Vigil Mass at Christmas

[musicus]

But what woe is this? "4th Sunday of Advent" faces "Midnight Mass". No liturgy planner for the Christmas Vigil? O waly waly!

What do other people think? Should we include Christmas Vigil in Preparing the Liturgy in future? We could find room for it.

[presbyter]

What do other people think? Should we include Christmas Vigil in Preparing the Liturgy in future? We could find room for it.

Yes but, beautiful as it is, don't put O waly, waly in it

[docmattc]

It would be interesting to know how many places who have a Mass in the early evening of Christmas Eve actually use the Vigil texts. I suspect, especially if its a 'children's Mass' that the vigil texts are ignored in favour of the midnight ones.

[musicus]

Yes but, beautiful as it is, don't put O waly, waly in it

That would only appear in the Northumberland edition of M&L.

[John Ainslie]

It would be interesting to know how many places who have a Mass in the early evening of Christmas Eve actually use the Vigil texts. I suspect, especially if its a 'children's Mass' that the vigil texts are ignored in favour of the midnight ones.

I hadn't realised until I looked in the Missal and the Lectionary that there are two sets of texts for Christmas Eve - one for the morning, being the last gasp of Advent, and other as the first of four sets provided for Christmas Day. If the Christmas Eve evening Masses are for children, I'd certainly opt for the Midnight texts, just as I would prefer the Dawn texts for a children's Mass on Christmas morning.

In any case, it is important to stress that, even though the traditional hour of midnight, when it was all supposed to have happened(!), has not yet arrived, these Vigil Masses are part of the festival itself - 'Christ is born today!' because the liturgical day of Christmas has already begun.

It is, however, sad to note that, with the permanent suppression of the Second Sunday after Christmas by the transferred celebration of the Epiphany, the great prologue of St John's Gospel, formerly the 'Last Gospel' at every Mass, will never be heard proclaimed except those who happen to attend a late morning Mass on Christmas Day.

[keitha]

I think the situation is this:

1. the Christmas Vigil Mass is to be celebrated, according to the Roman Missal, "during the afternoon of 24 December, before or after Evening Prayer I of Christmas" (which I take as meaning before dark);

2. Midnight Mass is to be at midnight (which, I think, would include an 'anticipatory' mass after dark and after Evening Prayer I, but still on 24 December);

3. then we have the dawn mass and mass during the day.

All of the above masses fulfil the Christmas obligation.

[Gabriel]

2. Midnight Mass is to be at midnight (which, I think, would include an 'anticipatory' mass after dark and after Evening Prayer I, but still on 24 December);

A small point - though our current Missal refers to it as Midnight Mass a more accurate translation of the Latin title would be 'Mass during the Night'.

[gwyn]

...our current Missal refers to it as Midnight Mass a more accurate translation of the Latin title would be 'Mass during the Night'.

Yes, that's our understanding if it too, 'mid' being 'during'.

[FrGareth]

The current Latin rubrics (see http://www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/emp.htm#brc):

Ad Missam in Vigilia Haec Missa adhibetur vespere diei 24 decembris sive ante sive post I Vesperas Nativitatis.
- the Vigil Mass is in the "vespere" of 24 Dec,

Ad Missam in nocte
The "Midnight" Mass is indeed "Mass in the night"

I also note that in Lectionary Vol I, the rubric before Midnight Mass states that the readings of the Midnight, Dawn & Day Masses may be interchanged - therefore, the Vigil is something quite distinct.

When does "vespere" give way to "nocte"? I'm willing to allow that 10 pm is "during the night" but 8 pm is surely "evening" and a 9 pm Mass would be a headache! The Missal does say "each Mass should be celebrated at its proper time"...

FrGareth

[docmattc]

When does "vespere" give way to "nocte"?... The Missal does say "each Mass should be celebrated at its proper time"...

In a former place the church was in a particularly rough area and Christmas Eve Mass was 6.30pm. The nocte texts were used on the grounds that the vigil readings were not in the Parish Mass Book.

[Boadicea]

If Pope Benedict is planning celebrate Midnight Mass at 10pm this year, is that going to encourage parishes to follow his example?

[Southern Comfort]

If Pope Benedict is planning celebrate Midnight Mass at 10pm this year, is that going to encourage parishes to follow his example?

Yes, especially if they plan to give an Urbi et Orbi blessing the next morning (the ostensible reason for not overtiring Il Santo Padre) !