Understanding the Ordo of Christmas
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 279
    Hello all, Happy Eve of the Eve!

    We are finding ourselves in an interesting situation this year for Christmas.
    We are celebrating the "Midnight Mass" at 6pm because the priest requested it.

    Before hand we will chant vespers and martyrology. We are unsure what to do about the office. It says in the ordo that it could be used within the mass as a vigil, and in the breviary it is also said that the office needs to be before midnight mass. So, if vespers is directly before mass, does that mean the mass takes the place of the office as in Easter Vigil? or just Compline? We are all confused as what to do. Maybe someone has more experience in this.
    Thanked by 1chonak
  • OraLabora
    Posts: 218
    I personally think it is stretching the liturgical elastic to near the breaking point to have "midnight" Mass (or more properly, Mass in the Night) so early. That time would best be served by the Vigil Mass for Christmas. And preceding that with Vespers, and even combining Vespers with that Mass, would be appropriate. But before Midnight Mass, it should be the Office of Readings aka Vigils.

    Compline would normally be omitted.

    I'm assuming here that we're talking about the Ordinary Form.

    The abbey I'm associated with does Vespers at 5 pm, no Compline, Vigils (monastic version of the Office of Readings) at 8 pm, and Mass in the Night at 10 pm. It used to be 10 pm and midnight for Vigils and the Mass but the advancing age of the community requires an earlier start now.

    Ora
    Thanked by 1monasteryliturgist
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 279
    yes i wish it were vigil it makes more sense to me, but you know the priest decides... ideally we would have the mass at midnight but impossible! maybe one year we will have a valiant priest!
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    Well we have our Vigil Mass at 12.15pm, it is traditional to have such Masses in the morning. As for the midnight Mass anticipated Matins would traditionally be sung before hand.
    As for moving the times of Masses... we are now so weak and feeble, so moving the Midnight Mass a few hours forward seems no different from saying Masses of Sunday morning from 5pm on Saturday evening and calling it a 'vigil' Mass rather than an anticipated Mass.
    Thanked by 2StimsonInRehab monasteryliturgist
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,372
    Yes the Vigil Mass used to be said in the morning, and Nones preceded it. Why did they celebrate the ninth hour in the morning? - because they were too weak and feeble to fast until the proper time (or just gluttonous).
    Thanked by 3tomjaw monasteryliturgist OraLabora
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