Midnight Mass on Christmas

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Eufrosnia said:
For us, the custom is Christmas cake and Tea after mass, then bed 😃
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That sounds a lot like our custom! We have two simultaneous Midnight Masses (one in the church downstairs in English, one “up the hill” in the vernacular), and then we all head home to hit the cake and the home-made Christmas wine. Feeling nostalgic already as I type this out! 😃
 
I remember as a child, my babysitter’s mother said “Midnight Mass is at 10pm! Can you imagine? Who has Midnight Mass at 10pm?” and yet that is now commonplace. My home parish will celebrate at 11pm. The parish where I will be visiting on Christmas celebrates at 10pm. Now we tried moving it to midnight one year very recently. The pastor thought he might experiment a little. The parishioners cried aloud and the Mass was poorly attended by them. There were almost no envelopes used in the collection. The pastor learned his lesson and moved it back to 10pm. My parents were especially relieved.

Although it is saying something when scheduling Midnight Mass for midnight is an experiment!

Anyway, liturgically I understand that midnight is just a suggestion, and any late hour can be just as acceptable. It just sounds funny to hear people ask what time Midnight Mass is this year.
 
IrishRush said:
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.
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Same here. Someone pushed for midnight Mass at our parish a few years ago but it didn’t catch on. I travel an hour to go to midnight Mass at another parish and it’s worth it.
 
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. đŸ€·
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This.
 
We have Midnight Mass (and it does begin at midnight) available every year at several local parishes. Attendance is generally so high that if you arrive less than 10 minutes before Mass, it’s standing room only–even in the cry room–and people are packed into the pews (good thing most people are pretty good-natured about it). But it’s so lovely with all the candles and the Nativity display.

There are also several Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses available, but I don’t yet know how many or what times exactly, since it tends to change somewhat every year, and I haven’t received the info yet for this year.
 
Yes, my parish in New York has the Midnight Mass. Actually, all the churches I attend (the English and Italian ones by my house, and the Croatian one in Manhattan) celebrate the Midnight Mass on Christmas. Usually Christmas carols start around 11 - 11:30pm, and the Mass follows.
 
We have not had a Midnight “Midnight Mass” in several years now. It’s varied between 10 & 11 PM. Haven’t yet found out if the new Pastor is planning on restoring it to its proper time.

Last year we were visiting our daughter and her parish had one so we all went: DD, DS1 & fiancĂ©e, DS2, non-Catholic DH & SIL, 10 month old grandson. Although sons and new daughter-in-law won’t be there this year, we are heading there on Dec 20 so will attend a Midnight Mass again this year.
 
Perhaps I should have clarified and affirmed that I meant AT Midnight.
 
Umm
it’s kind of, sort of a midnight mass. It’s a 10pm mass for midnight. We used to have a midnight mass, but since monsignor retired and passed away (may he rest in peace) and we had several rearrangements of priests, our new resident priest has switched to an early time. But he’s also in charge of 2 other parishes in the area, so he has a lot on his plate. So, it is pretty understandable that he would change and modify some of the times. :o
 
I’m blessed to be able to assist a Midnight Mass in the Extraordinary Form prayed by a 97 year old priest in an old Catholic hospital chapel.

But yes, MM’s are plentiful in my area.
 
May I ask what’s the fuss over the Mass an hour or so earlier, if the liturgy is the same as it’s going to be at midnight, and the day ends at sundown not at 12 am? Just curious, not trying to be snarky.
 
LoyalViews said:
Perhaps I should have clarified and affirmed that I meant AT Midnight.
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yep, that’s why I chose “other parishes do.” Our local parish normally does “midnight mass” at 10pm, but they are pushing the envelope this year and doing it at 11pm 😃

We normally make an extra 25 mile drive to attend midnight mass at midnight. Enjoy that one more anyway. Traditional hymns, incense, and Latin responses; oh boy. 👍
 
choliks said:
May I ask what’s the fuss over the Mass an hour or so earlier, if the liturgy is the same as it’s going to be at midnight, and the day ends at sundown not at 12 am? Just curious, not trying to be snarky.
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Because there is a proper Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord which should be celebrated if Mass is before midnight. Unfortunately, many of us have never experienced it because TPTB opt to celebrate an earlier Midnight Mass.
 
My parish does not have a midnight mass yet. We are a mission parish and so w aren’t totally on our own. Our mother parish does have a midnight mass, but you really need to get there around 10 pm to get good seats. I think every high mass winds up being packed. I love attending midnight mass for Christmas. Like many others have stated, the music, the procession of the Christ child, the sights and smells of Catholicism. Plus when we get home there is never a fight to get the kids to bed.

NM Native
 
choliks said:
May I ask what’s the fuss over the Mass an hour or so earlier, if the liturgy is the same as it’s going to be at midnight, and the day ends at sundown not at 12 am? Just curious, not trying to be snarky.
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For me it’s more about the quiet. There are still a lot of people in my neck of the woods out and about at 11pm when the 10pm midnight mass gets out. Not so much at 1am. I love the quiet because it helps me focus on the birth of Christ. This is especially true when it has snowed when we are leaving mass. The snow quiets and dampens the few noises of the late night.

I’ll also admit that the later the mass the fewer C&E that show. Always bothers me having to fight for a seat with people who only show up for mass once or twice a year. Most of them tend to go to the 4 or 8 pm masses.

Final reason? My kids want to stay up for the mass. They generally fall asleep when we are driving home so that means they sleep in and we don’t get the 6am “It’s Christmas” rally cry 😃
 
So popular at our parish of about 6000 you need to reserve seats and have tickets (not charged for).
 
I wasn’t sure which one to vote for
I eventually posted “No”. My parish has a Mass on the evening of 24 December - usually around 7pm - which uses the prayers and readings of the Midnight Mass of Christmas Day. Not the prayers/readings from the Vigil Mass for 24 December, but those of the Midnight Mass itself. So for me, the answer is “No” in the sense that we don’t have Mass at the numerical hour of midnight. But “Yes” in the sense that the order of service for the Midnight Mass is used for the Mass earlier in the evening.
 
Phemie said:
Because there is a proper Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord which should be celebrated if Mass is before midnight. Unfortunately, many of us have never experienced it because TPTB opt to celebrate an earlier Midnight Mass.
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You know what is the best part of the Vigil Mass? The Alleluia verse, “Tomorrow the Wickedness of the Earth Will Be Destroyed: the Savior of the World Will Reign Over Us”

(Yes, unfortunately this is an OCP source. I don’t know if the verse is original to them, or from the Missal. But it’s a fine sentiment. We had a soprano cantor a few years ago who delivered it with a grand flourish in rehearsal, I will always remember that verse.)
 
Elizium23 said:
You know what is the best part of the Vigil Mass? The Alleluia verse, “Tomorrow the Wickedness of the Earth Will Be Destroyed: the Savior of the World Will Reign Over Us”

(Yes, unfortunately this is an OCP source. I don’t know if the verse is original to them, or from the Missal. But it’s a fine sentiment. We had a soprano cantor a few years ago who delivered it with a grand flourish in rehearsal, I will always remember that verse.)
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What I find sad is that Novalis, which publishes the missalettes and the annual missals in Canada, doesn’t even include the Vigil of Christmas, or any of the others Vigils except that of Easter, in its publications. It’s as though they don’t matter.
 
Our parish used to celebrate Mass During the Night at midnight but when our new pastor arrived a couple of years ago he made the executive decision to have our Mass During the Night at 11:00pm.

We also have three Masses earlier on Christmas Eve and we have two Masses on Christmas morning.
 
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