Mass attendance for the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God

[Brendan]

Hard to tell, as we went to a special Midnight Mass

Our parish had a New Years Eve Party, which was a fundraiser for our upcoming Tanzania mission.

So we had a 12:30am 'Midnight" Mass that most of the party went to.

But our parish is very good about Mass attendance on Holy Days. I would have expected some drop off due to the extra Mass, and I expect the 7:30am and 9:30am Masses be more lightly attended than normal, and the 11:30 and 1:30 Masses to be packed!

 

[CatholicZ09]

One thing I have noticed, in my own and in other parishes, is that there is no mention at all of Jan. 1st being a Holy Day of Obligation. It might not make any difference in the long run, but I honestly don’t think people know. I know our choir people often joke about their lack of presence on Jan. 1 due to the serious partying they did the night before and our Mass that day is as low-key as any weekday Mass.

It’s sad, really, considering it’s one of only two HDOs in Canada.

It is sad.

This year, however, in the announcements prior to Mass on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day, they said, “Please remember that January 1st is a holy day of obligation.” This is the first year I remember them making a special note. Father wanted everyone to know!

I feel like January 1st shouldn’t be “low-key” since it is the end of the Christmas Octave; however, since many people do celebrate heavily on December 31st, it often does get less attention than it should.