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ConstantineTG
Guest
Our RC parish has one at midnight sharp, didn’t have one last year.
But its my first Byzantine Christmas so I’m going to the UGCC parish at 10pm for Great Compline followed by Divine Liturgy.
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JReducation
Guest
The mass of the day (Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord) can be celebrated until Vespers, which is usually at 4:00. Vespers will be the first liturgical celebration for Holy Family Sunday. Mass celebrated after Vespers fulfills the Sunday obligation, not the Christmas obligation.
On a related note, the Midnight Mass is the Christmas mass. The same rule applies. Any mass celebrated after Vespers is the mass of the solemnity that begins that night.
The only solemnity that does not have an anticipated mass or an anticipated Vespers is Easter, which begins at the Vigil.
May the most Holy Child be with you this Christmas and always!
Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
On a related note, the Midnight Mass is the Christmas mass. The same rule applies. Any mass celebrated after Vespers is the mass of the solemnity that begins that night.
The only solemnity that does not have an anticipated mass or an anticipated Vespers is Easter, which begins at the Vigil.
May the most Holy Child be with you this Christmas and always!
Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:
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stormy99
Guest
**yes and yes…it counts and we have to go on Sunday with no vigil mass on Saturday or it would be a Christmas Mass.
stormy**
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stormy99
Guest
**Not in our Parish…we have both the 5:30 Vigil Mass, Midnight Mass and 4 masses on Christmas Day.
stormy**
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corsair
Guest
In our little rural OF parish we are doing a midnight Mass. No Mass on Saturday but a Sunday morning Mass. Pretty simple.
Not much to argue about with us.
Not much to argue about with us.
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Dakota_Roberts
Guest
hehehe Midnight Mass is always the most packed at my church. IIRC my Church seats about 400 and it isn’t surprising to have 1000 attendees for Midnight Mass, hardly a dying practice
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Phemie
Guest
The last time I attended a Midnight Mass at midnight was Christmas 2003. In our parish, since then, Midnight Mass has been at 11 p.m. – until last year when it was at 10 p.m. Many complaints last year caused the pastor to revert to 11 p.m. I can’t understand why the 75 year old, sickly pastor we had in 2003 could celebrate at midnight but the 56 year old, healthy one we have now can’t.
In our parish it’s not the best attended, that would be the Children’s Mass at 7 p.m. which is standing room only. While Midnight Mass is well attended there are usually empty pews at the front.
The Day Mass is poorly attended. I remember my surprise the first time I attended this Mass because I’d volunteered to read: no choir and only about 25 people in attendance.
In our parish it’s not the best attended, that would be the Children’s Mass at 7 p.m. which is standing room only. While Midnight Mass is well attended there are usually empty pews at the front.
The Day Mass is poorly attended. I remember my surprise the first time I attended this Mass because I’d volunteered to read: no choir and only about 25 people in attendance.
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Paul1961
Guest
This kind of legalistic b.s. always annoys me.
Do you really think God cares if you attend two masses or one this weekend?
Do you think this makes someone more worthy or unworthy of eternity in heaven?
Go because you want to go.
The children are still too young for midnight mass at the church. Personally, I hate our Christmas eve mass. Because of the reduced schedule and all the extra people that rarely attend, we have ours in a hotel ballroom. We are in crammed into tight rows; in small chairs; and rarely see people we know. Not fun. Not meaningful. But , we’ll be there until there older.
Do you really think God cares if you attend two masses or one this weekend?
Do you think this makes someone more worthy or unworthy of eternity in heaven?
Go because you want to go.
The children are still too young for midnight mass at the church. Personally, I hate our Christmas eve mass. Because of the reduced schedule and all the extra people that rarely attend, we have ours in a hotel ballroom. We are in crammed into tight rows; in small chairs; and rarely see people we know. Not fun. Not meaningful. But , we’ll be there until there older.
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LilyM
Guest
Have you ever looked at the section of (I believe) Deuteronomy where God gives Moses very specific instructions about the contruction of the Tent of Meeting and all its fittings and furnishings? Right down to the composition of the oils with which Aaron and his sons are to be anointed?
Yes, sometimes our God does care passionately about detail. And it’s certainly His prerogative to do so.
And yes, He probably does care about how many Masses we go to - because by going to more than one we show Him that we understand that BOTH Christmas AND Sunday are holy and, and that each feast is more than significant enough to be worthy of being honoured with separate attendance at Eucharistic worship.
It’s not legalism for us to think about the significance of such things.
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ProVobis
Guest
Except for the “weekend” I think I understand where you’re coming from. I’ve never attended a midnight Mass in my life (I abhor large crowds for one thing) and probably many of those attending are only CE Catholics, but I do understand it’s one of the traditions most Catholics still hold onto, one of the things that transcends culture, language, and age.This kind of legalistic b.s. always annoys me.
Do you really think God cares if you attend two masses or one this weekend?
Do you think this makes someone more worthy or unworthy of eternity in heaven?
Go because you want to go.
The children are still too young for midnight mass at the church. Personally, I hate our Christmas eve mass. Because of the reduced schedule and all the extra people that rarely attend, we have ours in a hotel ballroom. We are in crammed into tight rows; in small chairs; and rarely see people we know. Not fun. Not meaningful. But , we’ll be there until there older.
That said, one is obligated to go to a Mass where Christmas readings are said (in the EF three separate readings are used based on time of day), and one Mass where post-Christmas readings are said. Both should be as meaningful, I would think.
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PatriceA
Guest
Yes I do think God cares if we attend two masses or only one this weekend. Not because He’s keeping an attendance record or anything, but that He knows that it is good for us to go and honor the holy day and honor Sunday as two distinct days. It is good for us to receive the Eucharist as much as we can. The attitude that it wouldn’t really matter to God starts out with a situation such as this and then it slow steam rolls into, do you really think it matters to God if I don’t go to mass every weekend, do you really think it matters to God if I only go to mass once a weekend, do you really think it matters to God if I’m not in a state of grace to receive the Eucharist, etc, etc. Its a slippery slope. Better to make the effort to honor the obligations of both the holy day and Sunday and maintain a healthy spiritual faith life then to try and wiggle out of what is required of us as Catholics.This kind of legalistic b.s. always annoys me.
Do you really think God cares if you attend two masses or one this weekend?
Do you think this makes someone more worthy or unworthy of eternity in heaven?
Go because you want to go.
The children are still too young for midnight mass at the church. Personally, I hate our Christmas eve mass. Because of the reduced schedule and all the extra people that rarely attend, we have ours in a hotel ballroom. We are in crammed into tight rows; in small chairs; and rarely see people we know. Not fun. Not meaningful. But , we’ll be there until there older.
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oneGODoneCHURCH
Guest
Its church and its the Worship of God. Go both days. or dont go either. If you are sitting there trying to figure out if you have to go I really don’t see that you are there for the right reason or intent. It is an obligation in that out of love for god nothing should be able to keep us from if just as love for our children obligate us to care for them.
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Chatter163
Guest
Or they just are trying to avoid fatigue and exhaustion by overscheduling themselves.
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dixieagle
Guest
I have …ours! There are three Masses for the Christmas obligation on Friday evening, starting at 4 p.m., and one on Saturday (Christmas Day) morning at 10 am. There is then the usual weekend schedule…5:30 p.m. on Saturday (technically for the Sunday obligation) and then three Masses on Sunday. (One could, of course, go to the Saturday 5:30 Mass, and again on Sunday).
Our priest made it abundantly clear (and correctly) that there is no “two-fer” allowed; one must attend two Masses, one for Christmas, and one for the Sunday obligation. I expect few people to attend that Saturday 5:30 Mass,as most will be busy with family celebrations.
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Fone_Bone_2001
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I can - see just below.
This is incorrect. Here’s a definitive answer:
usccb.org/liturgy/current/2011cal.pdf
It’s the USCCB’s official liturgical calendar for 2011 (it starts with Advent 2010).
On p. 12 (PDF numbering not internal numbering) you can clearly see that the solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), December 25, is marked as a “holy day of obligation.”
If one Mass could fulfill the obligation for both Christmas and Sunday, December, 26, it would specify this, as it does on the next page for the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God, which is Saturday, January 1, and is specifically marked “not a holy day of obligation this year.”
So for Roman Catholics living in the United States, yes, you have to go to Mass on both Saturday or Friday evening (for Christmas) and on Sunday (or a vigil Mass for the feast of the Holy Family).
By contrast, the obligation to attend Mass on the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God (Jan. 1) has been abrogated this year. The Church requires only that we attend Mass on Sunday, Jan. 2.
It’s all in that document. www.usccb.org is very useful for American Catholics. Under the “Liturgy” or “Divine Worship” department you can find details and readings for every day of the year, so there shouldn’t be any confusion about holy days of obligation for anyone with an Internet connection.
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irishpatrick
Guest
Wow. Imagine Catholics, who receive the Creator of all things, arguing about whether they “HAVE” to go to receive that same Lord two days in a row. Go figure. 
I do not see how we can make healthy advancements until more Catholics feel great joy when they go to Mass and receive the Lord. It should not feel like a burden, like: “oh man, I have to go to Mass twice this weekend, darn.”
In what way does that help non-Catholics feel as if we have a clue about what we have been given?
I do not see how we can make healthy advancements until more Catholics feel great joy when they go to Mass and receive the Lord. It should not feel like a burden, like: “oh man, I have to go to Mass twice this weekend, darn.”
In what way does that help non-Catholics feel as if we have a clue about what we have been given?
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ConstantineTG
Guest
They can’t handle 2 consecutive nights of one of the most attended Masses of the year?
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ConstantineTG
Guest
Br. JR, what if one hasn’t fulfilled the Christmas obligation but goes to Mass after 4pm on Saturday?
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Matthew_Holford
Guest
That would seem to be contrary to the precedence of liturgical days and what happens when there is a concurrence of whether to have Evening Prayer II of the current day or Evening Prayer I of the following day.
The solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord outranks the feast of the Holy Family. Therefore, shouldn’t we be saying Evening Prayer II of the Nativity and not Evening Prayer I of the Holy Family on Saturday 25th December 2010?
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