Catholic Christmas Celebrations

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I am Episcopalian and attending a Catholic Church this Christmas Eve. I will look at the church website for information. I was wondering if like The Episcopal church, do Catholic Churches have a midnight mass on Christmas Eve?
 
I would assume many, if not most do.

I happen to attend one at our local Trappist monastery.
 
Yes. Many parishes have a Vigil Mass on Christmas Eve and then a later Mass at ten or eleven PM. The old Midnight Mass is often earlier now as many find midnight too late.

See the four sets of Mass readings at:

usccb.org/bible/readings/122514.cfm
 
Technically speaking, there are 4 different Christmas Masses.
  1. Christmas Vigil, which takes place on Dec 24th at or after Vespers.
  2. Christmas Mass at Night, which takes place at or after Midnight
  3. Christmas Mass at Dawn, which takes place as the Sun comes up
  4. Christmas Mass during Day.
All 4 have different readings.

A Catholic is only obligated to attend one. Some parishes might have more than one of the Christmas Mass types not have another.

For example, they might have 2 Christmas Vigil Masses, and 2 Masses during the Day.

My parish has 2 Vigils Masses, and no “Mass at Night”

The parish I was baptized in (where my mother is a member) has the following Christmas Mass Schedule:

– 4 Vigil Masses (one in Spanish), with the first starting at 4PM
– 1 Mass at Night (at midnight)
– 1 Mass at Dawn at 8am
– 1 Mass during Day at 10am

They used to have a noon Mass on Christmas Day, but instead moved it to a Vigil Mass.

I personally love Midnight Mass because to me, there is something special about the stoke of midnight and hearing the Proclamation of the Birth of Christ chanted.
 
TimothyH said:
The Cistercians actually get to sleep late the next day.

-Tim-
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Good for them!

One year there was a bad snow storm (hey - in Oregon that doesn’t take much) and power was out in many areas. Not have the sense of s sick goose, I made my way to the abbey. Power was out there, so Mass ended up in the refectory by candle light. One I will remember.
 
Yes, our local parish has a midnight Mass. It starts a little before midnight because the priest times it so that at the stroke of 12:00 the Gloria is sung.
 
My Church has a midnight mass in three different locations. One in the Sanctuary, one in the Chapel and one in the meeting hall.

They have several masses Christmas Eve. 5 different times in between the afternoon and midnight. However, while the masses are on a schedule, they literally start when the room is full. So a 7 PM mass might start at 6:50 if that is when that room is full.

Most Churches have a “Midnight Mass” but they aren’t always at midnight. You can ask someone at your Church in December or wait until the Advent/Christmas mass schedule is out. My Church will have a holiday mass schedule out by the first Sunday of Advent.
 
corsair said:
Yes, our local parish has a midnight Mass. It starts a little before midnight because the priest times it so that at the stroke of 12:00 the Gloria is sung.
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really? do they do the Christmas Proclamation? At my former parish they either start the Proclamation at Midnight or the procession starts at midnight, don’t remember which. But the lights are dim through the Proclamation and then the Church lights up as the loud processional music begins after the Proclamation.

If I don’t go home this year, I will attend Midnight Mass at the Cathedral Basilica in Philadelphia with Archbishop Chaput.
 
Brandall said:
Most Churches have a “Midnight Mass” but they aren’t always at midnight.
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Here’s a question… Is a priest allowed to use the liturgy for the the “Christmas Mass at Night” before midnight? Or when they have a 10PM or 11PM Mass, are they simply using the Christmas Vigil Mass liturgy?

I thought I remember reading before that if Mass starts before midnight, then they must use the Christmas Vigil liturgy and not the “Christmas Mass at Night” liturgy. Any one know the answer?
 
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