Midnight Mass on Christmas

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Our parish has Midnight Mass, but I don’t go - too many people!

Midnight Mass used to start at 11:00pm and end after midnight, then we would have Mass as normal on Sunday. Now, because Midnight Mass starts at midnight (we have a new priest), and because there are Masses at 4:00pm and 6:30pm on Christmas Eve, there is only one Mass on Christmas Day. 😦
 
My parish does have a Midnight Mass and so do other parishes nearby. But I haven’t been
to it for many years. I attend the Midnight Mass at the Church I go to in Austin. It has been
a few years since I’ve been in town for Christmas.
As a child we would have the tamales, cookies and eggnog on Noche Buena (Christmas
Eve) then we would go to Mass at Midnight. When we got home from Mass, we were
allowed to open 1 present. Don’t ask me how we managed to stay awake. Now I make
sure I take a “power nap” at 9pm. It seems to do the trick, I manage to stay awake for
all of it.
 
We have a tiny parish, less than 100 people.
We did have midnight mass last year and I think there were 28 people there. Now on some Sat. vigil masses we’d be thrilled to have 28 people, normal is about 16-20. But our priest said that we’d have our Christmas eve mass at 6pm, which beats the heck out of 4pm, but not nearly a wonderful as a midnight mass.
 
I live in the Diocese of Buffalo. There are half a dozen churches within a reasonable (less than 30 minute) driving distance from me. You can make the rounds starting at 5 PM on the 24th (children’s liturgy vigil Mass,) 7 PM, 9 PM, 10:30 PM, and midnight. The parish with the children’s Mass has the 10:30 PM Mass as well. If you plan on going to either the 10:30 PM Mass or the actual Midnight Mass, you had better get there early (at least half an hour) if you hope to get either a parking spot or a seat. There is a national Marian shrine near me (about half an hour away) which has a Midnight Mass, followed by coffee and pastry reception held by the priests who direct the shrine. I went to it last year. Again, standing room only, but the nice snowless December weather as well as the fact that the entire shrine is decorated with Christmas religious-themed light displays drew me out.

Elsewhere in the diocese, it seems the same sort of thing exists–neighboring parishes have off-set Mass times for the Christmas Mass During the Night (anywhere from 9 PM to midnight.) The actual Midnight Masses are noteworthy for drawing all the nominal Catholics. A friend of mine said it was almost comical to hear “and also with your spirit” responses last year from the congregation. I noticed quite a bit of that, too, from the folks who were unaware of the liturgy changes.

Unfortunately, this year I won’t be able to attend Mass anywhere on Christmas, whatever time: I’m having back surgery in mid-December, and will be in a back brace, so I will have to settle for watching either EWTN or the televised Mass from the Vatican, and receive the Eucharist later in the day sometime on the 25th. I have it all set up already. It’s nice to know I will be receiving Jesus on His birthday, but having to just watch Mass on TV at home is almost like “attending” your family’s Christmas celebration via Skype! (I’ll be doing that, too.)
 
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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This is what we have also. Most parishes around here have a “late at night on Christmas eve Mass”. 😃

In our case, our pastor is elderly and was very sick with kidney cancer a few years ago, so I in no way condem the timing of our Midnight Mass.

We don’t usually attend just because all the crazy “Chreasters” are there and so it is particularly difficult to actually pay attention and be recollected. However, if my children are asked to sing at the concert before Mass we do stay for Mass as well.
 
My parish offers three Masses on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day.
Family Childrens Mass at 6:00 pm
Adult Full Choir Mass at 8:00 pm
Final Mass at 10:00 pm

All Masses are packed. Due to the growing lack of priest Midnight Mass stopped at my parish in 1992, partly too to serve the needs of the growing elderly with their families in my parish.

A number of English and French parishes including the French Cathedral all celebrate Christmas Eve Mass at Midnight.
 
We have one that starts at 11:30 PM but it’s always in Spanish, so we haven’t gone. In the past we’d always gone to the 5:00 PM Mass because the children would always have their Nativity Play immediately prior to that Mass. My two older kids are too old now, and the youngest is too little, so this year we’ll be at one of the later evening Masses. Our church is under massive renovations at the moment, so we’re having to have Mass in the family center right now, so they’ve moved up the early evening Mass until 4:00 so they can squeeze an extra one in since the space is so small. We’ll have Masses at 4:00, 6:00, 8:00 and 11:30 on Christmas Eve (and we only have one priest!!)
 
Our parish has a midnight mass that starts at midnight. The choir has recently begun rehearsals for the music. I can’t remember a time whenever I didn’t go to midnight mass. x}
 
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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5 pm Christmas Eve, then the Midnight at Midnight with the church open for prayer during the inbetween hours…then dawn Christmas Day and 11 am Christmas Day. 🙂
 
Our parish has a midnight Mass which is, of course, at midnight. We have three earlier Christmas Eve services and three others on Christmas days. Our priest insists that a midnight Mass can only be at midnight. In our diocese many of the other parishes also have midnight Masses.

I went last year to ours. It was wonderful. What was even more amazing was how fast everyone drove out of the parking lot when it was over.:eek:
 
When I was growing up the priest used to joke about people calling the rectory to ask “At what time is Midnight Mass?” Now, in many parishes, it’s a necessary question.
 
ROFL @ what Phemie said! Yeah, I remember Monsignior making that wisecrack every year!
 
odile53 said:
ROFL @ what Phemie said! Yeah, I remember Monsignior making that wisecrack every year!
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A previous pastor used to make that joke.

In reality, Midnight Mass is Mass that starts at Midnight. And once upon a time, “Mass During the Night” started at midnight because that was earliest it could start.

Technically there is no such thing as “Midnight Mass”. There are just some Masses that start at Midnight.
 
Does anyone’s parish have a Christmas Vigil prior to Midnight Mass…

I know there is such a thing because the J.S. Paluch Missalettes have a format for one…It has several readings like the Easter Vigil has and the placing of the Baby Jesus in the major ceremony.
 
PacoG said:
Does anyone’s parish have a Christmas Vigil prior to Midnight Mass…

I know there is such a thing because the J.S. Paluch Missalettes have a format for one…It has several readings like the Easter Vigil has and the placing of the Baby Jesus in the major ceremony.
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I know it exists but I’ve never experienced it. I’ve noticed that Vigil masses get short shrift in the missalettes. Of the 6, only the Easter Vigil is ever included.
 
We have two Masses scheduled at times appropriate for a Christmas Vigil, but I’ve never attended either so I don’t know if they are true Vigils or not. This year I will probably be sacristan for one of them so I guess I’ll find out.
 
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