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slewi
Guest
Hs anyone else noticed the trend of moving midnight mass to 10:30pm? That’s what my parish has done, and others in my diocese as well.
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netmilsmom
Guest
My Pastor, God Love him, jokes every year that they get calls asking when Midnight Mass is. “Midnight” he says with a smile.
This year, one of our Priests added that he was celebrating “Midnight” mass at 7:30 at another parish. I guess this is why people ask!
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WanderAimlessly
Guest
Mine is having a midnight Mass. Of course, I am either comatose or posting on here because I loss track of the time at midnight
PF
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TableServant
Guest
Ugh! This is one of those things that I “understand”, but don’t agree with. Most parishes have several Masses for Christmas (though we don’t always use the particular readings for them. I’d love to use the Christmas Dawn readings at dawn, then the Christmas Day readings for the daytime Masses). So, then, why can’t we keep the Christmas Midnight Mass at midnight, and those who cannot attend at Midnight, might attend one of the Christmas Vigil or Christmas Dawn or Day Masses.
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CatholicCid
Guest
Maybe with less Priest per parishes (or one priest at several parishes) they/he feels they/he cannot be up that late and still be ready to serve all the Masses in the morning?
Just a :twocents: guess
Just a :twocents: guess
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bluehen
Guest
I have been to a couple of parishes where “midnight” Mass started at 10:30 and ended at… midnight. I forget their exact rationale… seems like it was something along the lines that we “go in peace” just as Jesus is born.
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Dorothy
Guest
I think that is a very good guess. We have our pastor who is near retirement, and a retired priest. And there are two masses on Sunday morning, Christmas day, and one at 5:00 PM on Saturday, Christmas Eve, geared to the children. They have opted to have a midnight mass, but I would certainly understand if they had chosen to have it at 10:00 PM instead.
I am the coordinator for the proclaimers, and I had to call a lot of them before I could find two who would be at midnight mass. Most of them said “I don’t stay up that late”.
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Brenda_V
Guest
Well, my little, tiny, mission Parish will be having two Masses for Christmas - one at 7 p.m. the 24th (Vigil Mass) and one on Christmas Day at 11 a.m. Now the Church we are Mission to (from?) will be having a Mid-night Mass but it will “start” earlier with caroling before Mass while people are arriving and since it is the most popular Christmas Mass they start coming up to 1.5 hours before Mass starts (mostly those C&E Catholics and those who remember they pack the Church on those days, I tend to forget and end up standing or having to sit separate from my daughters).
Anyway, no we don’t have Midnight Mass at any other time than Midnight! And the 7 a.m. Mass is considered the Mass at Dawn and we use those readings! Then again, I live in a very orthodox Parish and our Vicar has said over and over again how excited he was when he was no longer the Junior Pastor so he could say the Midnight Christmas Mass! Don’t see us moving MIdnight Mass to earlier!
Brenda V.
Anyway, no we don’t have Midnight Mass at any other time than Midnight! And the 7 a.m. Mass is considered the Mass at Dawn and we use those readings! Then again, I live in a very orthodox Parish and our Vicar has said over and over again how excited he was when he was no longer the Junior Pastor so he could say the Midnight Christmas Mass! Don’t see us moving MIdnight Mass to earlier!
Brenda V.
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John_Lilburne
Guest
Perhaps this is a case of a poor translation.
The Latin name for this Mass is “Ad Missam in nocte”. (Missale Romanum, 2002, Liberia Editrice Vaticana, ISBN 88-209-7271-9, page 155).
The word “nocte” means “by night, at night”. So I think the Latin is calling it “Mass in the night”.
But the approved English translation is “MASS AT MIDNIGHT”. The new translation, expected in about two years, might clarify this with a new name for this Mass.
The Latin name for this Mass is “Ad Missam in nocte”. (Missale Romanum, 2002, Liberia Editrice Vaticana, ISBN 88-209-7271-9, page 155).
The word “nocte” means “by night, at night”. So I think the Latin is calling it “Mass in the night”.
But the approved English translation is “MASS AT MIDNIGHT”. The new translation, expected in about two years, might clarify this with a new name for this Mass.
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TableServant
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I suppose I can agree with Mass at Night being… at night. And, yes, I can understand priests who have to celebrate several Masses wanting to celebrate at a time that allows them to get some sleep. It does seem that, in many parishes with schools, the Vigil Masses that are more oriented toward children have become the high-attendance Masses.
I would also agree with calling it what it is, Mass at Night, rather than Midnight Mass, if that is what you are doing, i.e., if you are celebrating “at night”, call it “at Night”, not “Midnight”.
I would miss it, though. My family has a long standing tradition of celebrating at Midnight Mass, and I believe that the only one that I missed was when I was recovering from an allergic reaction and couldn’t stop itching! I even tried to go, but was just too uncomfortable to sit still.
I would also agree with calling it what it is, Mass at Night, rather than Midnight Mass, if that is what you are doing, i.e., if you are celebrating “at night”, call it “at Night”, not “Midnight”.
I would miss it, though. My family has a long standing tradition of celebrating at Midnight Mass, and I believe that the only one that I missed was when I was recovering from an allergic reaction and couldn’t stop itching! I even tried to go, but was just too uncomfortable to sit still.
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Michael038
Guest
Yes, my Parish changed it to 10:00pm. Nothing like a good old fashioned 12:00 Midnight Mass. How I miss those days.
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aurora77
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netmil(name removed by moderator):
Ours, too. Every year he announces that “yes, midnight Mass will be at midnight.”
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SnorterLuster
Guest
I go to an indult TLM chapel and we also will be having a 10 pm Mass. Like the others, I am not sure of the reason. It may be on the account that Father had some surgery a few weeks ago and may not feel up to being up that late.
I like the tradition of Midnight Mass, but I am not sure I can stay up that late anymore myself.
I like the tradition of Midnight Mass, but I am not sure I can stay up that late anymore myself.
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Br.Rich_SFO
Guest
I’m at a loss to locate what liturgical document allows them to use anything other than the proper reading for the designated Mass. Can anyone out there show me where it has been allowed to substitute the different Christmas readings for one another?
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Br.Rich_SFO
Guest
John Lilburne:
In the liturgy of the hours there is two ways of counting days. From Vespers to Vespers or from Midnight to Midnight. The liturgical hour of Nocturn was said anytime after Midnight but before 6am. So the proper interpretation would be “After Midnight”.
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QUICUMQUE_VULT
Guest
Does anyone have at a priest or deacon, chant the Kalends. before the start of Midnight mass? It is A tradition at my Parish, Before the start of the tridentine mass at midnight, the arch priest, comes into the darkened sanctuary, and by the light of candles he chants the kalends, Then torches are lit and a procession forms in front of the altar of the BVM. The celebrant takes an image of the Christ child, from the altar. And the torchlit procession moves through the darkened church to the Creche, where the blessing takes place. Suddenly all the church is lit and the Solemn procession begins, as the choir chants the “Adeste fidelis”. The procession comes to the Altar and the Midnight mass begins. We have many visiting priests every year, who join in the procession to add greater solemnity. They vest in Gold copes and birretas. A very moving experience.
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Melanie01
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Lucky me…off to midnight mass with carol singing from 2300hrs…gaudete!
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John_Lilburne
Guest
Br. Rich SFO:
“In Masses celebrated on Christmas Day, the readings given below are used, with the option of choosing more appropriate readings from any one of the three Masses according to the pastoral needs of each celebration.”
(From Lectionary I, Study Edition, 1983, Collins Liturgical Australia, ISBN 0-00-599764-X, page 104).
This permission is in the Lectionary itself, just before the Midnight Mass readings:
“In Masses celebrated on Christmas Day, the readings given below are used, with the option of choosing more appropriate readings from any one of the three Masses according to the pastoral needs of each celebration.”
(From Lectionary I, Study Edition, 1983, Collins Liturgical Australia, ISBN 0-00-599764-X, page 104).
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palmas85
Guest
Here in San Diego there will be an Indult TLM Midnight Christmas Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church on Polk Avenue and the Christmas daily Indult TLM Mass in the usual place at Holy Cross Cemetary Chapel, 9:00am. There will also be an Indult TLM Mass for the Feast of the Circumcision at 9:00am on January 1, also at the Holy Cross Chapel.
If you have never been to one, and are in San Diego, you might want to take one or both of them in. The TLM Organization and the Norbertine Fathers, with the permission of Bishop Brom, really do an outstanding job with the Masses. They are very well attended and very very well done.
If you have never been to one, and are in San Diego, you might want to take one or both of them in. The TLM Organization and the Norbertine Fathers, with the permission of Bishop Brom, really do an outstanding job with the Masses. They are very well attended and very very well done.
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Psalm45_9
Guest
This has been a trend that I have noticed for the last 5 years. In places where priests are short, especially rural areas; where a priest may be in charge of 3 churches. Because there isn’t enough priests either midnight mass will not be celebrated at all (like it wasn’t in the rural town where I went to college.) Or they will have a mass at 10:00 or 11:00 pm and by the rubrics and readings it will be “midnight mass.” but by techinicallity it will not be, it’s not celebrated at midnight.
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