The Christ Mass and literate usage
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,430
    Widespred in the Anglican Use and the Anglican Church is the ancient custom of referring to masses of Christmas as The Christ Mass, which is what it is, which is what 'Christmas' means; and taking pains to avoid such thoughtless & amusing redundancies as the Christmas Mass or Christmas Masses - Christmas' or The Christ Mass both say it all - intelligently and with Catholicity. Is it possible to make some little mark by use of a more correct, thoughtful and tutorial use of sacred language in this approaching Christmastide?
  • RobertRobert
    Posts: 343
    "Christmas Mass" is redundant, agreed. My preference would be to refer to the Masses of the Nativity.
  • Michael O'Connor
    Posts: 1,637
    Yes, I prefer Mass of the Nativity of Our Lord
  • Daniel Bennett PageDaniel Bennett Page
    Posts: 837
    Actually, the -mas ending refers principally to the day or celebration, not to a particular celebration of the Mass. This is not as obvious on the west side of the Atlantic, where we don't really use terms such as Michaelmass, Lammas, etc.
Add a Comment