Midnight Mass on Christmas

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Here’s another poll. I want to know how many parishes actually offer a MIDNIGHT MASS on Christmas night?

It’s becoming a dying tradition, but they still DO happen. If so, please let me know (though you are not in any way obliged at all) if there is a high attendance.
 
We have it our church, it’s usually the one I go to and it’s usually crowded. It’s great, big Christmas Eve fish dinner followed by Mass, can’t beat it.
 
I live in a city of under 35,000 people and we have two Catholic churches (served by the same wonderful priests) and several Christmas Masses, including a Midnight Mass.
 
LoyalViews said:
Here’s another poll. I want to know how many parishes actually offer a MIDNIGHT MASS on Christmas night?

It’s becoming a dying tradition, but they still DO happen. If so, please let me know (though you are not in any way obliged at all) if there is a high attendance.
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I attend the midnight mass and I live in Canada. But it must be said that in other parts of the world, midnight mass is certainly not a dying tradition and is the most common to attend.

Something else worth noting is that other parts of the world celebrate the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God (New Year Mass) at midnight as well. This tradition is most certainly dead, at least in the part of Canada where I live :(.
 
GangGreen said:
We have it our church, it’s usually the one I go to and it’s usually crowded. It’s great, big Christmas Eve fish dinner followed by Mass, can’t beat it.
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What time do you sleep :eek:? Must be an all night celebration (which I think is pretty cool though :)).

For us, the custom is Christmas cake and Tea after mass, then bed 😃
 
Just about every parish (or cluster of parishes) has what is called “Midnight Mass” although I can only think of one parish (the Cathedral in my Diocese) where the Mass is actually at Midnight.
At most others it starts at 10pm. 🤷
 
Midnight Mass has always been at midnight. They did think of changing it to 10:00 p.m. at one time, yet that was shot down quickly.
 
My parish has an 11pm Mass, so I guess my answer is “sorta”.
 
Our parish does, but I don’t do midnights. If Jesus were to come at midnight, I’m likely to say, “Check back with me about 7:00.”

(For those who didn’t recognize it, that was a joke. The reality is that I work a job that doesn’t get holidays off, and midnight activities are out of the question.)
 
I don’t see how midnight Mass is a dying tradition. I don’t know any parishes where it is not offered.

I might go to Midnight Mass at the monastery this year.

-Tim-
 
Here in the Philippines, people always look forward to the Christmas novena with the midnight Mass as the culmination.

The Christmas novena is a string of 9 consecutive dawn Masses (usually 4 am) starting on the morning of the 16th and ending on the morning of the 24th. It’s always well attended.

The faithful flocks again right before midnight for the Misa de Gallo or what you call the Midnight Mass. Every parish in the country, and I mean each and every one, celebrates this.

After the Mass, families will have their grand midnight dinner called Noche Buena. Some will open their gifts after dinner.

This custom is still alive and well here.
 
choliks said:
Here in the Philippines, people always look forward to the Christmas novena with the midnight Mass as the culmination.

The Christmas novena is a string of 9 consecutive dawn Masses (usually 4 am) starting on the morning of the 16th and ending on the morning of the 24th. It’s always well attended.

The faithful flocks again right before midnight for the Misa de Gallo or what you call the Midnight Mass. Every parish in the country, and I mean each and every one, celebrates this.

After the Mass, families will have their grand midnight dinner called Noche Buena. Some will open their gifts after dinner.

This custom is still alive and well here.
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Heaven is full of Phillipinos. I hope you get there too.

-Tim-
 
Oneofthewomen said:
Just about every parish (or cluster of parishes) has what is called “Midnight Mass” although I can only think of one parish (the Cathedral in my Diocese) where the Mass is actually at Midnight.
At most others it starts at 10pm. 🤷
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Important distinction, IMO…

We have a Midnight Mass, it begins at midnight, and it is always celebrated by our pastor. It will be eliminated or have its start time changed over his dead body. 😃 The parochial vicar usually (if not always; sorry, the memory is a bit foggy right now) concelebrates.

Mass at midnight is the third of six Christmas Masses in our parish. If memory serves, the church is about 80% full for this Mass, though I have to admit I don’t pay much attention to how well attended Mass is so I could be way off the mark here. It is definitely not packed to the gills. The Husband and I attend Midnight Mass because it’s a tradition in my family that I love and want to continue. (His family is half Protestant, half fallen-away Catholic and thus has no Christmas Mass tradition.)

What other parishes do, I have no idea. It’s all I can do to keep up with what’s going on in my own backyard…
 
choliks said:
Here in the Philippines, people always look forward to the Christmas novena with the midnight Mass as the culmination.

The Christmas novena is a string of 9 consecutive dawn Masses (usually 4 am) starting on the morning of the 16th and ending on the morning of the 24th. It’s always well attended.

The faithful flocks again right before midnight for the Misa de Gallo or what you call the Midnight Mass. Every parish in the country, and I mean each and every one, celebrates this.

After the Mass, families will have their grand midnight dinner called Noche Buena. Some will open their gifts after dinner.

This custom is still alive and well here.
Click to expand...
I always look forward to that. 🙂
And yes, it is so alive that it is spreading to the West thanks to the Filipino wave! 🙂

My family doesn’t have a Noche Buena though, because we have a mini reunion with family members on Christmas day itself. 🙂
 
TimothyH said:
Heaven is full of Phillipinos. I hope you get there too.

-Tim-
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Crescentinus said:
I always look forward to that. 🙂
And yes, it is so alive that it is spreading to the West thanks to the Filipino wave! 🙂

My family doesn’t have a Noche Buena though, because we have a mini reunion with family members on Christmas day itself. 🙂
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Thanks Tim. But I think Crescentinus will beat me to it. His spoony faith makes her holier than me. I hope and pray you get there to, Tim. 😃

@Crescentinus: I’m envious. Since most of my relatives are in the US, we just spend Christmas day at home.
 
We don’t have midnight mass on Christmas Eve in my parish, we have 10 PM mass. 😦
I SO wish we could have midnight mass.
 
In my city, which is really just a big town. Midnight Mass is basically where you gotta go. Everyone who anyone is there and there is no space in the pews and barley any standing room. So many people come that don’t go all year to. It always gives me a little hope
 
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