December 24: Two Masses in One Day…?

by Father Joe

December 24: Two Masses in One Day…?

As John the Baptist calls us to “prepare the way of the Lord” this Advent, we are also looking forward to Christmas and preparing those plans in our lives and our parishes. There is understandably some confusion about what Catholics are supposed to do when Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, so I hope this brief explanation and the schedule of Masses below help you in your planning.

The way the calendar falls this year, the fourth week of advent is extremely brief: only the Fourth Sun[1]day of Advent. Like any Sunday, Catholics are called to gather to worship the Lord, and our parishes offer Masses starting Saturday afternoon and into Sunday (except this year there is no 5pm Mass on the Fourth Sunday). While Christmas is a more important feast, those Masses cannot begin until 4pm on Christmas Eve. On the weekend, most people attend Mass on the Lord’s Day itself, but for Christmas Mass, around here more people attend on Christmas Eve, which gives rise to the question of going to two Masses on December 24. There may be extenuating circumstances which might excuse our Sunday obligation (e.g., traveling a significant distance for the holiday, or difficulty finding someone to care for a loved one so you can attend Mass), but otherwise we need to plan carefully.

So, the bottom line is: Masses on Sunday, December 24 in the morning and midday are celebrated as Advent Masses, while any Mass 4pm or later that day is celebrated as a Christmas Mass. Those who want to attend Mass Sunday morning might want to plan on attending one of our three Christmas Morning Masses this year. If attending Christmas Eve Mass is important to you, you might want to attend the Saturday 4pm or 5:30pm Mass that weekend. Or – if you choose – you can attend both Masses on Sunday, December 24. If so, of course you can receive Communion at both since they are different types of Masses (one a Sunday, the other a Holy Day). The choice is yours, and if you are staying locally, we hope to see you for these joyful celebrations!