Midnight Mass > Anybody attending Christmass services today?

[emarc]

we have planned to attend the midnight mass tonight but my wife who is still cooking, just screamed at me saying, “if i’m not done w/ this, we’ll attend mass tomorrow at 8 am.” she who knows how to cook rules, so i said, “Amen.”
Merry Christmas.

well, as any woman usually does, my wife changed her mind. she decided to go so we hurriedly dressed up and just got there in time. Our Lady of Lourdes Church was packed. normally we find seats in front, but tonight we ended up sitting at the back. the choir was superb, the homily was good, the feeling of peace and joy was present. celebration finished after 1 1/2 hours, which is just right.
Merry Christmas to all.

 

[dzheremi]

Our midnight mass at my home parish here in Northern California is bilingual (English/Spanish), so they pass out guides before the start of the mass that have all the English parts written in Spanish for the nonanglophones and the Spanish parts written in English for the nonhispanophones. I read and speak both, and when I used to live here I made a point of going to both masses in order to learn the responses in both languages. But since it had been a year since I last attended any sort of Spanish mass (since there are hardly any hispanics in Oregon), I found myself forgetting some of them and just speaking the English responses in Spanish, until I looked down at the sheet and realized my error. Oops. It was even more chaotic during the Creed, where I was following along on the paper in Spanish, while the priest was saying it in English, and everyone around me was saying it in Spanish. I was trying to say it in English, but eventually it ended up as some sort of amalgam of both since it was so hard to concentrate on just one. “I believe in one God, Padre todopoderoso…”

God bless the midnight mass. I wish all our services were so integrated.

 

[alsligh]

We went at 10am today. We have never been Catholic at Christmas before so we didn’t which know one would be “best.” Apparently it was the 4pm children’s mass yesterday. We heard this morning that app 600 people were there (church probably holds 300-350?)

I really enjoyed my first Christ Mass. Joyful.

 

[Theodora]

When I went to Mass this morning at 9:30 a.m., I noticed that the church had many pockets of empty space. I have never seen it like this before. I chalked it up that many Catholics must have moved from the area or/and that many had gone to Midnight Mass or Vigil Mass.

Then I read this report on the TIME website that going to church on Christmas is a “Vanishing tradition and that millions of Americans go to church on Christmas Eve.” It further explains that “For most Christians, Christmas is a day for family, not for faith.”

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1868647,00.html

 

[alsligh]

After reading the link, it kind of makes me glad we went on Christmas Day instead of Christmas Eve. Our mass this morning was pretty full, but not packed, and there was only one, and with a large contingent of older people. There were three yesterday. I personally think I would prefer the midnight mass, as it would place mass “first” on Christmas Day, but with a 5yo midnight is tough.

From my former Protestant experience, I will tell you that the Christmas Eve service was the candles/carols/scripture format and if Christmas Day fell on Sunday, the services were greatly abbreviated from the norm (i.e., only one instead of the two we normally had, and no Sunday school).

 

[RobHom]

My wife went to Mass yesterday, but I could not go with her! I have just returned home after a stint on the road, and unfortunately I arrived home with a flu bug in the rise… Haven’t been sick in a long time…and my wife says I have been “out of it” for the past two days… At any rate, to my surprise our Bishop said Mass at 11 AM this morning up in Venice (FL) and it was broadcast on Fox 4!! It had been announced in our Parish bulletin…so I went to Mass via TV. I would have much rather been there in person, but I don’t think it would have been right of me to take my malady to Church…

Merry Christmas “y’all”!!

PS: It was so warm down here we had to turn on the AC today.

 

[Texas_Roofer]

6 oclock Children’s Mass was packed, standing 2 deep in the aisles and outside w/doors open (it was still in high 70s then). 8 oclock, fairly full, like an average Sunday, 10 Spanish, 2/3 full, like average Sunday,** Midnight less than half full**. 9 am today will be 3/4 full mostly winter Texans and other elderly who don’t like to drive at night. so many people go to the Basilica for Christmas, which has Masses practically round the clock and their huge parking lot will be full, just like the Mall was last weekend.

Well up the road we had a better midnight turnout, but we do not have that many options Midnight, Christmas Kid’s Mass( with miniplay? - always overflowing ) and maybe a Christmas Day spanish mass. Midnight was probably 75+%

 

[JugglingReferee]

One thing that is missing from LDS worship, is the midnight Mass on christmas eve. I have attended at my Lutheran Church on christmas eve, in the past, but I might try a catholic mass tonight.

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Do you attend church on Christmas eve?

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Midnight Mass, without fail.