Anyone's parishes here following the pope and starting night Christmas has at 10pm?

[catholictiger]

my church is we will be having 10pm mass just like the pope in the vatican.

its the first year we aren’t doing it at midnight.

I don’t know what prompted the decision, but it was based off the popes decision a couple of years ago i think to have midnight mass at 10pm

it will probably end around midnight so you could consider it midnight mass lol

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Midnight Mass is a colloquial term for the Christmas Mass at Night. It doesn’t have to start at midnight and many churches for many years have begun it earlier (say at 10pm like your church). The reason for the time change is often the same as given by the vatican - the priest (pope) is older and it is better for his health if he gets to bed at a reasonable hour.

 

[catholictiger]

Midnight Mass is a colloquial term for the Christmas Mass at Night. It doesn’t have to start at midnight and many churches for many years have begun it earlier (say at 10pm like your church). The reason for the time change is often the same as given by the vatican - the priest (pope) is older and it is better for his health if he gets to bed at a reasonable hour.

my parish is actually the cathedral so I wouldn’t be surprised if the bishop wanted to get to bed a little earlier

 

[nocrazs]

Yeah my parish is having ours at 9PM and the vigil at 430PM.

I prefer Christmas Midnight Mass, so me and my family will be going to the Basilica of St. Mary.

 

[jpjd]

We are still having Mass at midnight.

 

[JimG]

I know a lot of parishes that have for a long time had the “midnight Mass” at 10 or 11 pm on Christmas Eve.

But I know of one parish that has Christmas Eve Masses at 4pm, 6pm, 8:30pm and 12 midnight, plus three Masses on Christmas day. and there are several others with similar schedules…

 

[CuriousInIL]

I don’t think “midnight mass” is an official designation. As far as I know, there are 4 different Christmass masses:
Vigil Mass
Mass at Night
Mass at Dawn
Mass during the Day

 

[Matthew_Holford]

I believe the correct name for the Midnight Mass is the Mass during the Night. Twelve midnight is a traditional time for its celebration rather than a mandated time.

 

[FrDavid96]

I believe the correct name for the Midnight Mass is the Mass during the Night. Twelve midnight is a traditional time for its celebration rather than a mandated time.

That’s true. But at the same time, it’s logically impossible to have “Midnight Mass” at (let’s say) 10 PM.

A parish can certainly have a Mass at 10 PM, but it would not be a “Midnight Mass” it would be a perfectly legitimate “10 o’clock Mass.”

In my own parish, we often refer to “the eleven o’clock Mass” which we have every Sunday.

How would it sound if I were to come out and say “from now on, we will have the eleven o’clock Mass at ten o’clock?” It will start at 10, but we’ll still call it the “11 o’clock Mass.”

 

[ProVobis]

I don’t think “midnight mass” is an official designation. As far as I know, there are 4 different Christmass masses:
Vigil Mass
Mass at Night
Mass at Dawn
Mass during the Day

In the EF you have these:

Hodie scietis (Today you will know) - Vigil (but now said the morn of the 24th)
Domine dixit (The Lord said) - “Midnight” Mass
Lux fulgebit (A Light will shine) - Daybreak
Puer natus (A child born) - Day

 

[puzzleannie]

as usual Christmas Mass schedule is 6pm, 8pm, 10pm (Spanish) and Midnight on Christmas Eve, and one Mass on Christmas day at 9am, NOT the regular Sunday schedule. down here Christmas eve is definitely the celebration time and the only ones in the AM will be winter texans and other old folk.

 

[TrueLight]

In the EF you have these:

Hodie scietis (Today you will know) - Vigil (but now said the morn of the 24th)
Domine dixit (The Lord said) - “Midnight” Mass
Lux fulgebit (A Light will shine) - Daybreak
Puer natus (A child born) - Day

How beautiful! I didn’t know anything about these names.

 

[FrDavid96]

How beautiful! I didn’t know anything about these names.

They are the opening words of the introit for each Mass.

The same texts are now the “entrance antiphons” in the Ordinary Form.

Continuity. Continuity. Continuity.

 

[jayk15]

My parish is having
Christmas eve mass at 8pm
Midnight mass at midnight
8am Christmas day
10am Christmas day

 

[jayk15]

My parish is having
Christmas eve mass at 8pm
Midnight mass at midnight
8am Christmas day
10am Christmas day

 

[lizaanne]

Midnight Mass is at Midnight for us.

~Liza

 

[ProVobis]

How beautiful! I didn’t know anything about these names.

As Fr. David says, those are the first words of the Introit. Sometimes the first few words of the collect are used to designate a Mass.

Our parish will be having the Solemn High EF as the “Midnight” Mass at 10pm*. And this is at an English/Spanish community.

*This is the first I’ve heard of that too.

 

[FrDavid96]

Midnight Mass is at Midnight for us.

~Liza

One of these years, I’m going to put this on the parish answering machine:

“For those of you who are calling to ask ‘what time is Midnight Mass?’: On Christmas eve, the four o’clock Mass will be at six o’clock. The ten o’clock Mass will be at twelve Midnight. On Christmas day, the nine o’clock Mass will be at seven o’clock. The ten o’clock Mass will be at eleven o’clock; and the seven o’clock evening Mass will be at five o’clock.”

Maybe the last Christmas before I retire, I’ll finally do it.

 

[maryjk]

Our pastor stopped having “midnight Mass” a couple of years ago.

Why?

He said he spoke to the 12 people that were there and they all decided that 10pm worked out better for all.

Now we have Mass at 5pm and 10pm on the 24th and 10am on the 25th.

 

[SMHW]

One of these years, I’m going to put this on the parish answering machine:

“For those of you who are calling to ask ‘what time is Midnight Mass?’: On Christmas eve, the four o’clock Mass will be at six o’clock. The ten o’clock Mass will be at twelve Midnight. On Christmas day, the nine o’clock Mass will be at seven o’clock. The ten o’clock Mass will be at eleven o’clock; and the seven o’clock evening Mass will be at five o’clock.”

Maybe the last Christmas before I retire, I’ll finally do it.

I say go for it!

Our previous pastors always used to give the, “Please don’t call and ask what time Midnight Mass is this year. It’s at MIDNIGHT!” speech every year. Beginning last year Mass got moved back to 11:00pm but no one dares to call it “Midnight Mass” (unless they are joking.)

I’m afraid I am not up on my liturgical time designations… Is there an earliest time that Mass during the Night can be celebrated? What about Mass at Dawn? Or do the designations refer solely to the readings without regard to the time of day?