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maltmom
Guest
Nothing is breezed through at my church. We generally have 6 altar servers knelling and if I remember correctly 4 are holding candles…2 on each end.
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MissBorgia
Guest
Canned music for some parts (recorded music) and lots of talking and etc. meh.
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Sarabande
Guest
I thought canned music was not permitted, like fake flowers and such?
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DECatholic617
Guest
Midnight Mass at my parish was lovely. Our full choir was there, with a few added instruments (violins and trumpets), and they did a 20-minute concert before Mass started. (I wasn’t thrilled that “Mary, Did You Know?” was one of their song choices, but they made up for it with a stellar “O Holy Night.”) The Mass itself was beautiful. Good crowd, not overflowing or anything, but more than the typical Sunday crowd. Everyone was well-behaved; no shenanigans from the Christmas and Easter Catholics. 
Best of all was the Christmas gift my husband and I received from the Holy Spirit. My husband is a Candidate in RCIA, and he’s really been struggling lately. He went through the Rite of Acceptance but he’s been considering dropping out of the program because he doesn’t feel ready to continue with it. About halfway through midnight Mass, he turned and whispered to me, “I’m going to stay in RCIA.” When I asked him about it later, he said that during Mass, he felt an incredible sense of peace and a strong feeling that he exactly where he was supposed to be. Thanks be to God!
Best of all was the Christmas gift my husband and I received from the Holy Spirit. My husband is a Candidate in RCIA, and he’s really been struggling lately. He went through the Rite of Acceptance but he’s been considering dropping out of the program because he doesn’t feel ready to continue with it. About halfway through midnight Mass, he turned and whispered to me, “I’m going to stay in RCIA.” When I asked him about it later, he said that during Mass, he felt an incredible sense of peace and a strong feeling that he exactly where he was supposed to be. Thanks be to God!
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Mrs_Sally
Guest
We went to Christmas Day Mass. Thr second of three. It was lovely. Wonderful homily and after the consecration Father reminded everyone that only those who were properly disposed (he gave a good def) should come up for communion. He invited everyone else to pray for Christian unity. I love my parish and priests and bishop. 
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smndtupidisaftr
Guest
Glad to hear it. It sounds like you are at a parish that is concerned with dignity more than false “active participation”.
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jmcrae
Guest
We are blessed with wonderful priests at all of the parishes I have experience of - none of them rush through anything. 
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YoungTradCath
Guest
We had our oldest priest (85-90ish). He is my favorite, as his reverence is absolutely palpable and his homilies are very straightforward. He used incense at the altar, except I don’t think there were any burning coals in it! There was no smoke. I figure either they ran out or he just didn’t realize. Then after Mass, I confessed to him. It was excellent.
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GraceUnderFire
Guest
I went to the National Shrine in DC for Mass and it was awesome! The apostolic nuncio of the US was there. The music was amazing. The candlelight procession was beautiful. I almost cried. I know EWTN filmed it, but I don’t know if it’s on their website. I hope it shows up on youtube because I’d like to watch it again. I always enjoy visiting the Shrine because the mass is *always *reverent.
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CB_Catholic
Guest
I was visiting my daughter and she said that for once she was going to have a seat in the church for the 4PM Mass at their parish Christmas Eve and not have to stand in the vestibule. The church is small and they are expanding it.
However, she made us get to the church at 2PM! and we were the first people there! So we sat in church for 2 hours with the children, who were remarkably well-behaved, before Mass began. But we had the choice seats. I prayed a Divine Mercy Chaplet, lit a candle with my granddaughter, read my Magnificat, and tried to make the time pass, but that is too long. By 3pm the church was getting very full, and then they had music and carols until 4pm.
A family with 4 little ones (4mo, 2,3,and 4) sat next to us, and that was a real picnic. They were cute as buttons, but the parents kept having to take one or the other out during the Mass, so there was constant confusion. I am pretty tolerant, so it’s good they sat next to me, but by the time Mass was over, I was ready to leave
Mass was very nice, though.
However, she made us get to the church at 2PM! and we were the first people there! So we sat in church for 2 hours with the children, who were remarkably well-behaved, before Mass began. But we had the choice seats. I prayed a Divine Mercy Chaplet, lit a candle with my granddaughter, read my Magnificat, and tried to make the time pass, but that is too long. By 3pm the church was getting very full, and then they had music and carols until 4pm.
A family with 4 little ones (4mo, 2,3,and 4) sat next to us, and that was a real picnic. They were cute as buttons, but the parents kept having to take one or the other out during the Mass, so there was constant confusion. I am pretty tolerant, so it’s good they sat next to me, but by the time Mass was over, I was ready to leave
Mass was very nice, though.
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anp1215
Guest
Let me know if it is because I’d like to watch.
I went at 9:30 Christmas morning, it was good, not too different from the regular Mass. Christmas hymns, an OK homily, the cantor was a man I haven’t seen before who had a very good, deep voice. He was accompanied on some hymns by a woman who also played the piano. The church looked pretty with the trees and flowers. This parish has pretty simple Masses, I don’t think they have a choir. But I’m sure the midnight Mass was the “fancy” one.
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Oneofthewomen
Guest
I went to the 9:30am Mass at my local parish, which is about 1/4 mile from my house. It is the parish that both sets of my great-grandparents on my mother’s side belonged to, raised their families in, were married in & buried from.
While technically my territorial parish, I do not attend Mass here often. The pastor is a lovely man, deeply spiritual and very caring, yet, like many priests in my diocese, takes one too many “liberties” for my tastes.
Mass was very nice. It is a very poor parish, in not a great part of the city in which I live, but was once a vibrant, ethnic parish. The Mass I attended had some carols in Italian, sung by a wonderful cantor, before hand, and sitting there, I had a very interesting experience. A dark cloud had enveloped my area on Chrismas Eve, when 2 volunteer firefighters were ambushed and killed when they arrived on the scene of a house fire, and, to be honest, celebrating Christmas was really the last thing on my mind.
As I sat there, listening to these carols that I have not heard in years, I was suddenly very aware of how many people I know have sat in this very same Church, during some very dark times (the great depression, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, etc, etc, etc…)
and how many Christmas’ there were that someone sat in Chruch with tears streaming down their faces, but there- because of faith, hope or maybe even desperation. It was a very powerful moment for me, and helped me to realize that despite what is going on in “the world”, Mass is a place that will always bring me a glimpse of heaven.
While technically my territorial parish, I do not attend Mass here often. The pastor is a lovely man, deeply spiritual and very caring, yet, like many priests in my diocese, takes one too many “liberties” for my tastes.
Mass was very nice. It is a very poor parish, in not a great part of the city in which I live, but was once a vibrant, ethnic parish. The Mass I attended had some carols in Italian, sung by a wonderful cantor, before hand, and sitting there, I had a very interesting experience. A dark cloud had enveloped my area on Chrismas Eve, when 2 volunteer firefighters were ambushed and killed when they arrived on the scene of a house fire, and, to be honest, celebrating Christmas was really the last thing on my mind.
As I sat there, listening to these carols that I have not heard in years, I was suddenly very aware of how many people I know have sat in this very same Church, during some very dark times (the great depression, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, etc, etc, etc…)
and how many Christmas’ there were that someone sat in Chruch with tears streaming down their faces, but there- because of faith, hope or maybe even desperation. It was a very powerful moment for me, and helped me to realize that despite what is going on in “the world”, Mass is a place that will always bring me a glimpse of heaven.
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superamazingman
Guest
brass and string ensemble, amazing organist and professional level choir. Chanted introit during the procession and the latin pater noster, as well as o magnum mysterium by Victoria, in addition to carols. Glorious.
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superamazingman
Guest
sometimes when the coals are lit too early, that happens. Also, I’ve known a priest or two that literally adds one or two grains of incense, which also produces next to no smoke.
Who knows…
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anp1215
Guest
Thank you for sharing this.
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Phemie
Guest
I don’t think that the rule about canned music has ever been changed but I must admit that I have never seen a rule about artificial flowers and, believe me, I’ve looked for one. I don’t think I’ve found many parishes that never use taped music at some point. At some, that’s all you get.
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Mrs_Sally
Guest
Very beautiful. Thank you. I am praying for the firefighters and their families and others in your area.
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Elizabeth779
Guest
Praise God. I will pray for him as he goes through RCIA toward Easter Vigil.Midnight Mass at my parish was lovely. Our full choir was there, with a few added instruments (violins and trumpets), and they did a 20-minute concert before Mass started. (I wasn’t thrilled that “Mary, Did You Know?” was one of their song choices, but they made up for it with a stellar “O Holy Night.”) The Mass itself was beautiful. Good crowd, not overflowing or anything, but more than the typical Sunday crowd. Everyone was well-behaved; no shenanigans from the Christmas and Easter Catholics.
Best of all was the Christmas gift my husband and I received from the Holy Spirit. My husband is a Candidate in RCIA, and he’s really been struggling lately. He went through the Rite of Acceptance but he’s been considering dropping out of the program because he doesn’t feel ready to continue with it. About halfway through midnight Mass, he turned and whispered to me, “I’m going to stay in RCIA.” When I asked him about it later, he said that during Mass, he felt an incredible sense of peace and a strong feeling that he exactly where he was supposed to be. Thanks be to God!
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Elizabeth779
Guest
What powerful thoughts…these are gifts of being Catholic – the heritage back to the first Eucharist. I have similar thoughts also, it just seems the community of Saints at timexs is so close and so strong you can feel the presence of the past, and you are so right it is a glimpse of heaven, and it is the time that heaven comes to earth, and then even a glimpse of all the futures, even the part of the future when we will no longer be there… I don’t know how people manage to stay away even. The time when our Lord comes to us in body, blood, soul, and divinity, as present to us now as He will be when we stand before Him in eternity…we are so blessed to be Catholic.
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