L
LCMS_No_More
Guest
Wow, that’s not much like my parish’s Christmas Mass at Midnight.
Let’s see…before the Mass started, Father and the choir sang “O Holy Night” from the choral balcony in the back of the church. The lights were low, so the lights around the Christmas decorations and the altar candles were the only thing illuminating the sanctuary (yes, sanctuary, not “worship space”). There were new hand-sewn gold colored cloths adorning the tabernacle (which has pride-of-place in the center behind the altar), the altar and the shelves behind the altar (akin in appaerance to a high altar but not an actual altar).
The lights came up and the servers, deacon and priest processed in. Father carried the baby Jesus up and placed him in the Nativity which right in front of the ambo next to the side altar of the Sacred Heart.
Yes, before Mass, Father reminded everyone to turn off cell phones and pagers and warned that there would be 5,000 extra years of purgatory to anyone whose cell phone or pager went off during this most holy mass.
Lots and lots of incense was featured in this mass and there appeared to be a new thurible in use at this mass.
We prayed the Confiteor, chanted the Kyrie in latin and, yes, we did use the antiphonal Gloria with the Gloria in excelsis Deo as the refrain. The readings and psalm were all proper. Father’s homily was fiery and catechetical. We knelt during the creed at the appropriate point (and for the rest thereafter).
Again, lots of incense during the offertory. Father used the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) with the Communicantes for Christmas. The Sanctus was in latin (as per usual) and the Memorial Acclimation was “Lord, by Your cross and resurrection…”
Father recently became aware of hand-holding and orans during the Our Father (he usually keeps his eyes closed during the Our Father and opened his eyes one day and saw this…I remember the purplexed look on his face) and made a point of mentioning that this is not appropriate. It’s amazing how only a few people were doing that this time.
Agnus Dei was, as always chanted in Latin. Before Communion, Father gave a stern warning about who can and cannot go to communion. Communion was distributed under both kinds in metal chalices that were placed on the atlar already poured as wine (before the consecration).
After Communion, we prayed the prayer to St. Michael and the choir sung Silent Night in English, Spanish and Tagalog. We received the blessing and were dismissed. Joy to the World was sung at the recessional as well as a Filipino Christmas song. Afterward, I had to go back into the church because I left my Bible (yeah, imagine that, someone bringing a Bible to Mass! LOL) and saw that there were people still in the sanctuary honoring the baby Jesus. I, too, took a moment to adore our Lord and to thank Him for coming to us.
Hmm…aside fom the addition of the St. Michael prayer, I don’t think anything was done in this mass that is outside the rubrics.
Let’s see…before the Mass started, Father and the choir sang “O Holy Night” from the choral balcony in the back of the church. The lights were low, so the lights around the Christmas decorations and the altar candles were the only thing illuminating the sanctuary (yes, sanctuary, not “worship space”). There were new hand-sewn gold colored cloths adorning the tabernacle (which has pride-of-place in the center behind the altar), the altar and the shelves behind the altar (akin in appaerance to a high altar but not an actual altar).
The lights came up and the servers, deacon and priest processed in. Father carried the baby Jesus up and placed him in the Nativity which right in front of the ambo next to the side altar of the Sacred Heart.
Yes, before Mass, Father reminded everyone to turn off cell phones and pagers and warned that there would be 5,000 extra years of purgatory to anyone whose cell phone or pager went off during this most holy mass.
Lots and lots of incense was featured in this mass and there appeared to be a new thurible in use at this mass.
We prayed the Confiteor, chanted the Kyrie in latin and, yes, we did use the antiphonal Gloria with the Gloria in excelsis Deo as the refrain. The readings and psalm were all proper. Father’s homily was fiery and catechetical. We knelt during the creed at the appropriate point (and for the rest thereafter).
Again, lots of incense during the offertory. Father used the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) with the Communicantes for Christmas. The Sanctus was in latin (as per usual) and the Memorial Acclimation was “Lord, by Your cross and resurrection…”
Father recently became aware of hand-holding and orans during the Our Father (he usually keeps his eyes closed during the Our Father and opened his eyes one day and saw this…I remember the purplexed look on his face) and made a point of mentioning that this is not appropriate. It’s amazing how only a few people were doing that this time.
Agnus Dei was, as always chanted in Latin. Before Communion, Father gave a stern warning about who can and cannot go to communion. Communion was distributed under both kinds in metal chalices that were placed on the atlar already poured as wine (before the consecration).
After Communion, we prayed the prayer to St. Michael and the choir sung Silent Night in English, Spanish and Tagalog. We received the blessing and were dismissed. Joy to the World was sung at the recessional as well as a Filipino Christmas song. Afterward, I had to go back into the church because I left my Bible (yeah, imagine that, someone bringing a Bible to Mass! LOL) and saw that there were people still in the sanctuary honoring the baby Jesus. I, too, took a moment to adore our Lord and to thank Him for coming to us.
Hmm…aside fom the addition of the St. Michael prayer, I don’t think anything was done in this mass that is outside the rubrics.
