“What Time is Midnight Mass ?”

It wasn’t much of a joke–or perhaps guys never outgrow sick jokes and a sophomoric sense of humor–but every year we’d gear up for the inevitable phone call to the Information Center asking, “What time is the Midnight Mass?” Clearly, the only time Midnight Mass could take place was midnight; but, of course, that wasn’t the real question. If you will, the “correct” liturgical question would be: What time is the evening Mass of the Lord’s Nativity celebrated this year?

Well, as the community grew older and as age brought its infirmities, here at Holy Cross we began to follow the pastoral accommodation of celebrating the evening Mass at an earlier hour. So this year, as in the past few years, we will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Nativity on Christmas Eve at 8:30 PM. The celebration will be preceded by thirty minutes of Christmas Carols sung by Madeline MacNeil, accompanying herself on the hammered dulcimer.

To put it another way, this year the Midnight Mass will be at 8:30 PM…