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Older priests might recall that from time to time, this meant that Catholics arrived at Mass with a little fire in their belly, courtesy of the drink beforehand. This presented an interesting situation for midnight Masses - Catholics could eat, and drink, until the moment when Mass began. But until 1964, Catholics were required to fast from midnight until the time they received Holy Communion. in 2020, and will be offered at the same time in 2021.Ĭurrent canonical regulations require Catholics to fast for an hour before receiving the Eucharist. Because of a coronavirus curfew, it was moved to 7:30 p.m. in 2009, and in 2013, Pope Francis moved it to 9:30.
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Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict XVI moved “Midnight Mass” to 10 p.m. In some places, Misa de gallo still begins very early in the morning.Īt St. Some Spanish-speaking countries refer to Christmas Mass during the night as the “Misa de gallo,” - Mass of the rooster - because of that custom. In some places, it might be offered well ahead of midnight, and in other cultures, it has customarily been offered much later.Īccording to some historians, the nighttime Christmas Mass was offered for centuries “when the rooster crowed” - which was usually between three and four in the morning. Instead, the missal calls the liturgy “Mass during the night,” and it can be offered over a wide range of times. Technically, the Church does not have a “Midnight Mass,” as such. In the eleventh century the custom of offering three Christmas Masses, beginning with midnight Mass, spread throughout the world - a custom which has continued in the life of the Church today - with one set of readings for a Christmas Eve Mass, and different sets for each of the three Christmas Masses.
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The midnight Christmas Mass became known as the Angels’ Mass, which celebrated the heavenly announcement of Christ’s birth, and his unity with God the Father. Over time, there arose a custom in which the pope celebrated three Masses for Christmas: The first at midnight, the second at dawn, and the third, on Christmas morning, at St. The show balances its rock anthems with church hymns that you may or may not have heard before (depending on where you're coming from), and a compelling score that will ramp up the tension and mood for any moment that needs it.Īnd in case you're wondering what any of those songs are, we've got you covered below.A fourth century hymn, Quando noctis medium, recounts the tradition that Jesus Christ was born at midnight: It's tricky to quite articulate, but something about that voice just feels right.Īnd there's also a slice of life for anyone who's grown up with-or without-a religious background. While the singer-songwriter most famous for "Sweet Caroline" may seem like a somewhat odd pick to recur so frequently in a show that takes those familiar themes and sets them against a slow-burn horror backdrop, the music works perfectly to help establish the island's working-class, small time, everyone-knows-each-other community. So given all that, it's natural that we get a soundtrack that consists of a ton of Neil Diamond songs, right? The show explores the ideas of religion, belief, forgiveness, and asks the age-old question of whether or not people can change and ideas can evolve.
#Tom compton singer christmas midnight mass series
Netflix's latest horror limited series from writer/director Mike Flanagan, Midnight Mass, is set on a small, remote island.
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