No Church On Christmas? Is This A Joke?

[Little Flower]

I think my parish has more Mass times, but a couple are different. The sat 5pm mass will instead be a 4pm and a midnight mass, and there wont be a 7:30 am mass sun morning () but there will be ones at like 9 and 1 and 4 or something like that

[CatherineM]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1324446221' post='2354909']
I must have missed them. I've been in convents the past few Christmases!

AndI guess since Protestants don't have Mass, it isn't the same for them. I still don't get it - one of the most important days on the Christian calendar and they don't have a service on that day. Nevermind.
[/quote]
I think we should discuss it every year just to remind ourselves that it isn't normal.

[sixpence]

i am because i have never been to a real midnight mass... my parish never had them... just later-than-usual masses... like around 7:30

edit: they have them here in NJ ... but of course I will be back home for christmas!

Edited December 21, 2011 by sixpence

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

Just to put in my usual word that not all non-Catholics are the same. When I was growing up as an Episcopalian, we ALWAYS went to church on Christmas morning, no matter what day of the week it was. In fact, at least at our church, Christmas Day services were more popular than Christmas Eve. (But, if I remember correctly--and I may not--the church's Christmas Eve service was at midnight (or a little before) with the choir singing before the actual service started.) We spent Christmas Eve with my (Catholic) aunt and her family, but the party would break up in time for anyone who wanted to go to Midnight Mass. (I'm pretty sure that at my aunt's house, the family all went to Mass together on Christmas Day, but as the kids got older, some of them wanted to go to Midnight Mass. I'm also pretty sure that at my aunt's house, the family went to Mass together Christmas Day, whether or not some of them had also gone to Midnight Mass).

Right now, my health prevents me from going to any service--Catholic or Anglican. Personally, I like the true midnight Mass best, but I can no longer stay up that late. When I was younger, there was an Anglo-Catholic Midnight Mass that was amesome, with incense, full professional choir--the works. <sigh> Unfortunately, that congregation is no longer Anglo-Catholic, and there is no Ango-Catholic church with "the works" within 10 miles (the "best" is 15 miles away). Not that I could stay up until midnight, but I can dream.

To those of you who don't listen when someone says how important your health is--listen! This Christmas, when you're giving thanks for God's gift of the birth of Jesus, try to remember to add a thanks for your health--even if lots of other things in your live smell of elderberries. I'm shameless about asking for prayers for my health. So, if you have a spare moment for people like me who are spending the evening alone with God (it's okay--He's good company) I'd appreciate it, and others like me would, too.

If you want to pray for my conversion, too, that's fine with me. I don't talk about it as much as I used to, because thinking about it a lot confused and upset me, but I've honestly said to God that when (if?) he tells me it's time, I will convert. It's not time yet, and although I realize that this goes against Catholic belief, there IS a chance that God wants me to remain Anglican, at least for right now. The Anglican church desperately needs devout people, and I happen to believe (along with most Anglo-Catholics), that there is nothing un-Anglican about wearing a Miraculous Medal (which I do), and saying the Rosary (which I don't do often enough, but at least I say a LOT of "Hail Marys" over the course of the day). I've wandered off-topic as usual, but that's part of my charm.

Edited December 21, 2011 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[Lil Red]

Iggy - I think it's more of an evangelical thing, to be honest with you. The churches around here that cancel are usually evangelical/foursquare churches - not usually the mainline Protestant churches.

[BigJon16]

We are having a "Children's" Mass at 4 on Christmas Eve. Then, our new Pastor is bringing back Midnight Mass, that is actually at Midnight. For years it had been at 10.

Christmas day were having one Mass, as opposed to two on an average Sunday.




Pretty much, this Christmas spells out A LOT of overtime for me and the other sacristan...

[Archaeology cat]

I'm pleasantly surprised to fine my old Baptist congregation is having a Christmas service.

[Sarah147]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1324397324' post='2354416']
I believe most parishes have on average 4 Christmas Eve masses. And my experience is that most people attend on Christmas Eve, especially A&Eers. I think b/c of what is stated in the article, that people don't want the hassle of having their Christmas Day morning interrupted with going to mass. I stopped going to mass on Christmas Eve along time ago b/c it is insanely crowded due to all the A&Eers. On Christmas Day it is much less busy/crowded/hectic/etc, room in the pews are abundant, noise is at a minimum, etc. It is over all just better to be able to enter into the mass.
[/quote]

A&Eers?

[Lil Red]

maybe meant C&E's? (Christmas & Easter)

[Papist]

[quote name='JoyfulLife' timestamp='1324508328' post='2355457']
A&Eers?
[/quote]
[quote name='Lil Red' timestamp='1324509841' post='2355474']
maybe meant C&E's? (Christmas & Easter)
[/quote]

Yes. C&Eers. People who only attend mass on Christmas and Easter.

[Totus Tuus]

Wouldn't it make more sense to have MORE services on Christmas Eve and Christmas since all the "Christmas and Easter" Catholics will be there, unlike on most weekends??


*this brings up a pet peeve of mine. Why don't priests mention at Christmas and Easter Masses that only those who have attended Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days can come up to receive communion?? I think so many people have no idea that it's a mortal sin not to go to church regularly, and yet essentially 100% of the Catholics who show up on these days receive Holy Communion.

Edited December 23, 2011 by Totus Tuus

[southern california guy]

It sounds to me like the Pastors or the Priests don't want to "work" on Christmas either. So they are trying to find a way to rationalize cutting the Sunday services.

[Nunsense]

[quote name='southern california guy' timestamp='1325074847' post='2358478']
It sounds to me like the Pastors or the Priests don't want to "work" on Christmas either. So they are trying to find a way to rationalize cutting the Sunday services.
[/quote]

Well I can't accuse my priest of not wanting to work since he covers four parishes, and over Christmas did two Masses on Christmas Eve in two different towns, and then three on Christmas Day in three different towns - and we are talking hundreds of kilometres of travel over those two days alone. In addition to that, he still offered the Saturday morning Reconciliation and Mass in one town and the Children's school graduation Mass in another on the Friday. He doesn't even have a single residence since he has to work across four towns so far apart, so he alternates living in one town for a week, and another for another week.

I don't know why the Protestants cancel their Sunday services unless it is so families can be together, but I certainly don't think our priests are lazy.

[inunionwithrome]

We always have three Masses on Christmas Eve. The 4 PM Children's Christmas Mass, a vigil at 7PM, and Midnight Mass. This year, the 7PM Christmas Mass was so overcrowded that my family and I who only live 2 miles from the Church, turned around and went back on Christmas Day at 11AM. We only have one priest for 650 families! So, it was actually nice to go on Christmas Day because usually we go at the 7PM but I cannot stand for very long periods of time, nor can my mother. It was beautiful though because our priest's parents were there and the creche that was in the Church he had made in high school. Very appropriate!