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maryjk
Guest
There used to be a great Catholic joke.
“What time does Midnight Mass start.”
Now, it isn’t so funny. Ours starts at 10PM.
If we wait until midnight, the church is almost empty.
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“What time does Midnight Mass start.”
Now, it isn’t so funny. Ours starts at 10PM.
If we wait until midnight, the church is almost empty.
J
Joannm
Guest
The church is packed to the rafters.
J
Joannm
Guest
It is no longer called the Mass at Midnight in the missal but the Mass at night. Many priests find that it is just too difficult to stay up that late and less people come to that Mass than in the past. In my last parish the “midnight Mass” started at 10:00.
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Brendan_64
Guest
You’re lucky. Our Midnight Mass starts at 10pm this year, which is better than last year when it started at 8.30pm!
But these days when there is only one priest per parish it is probably a bit unreasonable to expect a priest to start a Mass at midnight, finish it at just after 1.30am and then be up and ready to say Mass again at 9am (for any normal employee that would actually break UK working time regulations, where a break of 11 hours is required between the end on one working day and the beginning of another). They are only human beings after all. Midnight Mass starting at 10pm is a good compromise in my opinion (and that would still fall short of the regulations that protect other people in their work).
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Chatter163
Guest
Actually, it was never called Mass at Midnight in the missal. It always said Missa ad noctem, which is Mass at Night. Custom caused midnight to be used, because it was the first moment of the new day, but the missal never actually said this. It could have been done later in the night, at 1AM, 2AM, etc.
Anticipated Masses on the evening before, as we have today for Sundays and certain solemnities, did not exist until around 1970, so no thought ever would have been given to having the Christmas Mass at Night before midnight.Vigil Masses were an entirely different type of Mass, as they were penitential and always celebrated with no Gloria or Alleluia, always with the priest’s wearing violet vestments, and were celebrated the morning of the day before.
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Phemie
Guest
There was also the matter that, as a rule, priests were not allowed to celebrate Mass after noon until 1953 so that meant that the Mass had to be at the beginning of the new day.
I vividly remember my first Midnight Mass. I was ~8 and it was very exciting to be grown up and to stay up so late but by the time Communion was over all I could think about was going back home to open presents and celebrate the “Réveillon” with family and friends. I looked for the final benediction and was quite puzzled when the whole thing started again. I didn’t know that traditionally, in my parish, the Mass at Dawn was celebrated immediately after the Mass during the Night. Dawn wouldn’t break for another 5 or 6 hours.
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CradleJourney
Guest
Our parish has also “moved up” the midnight mass to 10pm. I can understand how this makes it easier for some, but actually creates more difficulty for us so we attend a neighboring mass where it does start at midnight.
By then we have visited both grandparents Christmas eve get togethers (mandatory), the youngest ones have changed into their pj’s and will nap during mass, the older ones are thrilled to be up so late, and it is significantly less crowded than the earlier masses.
So for us it’s a “win”
By then we have visited both grandparents Christmas eve get togethers (mandatory), the youngest ones have changed into their pj’s and will nap during mass, the older ones are thrilled to be up so late, and it is significantly less crowded than the earlier masses.
So for us it’s a “win”
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Cariethra
Guest
I always feel horrible about these masses. I always make sure to go to Mass on Sundays and try my hardest to make it on holy days of obligation. But I would always avoid it on Christmas and Easter, even as a small child. I’d fane sickness. The crowds scare me and make me really uncomfortable. 
I was able to get through this years Easter Mass. We’ll see if I get the courage to try for Christmas. I want to be a good example for my children.
I was able to get through this years Easter Mass. We’ll see if I get the courage to try for Christmas. I want to be a good example for my children.
S
SuscipeMeDomine
Guest
I think the most crowded Masses are the ones early on Christmas eve. I’d skip something at 5 or 6pm if it’s offered because it’s going to be crowded. Early Christmas morning (like 7am) would probably be less crowded.
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Chatter163
Guest
Interesting. This is probably because each priest was and is allowed to celebrate three different Masses in the missal on Christmas and All Souls Day. We do this at my FSSP parish now. When the Midnight Solemn Mass ends, the procession goes into the sacristy, and a few minutes later, one of the priests will come out again, with a server, and celebrate a Low Mass, occasionally two.
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Avila123
Guest
Apart from finally being allowed to sing Christmas carols and having the Christmas Day liturgy, our church is even more empty but it somehow the mass is so preciously special.
The Church is slightly fuller at the 6pm Christmas Eve mass but that is because we suddenly get families with young children turning up a few weeks before Christmas. They vanish (never to be seen again) after the children’s little nativity play on Christmas Eve.
The Church is slightly fuller at the 6pm Christmas Eve mass but that is because we suddenly get families with young children turning up a few weeks before Christmas. They vanish (never to be seen again) after the children’s little nativity play on Christmas Eve.
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Elizium23
Guest
In addition to the Kalends, is there not a Sequence chanted or read before the Gospel?
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felsguy
Guest
What are the Kalends, please?
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Phemie
Guest
I did some research and it found some info that says that the Roman Missal doesn’t have a sequence for Christmas but that the Dominican Missal does, to be used at the 3rd Mass of Christmas (I’m assuming they mean the Mass During the Day rather than that during the night or at dawn).
I know that there is no sequence in my Sunday Missal.
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Chatter163
Guest
No sequence at Christmas. In the Tridentine Missal, sequences were cut down to five, to wit:
—Easter Day (Victimae Paschali)
—Pentecost (Veni, Sancte Spiritus)
—Corpus Christi (Lauda Sion)
—The Seven Sorrows of the BVM (Stabat Mater)
—All Souls (Dies Irae)
The post-V2 missal eliminated the last one, so in the Ordinary Form there are only four sequences.
—Easter Day (Victimae Paschali)
—Pentecost (Veni, Sancte Spiritus)
—Corpus Christi (Lauda Sion)
—The Seven Sorrows of the BVM (Stabat Mater)
—All Souls (Dies Irae)
The post-V2 missal eliminated the last one, so in the Ordinary Form there are only four sequences.
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felsguy
Guest
Repeating my serious, nonargumentative question. What are the Kalends, please? It is not a term I’ve encountered before and dictionaries keep referring to the ancient Roman calendar.
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Granum_Frumenti
Guest
“Kalends” usually refers to the first days of those ancient Roman months.
I’ve probably never heard the term “Christmas kalends” before reading this thread, but someone wrote, regarding the Christmas proclamation,
I don’t know the connection between “kalends” and “Christmas kalends.”That is just another name for the Christmas kalends.
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Phemie
Guest
The proclamation is of the first day of Christmas. The proclamation sets the time of Christ’s birth on a timeline.
Here is the new text from the Roman Missal
npm.org/Chants/assets/icel/Nativity.pdf
Chanted:
npm.org/Chants/assets/xmasproclamation.mp3
Chant with traditional text
chantblog.blogspot.ca/2010/12/christmas-proclamation-chanted.html
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felsguy
Guest
Here I must display my ignorance of or at least my lack of familiarity with the Christmas Proclamation. Do I gather correctly that it is similar to the Easter proclamation (Exultet)? At what part of the Mass is it sung? Is it a local (i.e. national or ethnic) custom? I have lived in at least eight different parishes in five different dioceses in three midwestern US states and have never experienced it.
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SuscipeMeDomine
Guest
Since it’s in the Roman Missal it is universal. However, I believe it is done only at Midnight Mass (or the Mass During the Night) and not every parish does it.
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