Why no Mass at Midnight?

There's been a small change at St. Anselm this year. We'll celebrate our Mass at Night on Christmas Eve at 10:00 p.m. instead of Midnight.

I've gotten lots of great positive comments about this move. Our musicians and other liturgical ministers have been most enthusiastic about this decision. It seems that previously, singing and ministering at the Mass at Midnight was a huge inconvenience, and hurt their celebration of the Nativity of the Lord.

Realizing that it's most unrealistic to expect a Midnight Mass in a suburban parish with only one priest, we've gone to a more manageable schedule...that won't kill anyone....clergy or musicians, or other liturgical ministers.

I'm sure there will be many people who will interpret this move as "another example of going backwards." Not so. Pay no attention to those "prophets of doom."

I think this is a move forward, and being more realistic, and more sensitive to the real nature of our parishioners, many of whom are elderly. I think it's also more family-friendly. I also think it's more sensitive to the fact that more people want to celebrate Christmas with a Christmas Eve liturgy so that they can focus Christmas Day on their family celebrations.

Come to Mass, and pray well. Sing the liturgy, and join in the prayers, the wonderful Words of the Gospel, and join in the fellowship of the people who have been renewed, redeemed, and envigorated in living the Gospel of the Lord, who came to live with us always, as "God with us," Emmanuel! Come Lord Jesus.