December 17, 2023

I want to draw your attention to several special Masses on our calendar. One of these is Christmas Mass, which will have different times for everyone. The other two are unique traditions that I have picked up along the way. I want to ensure you understand the reasoning behind these special masses.

Mass in the Longest Night: The longest night of the year almost always falls on December 21 into December 22. Every night before that (since the summer solstice) has grown longer, and every night after (until the summer solstice) will grow shorter. So what does that mean? December 21 is the darkest day of the year. This makes sense when you think about how Christ is the world’s light, and His arrival at Christmas ushered in the dawning of a new day. So what is this Mass for? It is a simple Mass that uses the daily readings and Mass prayers; we’ll keep the lights down low and celebrate mainly in candlelight. This somber atmosphere is meant to welcome those not particularly feeling joyful this time of year. Before we get into the joy-filled celebration of Christmas, it is good to take a step back and appreciate the still silence that comes with the longest night of the year. This Mass will be celebrated at 6:30 PM at Saint Aloysius on Thursday, December 21. 

Fourth Sunday of Advent: With Christmas butting right up to the last Sunday of Advent, it is essential to look at how that will affect our schedule. The 4:30 PM Saturday Mass at Saint Aloysius and the 9 AM Mass at Saint Benedict will take place as usual. There will be no 11 AM Mass on Sunday at Saint Aloysius to leave time to decorate for Christmas and out of respect for the sheer number of Masses that will take place over those three days. 

Christmas Masses: We will have a 4 PM Christmas Eve mass at Saint Aloysius and a 6 PM Mass at Saint Benedict. The only Christmas Day Mass will occur at Saint Aloysius at 10 AM. Please note that there is no Christmas Day Mass at Saint Benedict – this balances out needing to cancel the 11 AM Mass at Saint Aloysius on Sunday. We will make sure that the schedule is flipped for next year to give everyone an equal opportunity to celebrate on Christmas Day.   

Our Lady, Mother of God: This celebration is not a Holy Day of Obligation this year, but I still want to invite you to our special Masses. We will have an 11:30 PM on Sunday, December 31 – yes, that’s PM, in the middle of the night – at Saint Aloysius. The idea behind this Mass is that we celebrate Our Lady, the New Year, and the Consecration all at about the stroke of Midnight. Like the Mass in the Longest Night this Mass will be celebrated with candlelight and somber solemnity. If you cannot join us for the 11:30 PM Mass, we will have a 10 AM Mass at Saint Benedict. What better way to start the New Year than with Jesus and Mary at the Eucharist?

Two parishes, One Heart,

Fr. Adam