Mass on Christmas Day you will miss that sort of shenanigans (all the C & E Catholics are home celebrating the birth of Santa instead of going to Mass).

Same on Easter, go to the Vigil.

For me, it is very important that I NOT sin against Charity by attending those masses on Christmas Eve or Easter Morning.

Don’t assume that the Easter vigil Mass will be the easiest/best/most reverent…At my former parish, that is when the Catechumens are baptized, and it starts late that night, and runs until about 1 a.m. That is the one Mass when Father can pull out ALL the stops and take as much time as he wants. I’m sure he’d like ALL Masses to be 5 or 6 hours but he can only get away with it once a year, with the newbies.

Best to call and find out if the vigil Mass on Easter will be the baptism Mass. If yes, then the 8 am Easter Mass is a good one to attend - hardly any children at that hour. We used to have a sunrise service years ago, I think that one started about 6:30 a.m. Either very early or very late is the ticket for me.

 

[YoungTradCath]

Don’t assume that the Easter vigil Mass will be the easiest/best/most reverent…At my former parish, that is when the Catechumens are baptized, and it starts late that night, and runs until about 1 a.m. That is the one Mass when Father can pull out ALL the stops and take as much time as he wants. I’m sure he’d like ALL Masses to be 5 or 6 hours but he can only get away with it once a year, with the newbies.

Best to call and find out if the vigil Mass on Easter will be the baptism Mass. If yes, then the 8 am Easter Mass is a good one to attend - hardly any children at that hour. We used to have a sunrise service years ago, I think that one started about 6:30 a.m. Either very early or very late is the ticket for me.

5-6 hour masses? Even Papal masses aren’t that long.

 

[jimrob]

We had a lot of Masses over Christmas and many of them were crowded. The first vigil Mass was very full and we had about 750 people packed into a church designed for 300.

Many of those attending Mass at Christmas only come once a year. Trying to cater for a huge congregation can be difficult, especially if you have few priests and a relatively small building. However, the Church is not about buildings, it is about people - we are the Church. I’m sure the problem can be managed, but it needs plenty of people to help organise it. Volunteer to help now and you may have found a solution by next Christmas. And remember, altar servers get the best seats in the house.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

At one point I turned to my dad and said, “Can we please go back to the Latin Mass?” Mind you, I thought I’d be the last to say that!

What makes you think the same people would act differently at the Latin Mass?

 

[Pat_Albertson]

Does anyone have experiences like this??

Mine was not unlike that, but not so bad. I got there a little later than I had intended, but still before the start of Mass.

There were no seats, not even folding chairs; everything was standing room only.

Anyway, after standing in the back (a section actually outside the church proper but still in a sort of hall-like room with the doors to the church proper open) for a few minutes during the start of Mass, and hearing the priest mostly through some tinny loudspeakers (I couldn’t see him at all), I made the decision to go into the church proper and stand in the back with the ushers. That proved to be a good decision.

I asked them if it was OK to stand with them and they said “yes”. They were friendly and didn’t mind at all.

It turned out that I was also right by the place where the people who were going to take the wine and the hosts up to the priest would gather for their tasks. Not only that, but I could hear and see the priest perfectly. Although I stood the whole time, and that was a bit tiring, it was a whole lot more like a Christmas Mass, and I was glad I thought of doing that. I thanked God and the angels for the idea to stand with the ushers and the resultant change of atmosphere. It was really quite a good Christmas Mass after all.

 

[YoungTradCath]

What makes you think the same people would act differently at the Latin Mass?

They probably wouldn’t. But those masses tend to attract a kind of people who usually share similar characteristics.

 

[Sarabande]

I went with my family to the Christmas Vigil Mass. Usually in this parish, if the main sanctuary is full you go to the chapel where the Mass is broadcasted on a projector. Well, for the Christmas Vigil we showed up just before Mass. Not only was the main santuary full but so was the chapel. We had to go to a building next door to a packed room where the Mass was projected on a screen for us. That room was also full and I had to stand.

My main problem with it was the irreverence. It was very hard to get into a prayerful mindset. As soon as the choir started playing for the priest to prepare the altar or for any pause in the Mass the noise level will rise. Not to mention the parents who didn’t care of the noise their kids made or the fact that people were walking around. I had to go outside for a minute. During communion a few Eucharistic ministers walked in to give us the Eucharist. At one point I turned to my dad and said, “Can we please go back to the Latin Mass?” Mind you, I thought I’d be the last to say that!

(Did I mention the liturgical dance to the Magnificat before the first reading or the play put on by kids as the priest read the Gospel?)

Does anyone have experiences like this?? I left Mass in a not so good mood.

I’m sorry you had to experience this. Not all extremely crowded, busy Christmas or Easter masses are like this. There might be many more people than usual, with standing room only, etc., but people still are reverent. I think what could have happened was that you were in a packed room with a projected screen which more than likely caused this attitude of not acting like you were at mass (even though they were.)

As others have suggested, perhaps find out which parishes do a more reverent and even a less crowded mass.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

My hope is that this coming generation of young priests will start the gargantuan task of rectifying all these aberrations.

And just how exactly do you recommend that happen?

 

[Bob_Aliano]

Can someone explain the difference between watching the Mass on EWTN and attending a valid Mass in a location outside the church in front of a projection screen?

 

[YoungTradCath]

And just how exactly do you recommend that happen?

I don’t know. I didn’t mean to sound presumptuous. I really just meant to be positive for the future.

 

[pilots13]

Can someone explain the difference between watching the Mass on EWTN and attending a valid Mass in a location outside the church in front of a projection screen?

You can receive communion when you’re watching in on a projection screen from the school gym. EWTN doesn’t send people to your house for communion.

I don’t think I’d ever be able to watch Mass on TV cause of over crowding. I’d just go to another church where I could get a seat.

Or come to my church. We’re lucky to half fill the place at any Christmas or Easter Masses!

 

[Bob_Aliano]

You can receive communion when you’re watching in on a projection screen from the school gym. EWTN doesn’t send people to your house for communion.

I don’t think I’d ever be able to watch Mass on TV cause of over crowding. I’d just go to another church where I could get a seat.

Or come to my church. We’re lucky to half fill the place at any Christmas or Easter Masses!

Actually I can have communion “delivered” to my house. When we have our overcrowding problem due to the Chreasters, Twicers, call them what you will we have an actual, in person, by a priest Mass in the parish hall; we don’t use a TV! The only concession is the use of folding chairs so there are no kneelers. I think this TV approach is pushing the limits of a valid Mass.

 

[Frosty]

Actually I can have communion “delivered” to my house. When we have our overcrowding problem due to the Chreasters, Twicers, call them what you will we have an actual, in person, by a priest Mass in the parish hall; we don’t use a TV! The only concession is the use of folding chairs so there are no kneelers. ** I think this TV approach is pushing the limits of a valid Mass**.

1. You can’t have Communion “delivered” to your house in the context of a Mass.
2. If there is only one priest for the parish and the overcrowding makes the use of a parish hall necessary, it is pretty difficult for that priest to bilocate between the church proper and the hall.

3.You might want to try telling that to the Pope. Even St. Peter’s isn’t large enough to hold all the people who wish to be present for his Christman Mass. The thousands in the Square have to watch it on TV screens just like those who can’t get into the main church in a reguar parish. I doubt Benedict XVI thinks the Mass he is celebrating is invalid because of that!

 

[Bob_Aliano]

1. You can’t have Communion “delivered” to your house in the context of a Mass.
2. If there is only one priest for the parish and the overcrowding makes the use of a parish hall necessary, it is pretty difficult for that priest to bilocate between the church proper and the hall.

3.You might want to try telling that to the Pope. Even St. Peter’s isn’t large enough to hold all the people who wish to be present for his Christman Mass. The thousands in the Square have to watch it on TV screens just like those who can’t get into the main church in a reguar parish. I doubt Benedict XVI thinks the Mass he is celebrating is invalid because of that!

You are entitled to your opinion as am I. I would not attend a TV Mass and consider my obligation fulfilled. As for attending a Papal Mass, I don’t know maybe it’s just a bit different than some local parish; even at that I’d be concerned about how well I fulfilled my obligation.

 

[Leegal]

I went with my family to the Christmas Vigil Mass. Usually in this parish, if the main sanctuary is full you go to the chapel where the Mass is broadcasted on a projector. Well, for the Christmas Vigil we showed up just before Mass. Not only was the main santuary full but so was the chapel. We had to go to a building next door to a packed room where the Mass was projected on a screen for us. That room was also full and I had to stand.

My main problem with it was the irreverence. It was very hard to get into a prayerful mindset. As soon as the choir started playing for the priest to prepare the altar or for any pause in the Mass the noise level will rise. Not to mention the parents who didn’t care of the noise their kids made or the fact that people were walking around. I had to go outside for a minute. During communion a few Eucharistic ministers walked in to give us the Eucharist. At one point I turned to my dad and said, “Can we please go back to the Latin Mass?” Mind you, I thought I’d be the last to say that!

(Did I mention the liturgical dance to the Magnificat before the first reading or the play put on by kids as the priest read the Gospel?)

Does anyone have experiences like this?? I left Mass in a not so good mood.

My sister’s Church puts on a play during the readings – every Christmas and the same play. They have done so for about 20 years now. We went to my mother’s Church this year instead. Unfortunately, the hymns were not in Latin as I find the Christmas hymns in Latin to be so beautiful.

 

[Bob_Aliano]

I didn’t have to look far to find support for questioning the use of TV screens in a location disconnected from the nave. While the discussion admits there is no clear directive against such practice the conclusion is:

"From what we have said, it should be clear that the second situation, that of following the Mass from the parish hall, is incorrect and is not sufficient to fulfill the Sunday precept.

Some other solution should be found to cater for the overflow, either adding Masses or seeking an alternative venue.

It might even be permissible, as an extreme solution, to set up television screens outside the church, which would in some way preserve the unity of the assembly. But they may not be in another location."

Excerpt from: ewtn.com/library/liturgy/zlitur65.htm

So, as I said, I would avoid that situation.

 

[NewEnglandPriest]

As for attending a Papal Mass, I don’t know maybe it’s just a bit different than some local parish; even at that I’d be concerned about how well I fulfilled my obligation.

Not sure why its different, its the same sacrifice whether its offered by the Holy Father or the mere parish priest…

 

[MartyrForJesus]

What makes you think the same people would act differently at the Latin Mass?

There are different people at a Latin Mass Father.