Christmas Eve Mass at the Vatican

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Jabronie

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I have tickets reserved for Christmas Eve Papal Mass. It will be part of our honeymoon.

Anyhow, we are wondering if anyone here has been to a Papal Mass at the Vatican and could answer a couple of questions…

Are we positioned outside in the basilica or inside in the church?

Does anyone know if they section people off by region and than have some sort of translators?

Is it okay to photograph or film parts of the Mass?

My wife is a Lutheran. Will she burst into flames when she enters the building? Just kidding on that one. She’s just as excited as me. 😃
 
Jabronie said:
I have tickets reserved for Christmas Eve Papal Mass. It will be part of our honeymoon.

Anyhow, we are wondering if anyone here has been to a Papal Mass at the Vatican and could answer a couple of questions…

Are we positioned outside in the basilica or inside in the church?

Does anyone know if they section people off by region and than have some sort of translators?

Is it okay to photograph or film parts of the Mass?

My wife is a Lutheran. Will she burst into flames when she enters the building? Just kidding on that one. She’s just as excited as me. 😃
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OOH, I’m the one about to burst into flames as I would love to be in your shoes.

I have never been to Rome; however, here are some things that I do know from friends’ experinces. First of all, the midnight Mass is celebrated inside St. Peter’s Basilica, so, you’ll be within the church. The booklets for the Mass will provide some assistance; however, I would advise you to carry a missalette (like the Magnificat, or a Daily Roman Missal) to help guide you along the parts of the Mass (which will be in both Italian and Latin; Latin will probably be used for the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the final blessing. The homily is in Italian. I am not sure about the translators; however, you could ask if you could hear the simulcast on 105 Live (Vatican Radio-English language), or, you can download the homily on Zenit soon thereafter (or on the Vatican website).

If you can, show up at St. Peter’s Square the next morning so that you can witness the Holy Father’s Urbi et Orbi (to the City and to the World) Christmas message. He will be delivering a good chunk of it in Italian (again, 105 Live is the best translator) and then he’ll say some of it in English and in about 25 other languages.

You are soooo blessed.
 
I am so excited for you!!! We did attend an Easter Mass at St Peter’s many years ago. It was outdoors because of the crowds. My dh was not Catholic at the time either and he did not burst into flames at any time during our visit to Rome! 😃
 
I forgot something very important. Check if the Holy Father is going to have a General Audience while you are there. What has happened in the past is that newlyweds will be able to approach the Holy Father for a special blessing. If he will be having a general audience, you might actually get to see him up close. What the couples do is bring their wedding clothes (dress and tux). This was really popular under JP II. I don’t think Pope Benedict has completely done away with it.
 
Jabronie said:
My wife is a Lutheran. Will she burst into flames when she enters the building? Just kidding on that one. She’s just as excited as me. 😃
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I know I would, and I’m Lutheran;)

I’ve never been at a papal mass before, just audience.

Gospel of Luke is read out loud in many different languages, that’s how it’s been before.
 
The Mass will be indoors.
You will be in the “unwashed masses” section, and you will most likely be standing. When I was there, I was right behind the dignitaries. Although you may be standing, you might actually be relatively near the altar.
Photography is permitted. One of the Marines we were standing with had a video camera, and he tilted the screen down so my little sister and I could see Mass.
Inquire about the General Audience. I didn’t get to go to one, and I will be most jealous if you do.
No, she will not bust into flames, but she spontaneously convert 😉

I don’t recall the translators, but I know they were there 🤷

I was a bit taken back by the grandeur. I actually cried. Be prepared.
 
Hilde89 said:
I know I would, and I’m Lutheran;)

I’ve never been at a papal mass before, just audience.

Gospel of Luke is read out loud in many different languages, that’s how it’s been before.
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It’s not necessariy the Gospel of Luke. A passage from Scripture is read at the start of each audience (Italian, English, French, German and Spanish). The Holy Father derives his catechesis from that particular reading and applies it to the topic at hand. Right now, his catechesis centers on the Church Fathers.

Towards the end of the Catechesis, priests representing the English-language, French-language, Portuguese-language, Spanish-language, German-languge and Italian-language speaking pilgrims greet the Holy Father in their name. After each greeting, the Holy Father reads a synopsis of the catechesis he delivered in Italian (except for the Italians, he simply greets them with affection). After this, he leads the faithful in the chanting of the Our Father in Latin (the words are printed in the back of the pilgrim’s ticket). Then he gives his blessing, which he extends to the pilgrims’ families and those who are at home infirmed.

No, I’ve never been to Rome, but, sometimes, when I can’t sleep on a given early hour Wednesday morning, I manage to catch the live broadcast of the papal audience on EWTN. It’s as close to the real thing as I’ll get.
 
PatienceAndLove said:
The Mass will be indoors.
**You will be in the “unwashed masses” section, and you will most likely be standing. **When I was there, I was right behind the dignitaries. Although you may be standing, you might actually be relatively near the altar.
Photography is permitted. One of the Marines we were standing with had a video camera, and he tilted the screen down so my little sister and I could see Mass.
Inquire about the General Audience. I didn’t get to go to one, and I will be most jealous if you do.
No, she will not bust into flames, but she spontaneously convert 😉

I don’t recall the translators, but I know they were there 🤷

I was a bit taken back by the grandeur. I actually cried. Be prepared.
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Not necessarily. It largely depends on how long you are willing to stand in the queue…
 
Extraordinary said:
Not necessarily. It largely depends on how long you are willing to stand in the queue…
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Our tickets stated that we were in a particular section, it had nothing to do with where we were in the queue. There were very nice ushers around to herd us to our spot (I say herd because there were so many people there, that’s what ended up happening!) BTW- it is amusing to see nuns being herded by Vatican ushers (handlers?) 👍
 
PatienceAndLove said:
Our tickets stated that we were in a particular section, it had nothing to do with where we were in the queue. There were very nice ushers around to herd us to our spot (I say herd because there were so many people there, that’s what ended up happening!) BTW- it is amusing to see nuns being herded by Vatican ushers (handlers?) 👍
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Maybe jabronie has better tickets than you do? BTW, those “sections” are HUGE and where you stand or sit in a given section does depend on your placement in the queue.
 
Jabronie said:
I have tickets reserved for Christmas Eve Papal Mass. It will be part of our honeymoon.
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How did you acquire your tickets? Some lady at my parish was bragging on Sunday how she will be at that Mass. You might see here there, she’ll have her load on… 😉
 
benedictgal said:
It’s not necessariy the Gospel of Luke. A passage from Scripture is read at the start of each audience (Italian, English, French, German and Spanish). The Holy Father derives his catechesis from that particular reading and applies it to the topic at hand. Right now, his catechesis centers on the Church Fathers.

Towards the end of the Catechesis, priests representing the English-language, French-language, Portuguese-language, Spanish-language, German-languge and Italian-language speaking pilgrims greet the Holy Father in their name. After each greeting, the Holy Father reads a synopsis of the catechesis he delivered in Italian (except for the Italians, he simply greets them with affection). After this, he leads the faithful in the chanting of the Our Father in Latin (the words are printed in the back of the pilgrim’s ticket). Then he gives his blessing, which he extends to the pilgrims’ families and those who are at home infirmed.

No, I’ve never been to Rome, but, sometimes, when I can’t sleep on a given early hour Wednesday morning, I manage to catch the live broadcast of the papal audience on EWTN. It’s as close to the real thing as I’ll get.
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I was talking about Christmas mass, not the audience;)

I’ve seen it on TV.
 
Every year I tape this Mass and the gospel has been sung in Latin.
 
Hilde89 said:
I was talking about Christmas mass, not the audience;)

I’ve seen it on TV.
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Sorry, your post seemed to have bled into audience. Incidentally, having seen a plethora of Papal Masses now that Benedict has taken charge, the Gospel is chanted in Latin only. The various translations are found in the worship aids that are distributed prior to the Mass. I bought a whole bunch of them off ebay and I certainly treasure them. I would like one for Christmas, though.
 
How exactly do you get tickets. I am trying to find the right number on the Vatican Website, but not sure which one to use. I am currently deployed in Afghanistan and my mid-deployment leave is coming up. I am considering making a small detour to the Vatican to attend Christmas Mass. Does anyone know if there is any contact info other than phones to procure tickets? Emailing is a much better method of communicating over in these parts.
 
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