How soon should you arrive for Midnight Mass?

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punisherthunder

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Taking my inlaws to the Basilica tonight for their first Midnight Mass.

I know there will be a crowd but there is a musical prelude that everyone wants to see at 11:30, so I’m guessing at 11pm to try and get a good seat.

Anyone else have experience with crowded Midnight Masses?
 
I would say that 11pm is just fine. Nothing wrong with being there too early
 
Ha! I’m going to a small chapel in a nursing home because I know I will never get near my own parish, let alone find a place to park and feel lucky to find a place in a pew that isn’t dominated by big hats, big people or pushed out/over by someone that comes in late. Older people in nursing homes generally have better manners and attend mass every day other than holy days. So, off to the nursing home I go. This is not a blanket statement for all of the parish, but fore enough of them to make Holy days something of an ordeal. Peace.
 
I always just get there like 10 minutes early. I mean I almost always end up giving up my seat anyway at the last minute. So I might as well just join the standing crowd from the beginning hey? 😃
 
No midnight Mass at my parish 😦 I think people find it to be too dangerous.
 
At my parish the Vigil tends to be more crowded than midnight. With the vigil, 30 minutes before is comfortable - easy to find parking and a seat. Anything less than 20 minutes is pushing it. with midnight, it’s slightly better but not much so about 15 minutes before at the latest. At our Cathedral it’s more like 45 minutes before!
 
Pax Christi and Merry Christmas!

At our church, 11:30 gets you a good spot and the entire musical prelude.

Off-topic, I despise all applause in any church.

God bless your New Year!
 
I took my mum-in-law (who is very immobile and infirm) to 7pm Mass last night. Usually, our (large) church is about a third full for both Sunday Masses.

Got there at 6.50 and people were standing two deep at the back! Luckily, I managed to find us a little space at the front. I have no idea what Midnight Mass would have been like.

Our priest welcomed everyone and said (in a jolly way) “It’s a shame the church isn’t like this every Sunday”. 😃

We have 6 Catholic churches in our medium-sized town. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they were always as full as they are at Christmas?
 
I arrived an hour early tonight. I didn’t know how busy it was going to be.
 
We got going late for the Vigil Mass, and arrived only ten minutes before Mass started to a very crowded church. But since my mom is almost 90, we were treated like VIPs, and the usher escorted us right up to the front row (reserved for the disabled). It was the children’s Mass, with the school choir and lots of vocal babies, quite a joyful change from our usual Saturday Vigil Mass, which tends to draw older folks and retirees.

And when should you arrive for our parish’s Midnight Mass? Around 9:30pm, I’m guessing, since our “Midnight Mass” actually starts at 10pm!

I hope things went well for the OP, and Merry Christmas!
 
HungerNThirst4R said:
No midnight Mass at my parish 😦 I think people find it to be too dangerous.
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I have noticed that a lot of the churches that used to have midnight service, whether Catholic or Protestant are now having them much earlier. I personally love going to mass at midnight and very blessed to still have that opportunity where I live. Hope your midnight mass returns
 
I went to the vigil Mass yesterday at 6.30 in my parish. It was full. There was a carol service at 11.00 followed by midnight Mass. Finishing as it does at 1am it was too late for me so I didn’t attend although I do know it is usually packed.

I will go to 6.30 Mass today at another local church (neighbouring parish).

As a rule I like to arrive for Mass at least 15 minutes before Mass starts as it is very important to prepare oneself.
 
We went to midnight Mass at Westminster Abbey in Mission, British Columbia, as we’re visiting family near Vancouver. Christmas Vigils (Matins) was at 11:30, followed by Mass at midnight. We arrived at about 11:20 and already parking was difficult. More people arrived just before Mass.

Beautiful sung Mass in English plainchant, on Gregorian tones, with some Latin Gregorian chant, also traditional Christmas carols for the entrance and recessional. Same formula for Vigils with a beautiful solemn Alma Redemptorist Mater. Benedictines do liturgy beautifully regardless of language!
 
our last Mass last night was at 11pm and it ended around midnight.
we used to have a regular midnight Mass, but it was just too late.
 
I went to a lovely candlelight Midnight Mass in the Ordinariate Usage last night. Lots of chanting, traditional hymns, old fashioned language, lots of incense, very solemn and dignified. I even convinced my rather anti-Catholic mother to come along.
 
Went to Midnight Mass at my daughter’s parish last night. Arrived 5 minutes before Mass but no difficulty finding space as the church was only half full. They’d already celebrated Mass at 4, 6, 8, and 10. It was very low key, without a choir. Not quite what I expected as it was very different from what I experienced there in previous years.
 
peter26 said:
I went to a lovely candlelight Midnight Mass in the Ordinariate Usage last night. Lots of chanting, traditional hymns, old fashioned language, lots of incense, very solemn and dignified. I even convinced my rather anti-Catholic mother to come along.
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👍 is she Anglican?
 
Eh, well she’s Church of England, she’d probably call herself a “protestant”.
 
Isca said:
I took my mum-in-law (who is very immobile and infirm) to 7pm Mass last night. Usually, our (large) church is about a third full for both Sunday Masses.

Got there at 6.50 and people were standing two deep at the back! Luckily, I managed to find us a little space at the front. I have no idea what Midnight Mass would have been like.

Our priest welcomed everyone and said (in a jolly way) “It’s a shame the church isn’t like this every Sunday”. 😃

We have 6 Catholic churches in our medium-sized town. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they were always as full as they are at Christmas?
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I went to “midnight” Mass at 7pm too. Most of the people there, I did not even recognize. Even so I was exhaousted.
 
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