I will be at Midnight Mass this year at the Cathedral in La Crosse. For those not in the area, that is the Ordinary Form of the Mass but with some beautiful music. I would like to celebrate with our friars, but they are not yet permitted to celebrate Christmas with their own public Mass at this point. I think the Institute has a Midnight Mass at St. Mary's but I'm not sure if it's at the St. Mary's church or another. I think last year they had it at a different church. Anybody know? What is everyone else doing?
We are having gramps take care of our kiddies which will be nice, but then kiddies will not be going to any Mass on Christmas day either. They are all under 3 years old, sooo it's too late for them, buuuut, I don't know. This is okay to do right? Or am I thinking like a pagan?
16 comments:
Under three and under the age of moral reasoning, right? Putting them in a situation in which not only will they likely become impatient, but perhaps those around you will, as well, isn't a bad thing, imho. I've even seen a couple bring a mini sleeping bag for their littlest tots to camp out in the pew during Easter Vigil and didn't think much of it. You do what you can, and when they get old enough to understand it becomes a different issue entirely.
It's the in-laws on the pre-Christmas Day cycle this year, so we'll be hitting Mass in the DoGB. I love little country churches, but I put my foot down and this time we're not going to the Mass with the children's choir.
They are certainly unreasonable at times! Yes, the idea is once they are a few years older we will take them. Most of the time Mass is a hair splitting experience for us. Thanks for the comment, hope the music in the northeast is beautiful.
then kiddies will not be going to any Mass on Christmas day either. They are all under 3 years old
Say WHAT? Did not Christ specifically request 'the little children'?
I think Christ put in that request pre-bedtime :)
Yes, but didn't he want the happy, cheerful children who don't haller and scream throughout Mass?
I am not 100% sure on this though. The nice thing is that my wife and I can attend the same Mass together. Otherwise one could go to Midnight Mass and the next take the kids in the morning in a diocese with..... less than adequate liturgy. I'd like to shelter them from priest wearing santa claus hats during the procession if I can.
Maybe I should ask Fr. Z.
Ask and ye shall receive!
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/12/quaeritur-obligation-to-go-to-christmas-mass-twice-so-as-to-bring-the-squeakers/
My family and I will party the house down on the evening of December 24 with a ton of friends, carpool to midnight Mass w/ Bishop Morlino (mass is with Bishop, not the carpool:) ), go to bed for a couple of hours, and get back up, go to Mass again at 11:00am w/ Bishop (mainly so we can serve), then go to 11:00am Mass on Sunday (again, w/ Bishop). That's what I'm doing. Anyone else?
Christmas Matins will be at 10:30 PM followed by Midnight Mass in the Extraordinary Form at Cor Jesu Oratory (Sacred Heart Church, Edson, WI) and Christmas Morning Mass (EF) will be at 10:30 AM.
Directions are at isjoseph.com.
I don't recommend bringing the chilluns to Midnight Mass, for the obvious reasons.
But Fr Z and I differ about bringing them to Mass on Sunday/Holydays, under normal conditions.
Our family will be partying with Ben's family. :) All of us. Even the "squeakers." I kind of resent this term, as it implies that young Catholics--for that is what and who they are--are somehow not welcome to join with their families in the rejoicing of the faithful at the birth of Our Lord. He's their Lord, too. MANY babies and toddlers and young children will be present at the Cathedral Parish in Madison. They'll probably all be sleeping, as usual, or crawling around in the narthex as usual.
Our solution to this, in the years before we were among the revelers at Ben's family's party, was to get the little ones up early on Christmas Eve Day, nix the nap, and put them to bed SUPER early in the evening. When they woke up around 10, it was perfect timing to get them ready for Midnight Mass. They recovered (yes really) within a day or so, and with all of the family gatherings and various activities, it really all evens out anyway. What we have since discovered, though, is that they'll probably just sleep through Mass anyway. Not a big deal. They're very used to being in church. :) Now our priority will be getting the (12yo) Server Boy to take a rest in the afternoon to ensure he doesn't doze during Mass!!
Ben, looks like I might be driving the hoarde of young men from your house, as I'm singing with the choir at Midnight Mass. We'll also be going at 11 on Christmas Day (I'll be cantoring) and then again on Sunday (I get to sit with the family!!).
I wish our Cathedral parish was as thriving as yours and Ben's, laurazim. Very few young families here. Well due to the outpouring of pro-squeaker(I think it's funny) sentiments we might end up waking up early to take them on the way to family Christmas morning. We'll go to Midnight Mass either way. But if I see a santa claus hat on the priest during morning Mass(we have before in that diocese) I'm going to walk out with squeakers in hand and probably have a Christmas morning throw-up!
My grandpa used to call us squeakers. I classify the term under the same category as "imps" ... which he also used to call us.
You could always come to midnight Mass in Madison, with Bishop Morlino, kids and all! Our music will be awesome as well, and the church will be backed!
St. Patrick's
404 E Main,
Madison, WI
I mean "packed" not "backed"...
Only one way to encourage a big, thriving Cathedral Parish who loves and welcomes the little ones...and that's to take them there regularly.
In reading some of the comments on Fr. Z's post, it sounds like a lot of those little ones might not be as used to the smells and bells to which our little ones become accustomed inutero!! ;)
I second the invitation to the Cathedral Parish of the Diocese of Madison. We LOVE visitors, especially when they are hoping for a true, reverent Mass, with wonderful complimentary choir music, fantastic servers who set the utmost example of piety, and reliably sound catechesis both in the pulpit *and* in the narthex. Check out www.isthmuscatholic.org for details. :)
Post a Comment