Year of the Rat Mass?

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mystified

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Back on line after a Lenten layoff.
During Lent I visited a parish where I found hundreds of people waiting outside for the sceduled Mass. It was delayed because a Year of the Rat Mass was being celebrated in the church and ran over by more than 90 minutes.
What is a Year of the Rat Mass? I cannot find it in any liturgical books.
 
The year of the rat relates to the Chinese zodiac. You can find more information here.
 
:eek: Chinese Zodiac? Isn’t that Astrology? Since when is this incorporated into the Mass?:confused:
 
A Mass celebrated “for the heck of it” to celebrate the Chinese New Year would be an issue. A Mass celebrated for a group of Chinese Catholics specifically to celebrate the Chinese New Year should be acceptable.
 
MarieVeronica said:
:eek: Chinese Zodiac? Isn’t that Astrology? Since when is this incorporated into the Mass?:confused:
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Let me clarify this before it’s misunderstood.

It is a tradition among Vietnamese Catholics to offer Mass on the 1st day of the Lunar New Year (aka “Chinese New Year”) Before Christianity, it was the tradition for families to gather and pray to the ancestors or other gods in order to ensure a good harvest, luck, happiness and wealth in the new year. When Christianity took root in Asia, the people still celebrated the new year in this manner but directed their thanksgiving and prayers to Almighty God and prayed FOR the souls of their ancestors. The highlight of the day is of course a liturgy of thanksgiving and praise.
 
We have a big Vietnamese New Year mass and celebration each year.
 
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