Sunday Within the Octave of Christmas

Sunday Within the Octave of Christmas

Simeon in the Temple (Rembrandt Harmenz van Rijn, c. 1669)

“And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold, this child is
set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34)

Dear friends in Christ

Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. The liturgy for this Sunday (December

31, 2023), following the Nativity of Our Lord by six days, offers a glimpse of

the infancy of the Christ Child. In the reading from the Gospel of Saint Luke,

we hear the dark prophecy spoken by Simeon to Mary in the Temple at

Jerusalem: “Behold, this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of

many in Israel . . . and thine own soul a sword shall pierce, that out of many

hearts thoughts may be revealed.”

In this update we share information about Sunday’s Mass; Masses scheduled

for Monday, January 1st, the Octave of Christmas (Circumcision of Our Lord);

those scheduled for the Epiphany of Our Lord on Saturday, January 6th; and

others to be celebrated during the week ahead.

Sunday within the Octave of Christmas December 31st)

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the

Proper Prayers for Sunday in the Octave of Christmas with either English or

Spanish translation. The English version includes a commentary from The

Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Guéranger (1805-1875). In addition, there is a

link to an article by Dr. Michael P. Foley on the “The Orations of the Sunday

After Christmas” from New Liturgical Movement.


Octave Day of the Nativity - Circumcision of Our Lord (January 1st)

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the

Proper Prayers for the celebration on Monday of the Octave Day of the Nativity

(Circumcision of Our Lord) with either English or Spanish translation. In

addition, there is a link to an article by Gregory DiPippo on “The Ancient

Character of the Feast of the Circumcision” from New Liturgical Movement.

Octave Day of the Nativity


Epiphany of Our Lord (January 6th)

The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the

Proper Prayers for the celebration on Saturday of the Epiphany of Our Lord

with either English or Spanish translation. In addition, there is a link to an

article by Dr. Michael P. Foley on “The Highly Beautiful Collect of the Epiphany” from New Liturgical Movement.


December 31 & January 1: Plenary Indulgences Available

For the last and first day of the calendar year there is a plenary indulgence

granted (under usual conditions) for the faithful who pray the Te Deum hymn

on December 31 and the Veni Creator on January 1, in a parish church or

oratory. The Te Deum is offered in thanksgiving for the graces received over

the past year, while the Veni Creator is prayed to ask for God’s assistance in

the New Year.

  • To pray the Te Deum prayer on December 31 click here.
  • To pray the Veni Creator prayer on January 1 click here.


Calendar of Saints and Special Observances

Celebrations listed are those on the traditional liturgical calendar found in the

Roman Missal of 1962.

  • Sunday, December 31st - Sunday within the Octave of Christmas
  • Monday, January 1st - Octave Day of the Nativity (Circumcision of Our Lord)
  • Tuesday, January 2nd - The Holy Name of Jesus
  • Wednesday, January 3rd - Feria of Christmastide
  • Thursday, January 4th - Feria of Christmastide (Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Widow)
  • Friday, January 5th - Feria of Christmastide (Saint Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr; or Saint John Neumann, Bishop and Confessor)
  • Saturday, January 6th -The Epiphany of Our Lord

Schedule of Latin Masses for Sunday, December 31st Sunday within the Octave of Christmas)

Charlotte Area Latin Masses

  • 11:30 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas
  • 12:30 p.m., Saint Ann

Other Diocese of Charlotte Latin Masses

  • 8:30 a.m., Saint John the Baptist (Tryon)
  • 9:00 a.m., Our Lady of the Angels (Marion)
  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)
  • 1:00 p.m., Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone)

Note: the 1st Sunday Latin Mass at Sacred Heart in Salisbury next Sunday,

January 7th, is to be the last celebration in the Extraordinary Form in that

parish.

Diocese of Charleston Latin Masses

  • 12:00 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC)
  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC)

Schedule of Latin Masses for Monday, January 1st, Octave Day of the Nativity (Circumcision of Our Lord)

  • 9:00 a.m., Saint Ann (Missa Lecta followed by Confessions from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m.)
  • 9:00 a.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro)
  • 12:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC) 
  • 12:00 p.m., Prince of Peace (Taylors SC)

Because January 1, 2024, falls on a Monday, the U. S. Conference of Catholic

Bishops (USCCB) has determined that it will not be a Holy Day of Obligation


Schedule of Weekday Latin Masses

  • Wednesday, January 3rd, Feria of Christmastide 
    • 6:00 p.m., Saint Ann
  • Thursday, January 4th, Feria of Christmastide (Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Widow)
    • 7:00 p.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas
  • Friday, January 5th, Feria of Christmastide (Vigil of the Epiphany)
    • 7:00 a.m., Saint Ann
    • 9:30 a.m., Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country (Boone)


Schedule of Latin Masses for Monday, January 6th, Epiphany of Our Lord

  • 10:00 a.m., Saint Ann (Missa Cantata followed by the blessing of Epiphany water, chalk, and salt. Only one-gallon or larger bottles of water will be blessed.)
  • 10:00 a.m., Saint Thomas Aquinas (There will be no blessing of religious objects on this date; instead, the parish will provide Epiphany house blessing kits.)
  • 10:00 a.m., Church of the Epiphany (Blowing Rock, NC) (This chapel is a summer mission of nearby Saint Elizabeth of the Hill Country in Boone.)
  • 11:00 a.m., Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro) (Followed by the blessing of Epiphany water, salt and chalk at 1:00 p.m.)
  • 1:00 p.m., Our Lady of the Lake (Chapin SC) (The blessing of water, chalk, and salt will follow Sunday Mass on January 7th.) (updated time)

Holy Face Devotions

Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus will be offered at the following

churches during the coming week:

  • St. James (Concord) Monday, 10-10:30 a.m. (in the cry room)
  • St. Mark Monday, 5:00 p.m.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas Tuesday, 6:00 a.m.
  • St. Ann Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. (following 7:00 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)
  • St. Michael the Archangel (Gastonia) Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.
  • Holy Spirit (Denver) Tuesday, 10-11:00 a.m. (following the 9:15 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass)

Meal Assistance 

Matthew and Katherine Gallegos, who attend the Saint Ann Latin Mass,

recently welcomed their first child, Gabriela Noelle Gallegos. Please consider

providing the blessing of a meal during this important period of recovery and

transition: https://takethemameal.com/ZUHC4630

Steve and Meghann Cunningham, who also attend the Saint Ann Latin Mass,

recently welcomed a new addition to their family and could use some help with

meals in the weeks ahead. Please consider providing a meal for the

Cunningham family at their Meal Train website:

https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/lk59nw

Christmas Season Continues Through February 2nd

Contrary to the secular world’s calendar, Dom Guéranger reminds us that the Christmas season has just begun and will continue for forty days until the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Mother on February 2nd:

We apply the name of Christmas to the forty days which begin with the Nativity of our Lord, December 25, and end with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, February 2. It is a period which forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other, as are Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. One same Mystery is celebrated and kept in view during the whole forty days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, which so abound during this Season; nor the time of Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often begins before Christmastide is over, seem able to distract our Holy Mother the Church from the immense joy of which she received the good tidings from the Angels [St Luke ii 10] on that glorious Night for which the world had been longing four thousand years. The Faithful will remember that the Liturgy commemorates this long expectation by the four penitential weeks of Advent.

The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of our Saviour’s Nativity by a feast or commemoration of forty days’ duration is founded on the holy Gospel itself; for it tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, after spending forty days in the contemplation of the Divine Fruit of her glorious Maternity, went to the Temple, there to fulfil, in most perfect humility, the ceremonies which the Law demanded of the daughters of Israel, when they became mothers.

The Feast of Mary’s Purification is, therefore, part of that of Jesus’ Birth; and the custom of keeping this holy and glorious period of forty days as one continued Festival has every appearance of being a very ancient one, at least in the Roman Church. [History of Christmas]

A Look Back: The Vigil of the Nativity, December 24

This past Sunday the Latin Mass faithful in the Carolinas had a rare privilege to attend the Mass of the Vigil of the Nativity for the liturgical day of December 24. Oftentimes, due to the demanding Mass schedule of Christmas, Latin Mass parishes are rarely able to offer the morning Latin Mass for December 24, which is called the Vigil of the Nativity. Note: This traditional “Vigil Mass” of 1962 should not be confused with the modern Anticipatory Mass for Christmas of the Novus Ordo Mass, often held on the afternoon or evening of December 24.

The Vigil of the Nativity is normally a preparatory (and penitential day) for the Feast of the Nativity (Christmas) and contains its own readings and prayers. What made this year exceedingly beautiful was that the Vigil of the Nativity fell on a Sunday (a non-penitential day) and is such a solemnity itself that it replaced the Fourth Sunday of Advent, essentially creating an early start to the Christmas celebration, as Dom Prosper Guéranger describes in The Liturgical Year for Christmas Eve:

This holy Eve is, indeed, a day of grace and hope, and we ought to spend it in spiritual joy. The Church, contrary to her general practice, prescribes, that if Christmas Eve fall on a Sunday, the fasting alone should be anticipated on the Saturday; but that the Office and Mass of the Vigil should take precedence of the Office and Mass of the fourth Sunday of Advent. How solemn, then, in the eyes of the Church, are these few hours which separate us from the great Feast! On all other Feasts, no matter how great they may be, the solemnity begins with first Vespers, and until then the Church restrains her joy, and celebrates the Divine Office and Sacrifice according to the Lenten rite. Christmas, on the contrary, seems to begin with the Vigil; and one would suppose that this morning's Lauds were the opening of the Feast; for the solemn intonation of this portion of the Office is that of a Double, and the Antiphons are sung before and after each Psalm or Canticle. [Christmas Eve]

Latin Mass and Liturgical News

  • The Blessed Karol of Southern Italy, an article by Fr. William Rock, FSSP, tells the story of the last Catholic Emperor and Empress - Blessed Karol of Austria and his wife, Servant of God Zita - whose “lives and deaths represent a delineation between a previous order of the world and the present one.” The Blessed Karol of Southern Italy
  • A Grammar of Gratitude: Chesterton’s St. Francis of Assisi at 100 by David Paul Deavel is an article from Catholic World Report that celebrates both the 100th anniversary of G.K. Chesterton’s masterful study of the great saint and the 800th anniversary of the first live Nativity scene established under the direction of St. Francis. A Grammar of Gratitude
  • Childermas Customs, also by Dr. Michael P. Foley, examines the ancient traditions and customs surrounding the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which was celebrated on December 28. [Childermas Customs]
  • Saint Sylvester: The Pope of Peace: On days where December 31 falls outside of a Sunday, it is traditionally the Feast of Saint Sylvester, Pope and Confessor. This Holy Pontiff had the unique blessing to be the first Pope to reign during the first time of peace for the Church, after the long three hundred year persecutions by the Roman Empire ended with the ascendancy of Constantine and his legalization of the Catholic faith. As Dom Prosper Guéranger observes, it is therefore fitting to place the Pope of Peace during the Octave of the newborn Prince of Peace. [Saint Sylvester, Pope and Confessor]


Saints and Special Celebrations

Saint Telesphorus, Pope and Martyr, is mentioned twice by Eusebius (c. 260-339) in The History of the Church. The first mention is based on Adverses Haereses (Against Heresies), the 2nd-century refutation of Gnosticism by Irenaeus:

When Hadrian, after twenty-one years, paid the debt of nature, Antoninus called Pius succeeded to the Roman Empire. In his first year, Telesphorus departed this life in the eleventh year of his ministry, and Hyginus took over the office of Bishop of Rome. Irenaeus notes that Telesphorus died nobly as a martyr (The History of the Church IV. 5, 10).

The second mention of Telesphorus occurs in “The List of the Bishops of Rome” which Eusebius again compiled on the basis of information in Adverses Haereses:

Clement was succeeded by Evarestus, Evarestus by Alexander; then Xystus was appointed, the sixth from the apostles, followed by Telesphorus, who suffered glorious martyrdom. . . . (The History of the Church V. 6. 24).

From these two quotations, based on the work of Irenaeus (c. 130 - c. 202), who was born during the papacy of Telesphorus (c. 125 – c. 136), we can establish this much regarding the saint:

  • He was the eighth Bishop Rome.
  • His eleven-year papal reign was the longest of any pontiff since Saint Peter.
  • Like Peter, he gave his life for the Church.

This would seem to be enough to merit the commemoration of Saint Telesphorus in the Roman Calendar, but it leaves out the great liturgical developments traditionally ascribed to his papacy:

  • The celebration of Christmas at Midnight Mass;
  • The unlinking of Easter from the Jewish Passover so that it could always be celebrated on a Sunday;
  • The establishment of a seven-week Lenten period of preparation prior to the celebration of Easter; and
  • The singing of the Gloria during Mass.

These elements of the liturgical life of the Church are so familiar to us today that we are unlikely to question when or how they began.

Saint Telesphorus is considered to be a patron of their order by the Carmelites because of the belief that he lived as a hermit on Mount Carmel prior to his selection to serve as Bishop of Rome. His date of commemoration on the Roman Calendar is January 5th.

Closing Commentary

As we continue to celebrate the joyous Christmas season, we offer the following extract from The Liturgical Year of Dom Prosper Guéranger on the subject of Sunday in the Octave of Christmas.

This is the only day within the Christmas Octave which is not a Saint’s Feast. During the Octaves of the Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost, the Church is so absorbed in the respective mysteries that she puts off everything that could share her attention; whereas during this of Christmas, there is only one day which does not celebrate the memory of some glorious Saint, and our Infant Jesus is surrounded by a choir of heroes who loved and served him. Thus the Church, or, more correctly, God - for God is the first author of the cycle of the year - shows us how the Incarnate Word, who came to save mankind, desires to give mankind confidence by this his adorable familiarity.

We have already shown that the Birth of our Lord took place on a Sunday, the Day on which, in the beginning of the world, God created Light. We shall find, later on, that his Resurrection also was on a Sunday. This the first day of creation, and the first of the week, was consecrated by the old Pagans to the Sun: with us Christians, it is most sacred and holy, on account of the two risings of our divine Sun of Justice - his Birth and his Resurrection. Whilst the solemnity of Easter is always kept on a Sunday, that of Christmas falls by turns on each of the days of the week - we have already had this difference explained to us by the Holy Fathers: but the mystery of Jesus’ Birth is more aptly and strongly expressed, when its anniversary falls on a Sunday. Other years, when the coincidence does not happen, the Faithful will at least be led by their Christian instincts, to give especial honour to the day within the Octave which falls on the Sunday. [Sunday within the Octave of Christmas]

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