I have been back in my home town of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Christmas Eve has been busy. There were no confessions here last tonight, but last night there were hoards. This morning I drove over to a nearby parish to help a priest who is alone in his place and had four Masses to say and took one for the 4th Sunday of Advent. Back at St. Agnes, for solemn 1st Vespers. I had the Vigil Mass, which was a sung Mass in Latin (deacons, Gregorian chant, etc.). The deacon pretty much blew my sermon away by reading the wrong Gospel so I simply put my notes aside, dug my heals into the floor, and let rip.
At 9:30 pm Matins were sung in Gregorian chant. Then came midnight Mass. After listening to the 45 minutes or so of Christmas carols before Mass and watching the procession to the crib with il Bambino, I slid down to the chapel and celebrated the first Mass of Christmas with the 1962 Missale.
I thought of the participants here on this blog.
I was many years ago received into the Church on the 4th Sunday of Advent and my first Communion was at midnight Mass of Christmas, so this night is rather distingushised in my own liturgical year.
Tomorrow we get up and do it again with four Masses and then Benediction with Vespers in the afternoon.
Merry Christmas to you all, from a very tired Fr. Z.
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A very blessed Christmas to you, Father!
A blessed Christmas to you, Father Z, and thanks for all you for God and our Holy Mother the Church!
Nos cum prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria!
Father, perhaps you should get the deacon to read the correct incorrect Gospel so that your sermon, like a Christmas turkey over the next week, does not go to waste.
Cracun Fericite
Merry Christmas to all!
A most holy Christmas to your and your family, Father. And to the readers of this blog as well.
P.S. Father, I hope you have time for a nap!
No rest for the weary – eh Father? May the Peace of Our Lord Jesus enter your entire being and infuse you with the grace to carry on. God bless you and all priests who uphold the Traditions handed down to us from the apostles.
Paul
Merry and blessed Christmas to you, Father, and to all. I’m a little tired this morning too, but not as tired as you, Father. In the Diocese of Peoria (like most U.S. dioceses), most parishes had no real Midnight Mass, but instead had “Midnight” Mass at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. Ours was at 10 p.m. Maybe someday we’ll have a real Midnight Mass again. Surely it’s not too great a burden to stay up late just one night a year for Jesus?
Even so, at least I was able to be home in time to catch most of the Holy Father’s Midnight Mass in St. Peter’s on television.
Merry Christmas FrZ…
Father,
Sorry we couldn’t have heard Mass at St. Agnes. Instead, for family reasons, we attended vjgil Mass at a suburban parish.The music, though mostly contemporary, was artistically done. However, it dominated the mass–seemed not part of the liturgy. Indeed you needed to pay very close attention to realize that a Mass was actually being said.
Merry Christmas and Thanks for all you do!
Merry Christmas and God Bless You, Father Zuhlsdorf, and All the Readers of this Fine Blog.
Merry Christmas, Father Z.! God Bless You.
Merry Christmas to you, Father Z. In Mandarin: 圣诞节快ä¹Â
Father, my very best wishes for a Holy and Happy Christmas, and for an overflowing of God’s grace for the New Year 2007. In a time where it is a blessing to find a sincere and devout parish priest and a rare blessing to find one who isn’t intellectually indifferent, it is the flower of the priest-bloggers, and you as their doyen, who give us much-needed spiritual and mental nourishment. Thank You.
Merry Christmas, Father!
Merry Christmas and joy and peace to you Fr.!
Merry Christmas, Fr. Z! May you be blessed abundantly in this holy and joyful season.
God bless you Father! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Father! And Thank You for Being There.
Let us pray that all of the year 2006’s predictions will soon come to pass. Long waits are disagreeable for the digestion.
I was at the St Paul Cathedral for Midnight Mass with Archbishop Flynn. Will you be having any other Masses in the Twin Cities on this visit?
Merry, merry Christmas, Fr. Z! God bless you for your ministry.
Dear Father Z,
As a member of the much loved St. Agnes Parish where you traveled to spend your Christmas, I am aware of the significance of your entering into the Catholic Faith in our church, and your great appreciation for wonderful music, for which St. Agnes is known.
I want you to know how very much you are loved by the members of our parish, and how wonderful it is to have you visit and assist at the beautiful Masses here. You will always have a special place in our hearts, whether in Rome or in St. Paul.
Ann
Thanks ever so much for the Christmas greetings!
And we have the whole Octave too!
This morning I drove over to a nearby parish to help a priest who is alone in his place and had four Masses to say and took one for the 4th Sunday of Advent.
Does the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Rorate Sunday) take precedence over the Vigil of the Nativity in the New Calendar? Just curious. Or is the Vigil of the Nativity even on the New Calendar? I haven’t assisted regularly at the NOM in a couple of years so the details of the Calendar escape me now.
Merry Christmas to you, Fr. Zuhlsdorf, and all the participants of this blog!
“Does the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Rorate Sunday) take precedence over the Vigil of the Nativity in the New Calendar? Just curious. Or is the Vigil of the Nativity even on the New Calendar? I haven’t assisted regularly at the NOM in a couple of years so the details of the Calendar escape me now.”
The vigil is celebrated in the evening in the New Calendar, so that both the 4th Sunday of Advent and the Vigil are celebrated in the New Calendar (this is one of the few things I like about the New Calendar over the old to be honest)
Dear Father Z,
I am a parishioner of St. Agnes. I saw you on the altar prior to Midnight Mass and if I had known you were downstairs I would have been to your Mass. We all love it when you help out at St. A. Your sermons are to the point and inspiring. Maybe I will be able to catch one of your Masses on the East Side. May God continue to bless you this Christmas Season but all year long.