Christmas as a Holy Day of obligation in Canada

  • Thread starter Thread starter YehoiakhinEx232
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Y

YehoiakhinEx232

Guest
I just looked up what the Holy Day of obligations are in Canada, and I discovered that “Christmas” is a Holy Day of obligation in Canada. Does refer to Christmas Day only? Or does the Christmas Vigil mass count?
 
Vigil counts and does Christmas Day. You just have to go to one or the other. I’m going tonight at 7pm, a vigil mass
 
Last edited:
Okay thanks, I was a bit worried for a moment.

I would hate to have to tell my non-practicing family that I wouldn’t be spending the morning with them. Now I need to just focus on evangelizing them, so that next year, they’ll WANT all of us to go to both the vigil, and the day mass.
 
Last edited:
The Vigil always “counts”. Any Mass (after First Vespers or 4 pm in most places in the US) the evening preceding a Holy Day of Obligation and every Sunday fulfills the Mass obligation.
 
Praying for your family. My husband has (please God ) already started making steps down the road to mother church. He has been to mass twice without me so far and has said he wants to start going every week
 
Same for me. My SIL is a lapsed Catholic so that’s even worse
 
The obligation on a holy day of obligation is fulfilled at any Mass on the day. So, any Mass between 00:00 and 23:59 on 25th December fulfils your obligation for ‘Christmas Day’. The precept can also be satisfied on the evening of the previous day; however, there is no official rule as to what counts as evening. If your parish scheduled a vigil Mass then accept it was at an appropriate time. ‘Christmas Day’ is one of the few holy days that has its own proper vigil Mass.
 
There are 4 possible Masses that count for Christmas: the Vigil Mass (Christmas is one of the solemnities that has an actual Vigil Mass; most evening Masses are not a true Vigil, just the Mass of the day celebrated the prior evening); Mass in the night, popularly known as Midnight Mass but which doesn’t have to start precisely at midnight; Mass at dawn; and Mass in the day.

All have their own proper readings and Gregorian chant propers.

All fulfill the Christmas obligation. I believe it is commonly accepted that « evening » is any time after 4 pm which is also the earliest time for 1st Vespers.
 
A mass in the evening (after 4 o’clock) on the day before Christmas or a mass at any time on Christmas Day itself satisfies the obligation under current Church law.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top