Friends in Christ,
Welcome to our weekly Sunday update. This Sunday is the Third Sunday of Advent. The liturgy for this Sunday looks ahead with joy to the coming of the Messiah, a theme established in the opening line of the Introit: Gaudéte in Dómino semper (“Rejoice in God always”). Hence, the day has come to be known as Gaudéte Sunday. On this day the Church urges us to gladness in the middle of this time of expectation and penance: the coming of Jesus approaches more and more. St. John, the holy precursor, announces to the Jews the coming of the Saviour. ‘The Saviour,’ he says to them, ‘lives already among us, though unknown. He will soon appear openly.’ Now is the time for fervent prayers and for imploring Jesus to remain with us by His mercy. Let us prepare the way for Him by repentance and penance and by a worthy reception of the Sacraments. All the prayers of this Mass are filled with what the Church wishes our souls to possess at the approach of the Saviour (Roman Missal). The solemn purple vestments of the first two Sundays in Advent are happily replaced on this day by rose.
Calendar of Special Observances
Celebrations are those listed in the Roman Missal of 1962.
DAY, DATE – FEAST (CLASS)
Sunday, December 14 – Third Sunday of Advent (I)
Monday, December 15 – Feria of Advent (III)
Tuesday, December 16 – St. Eusebius, Bishop and Martyr (III)
Wednesday, December 17 – Ember Wednesday of Advent (II)
Thursday, December 18 – Major Feria of Advent (II)
Friday, December 19 – Ember Friday of Advent (II)
Saturday, December 20 – Ember Saturday of Advent (II)
Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudéte Sunday)
The links provided below can be used to download printable copies of the Proper Prayers for the Third Sunday of Advent. A link to Dr. Michael P. Foley’s New Liturgical Movement commentary is also provided.
Traditional Latin Mass Schedule
Diocese of Charlotte Sunday Masses
Chapel of the Little Flower (757 Oakridge Farm Road, Mooresville, NC)
Note: Only Sunday Latin Masses and Holy Days are offered at the Chapel. This is the only Diocese of Charlotte location which offers the Traditional Latin Mass.
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, the Little Flower, pray for us!
Diocese of Raleigh Sunday Masses
Diocese of Charleston Sunday Masses
Diocese of Charleston Daily Traditional Latin Masses
Christmastide Traditional Latin Masses
The following are announced Traditional Latin Masses for Christmastide. If additional Masses are announced we will share them in our email updates and post them on our website.
Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord (Thursday December 25)
Diocese of Charlotte
Diocese of Charleston
Note: Stella Maris Church on Sullivan’s Island will offer a 9:30 p.m. Solemn High Latin Mass on Christmas Eve, Wednesday December 24.
Diocese of Raleigh
Feast of the Circumcision (Thursday January 1, 2026)
Diocese of Charlotte
Diocese of Charleston
Diocese of Raleigh
As
a reminder, travelers are urged to consult parish websites or offices
for up-to-date information regarding possible changes in the schedule of
Mass times.
Rorate Traditional Latin Masses
Rorate Mass, a beautiful Traditional Latin Mass offered by candlelight on a Saturday during Advent to honor Our Lady and the coming of the Light of the World at Christmas, will be offered at Prince of Peace Church (Taylors SC) on this final Saturday of Advent at this time:
Chapel of the Little Flower Announcements
Father Jones’ Contact Info
If one has questions about the Chapel of the Little Flower, that are not related to one’s parish, please email Father Jones directly at: tlmchapel(at)rcdoc.org
New Fund for the Chapel of the Little Flower
There will soon be a fund established to which one may contribute to the Chapel of the Little Flower. The procedure will work as follows: Please make out the check to the “Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte” and earmark it very specifically (in the check memo) as to how one would like the funds to be used. For instance “Artwork - Chapel of the Little Flower”. More details will be forthcoming on how to contribute. For questions please contact Father Jones.
Upcoming Holy Day Masses
Father Jones has announced Traditional Masses for the Holy Days of Christmas (December 25), and the Feast of the Circumcision (January 1). Mass times are listed above.
Mass intentions for the Chapel of the Little Flower
Mass intentions have now been filled through February and new Masses are currently unavailable. The Mass intentions book will be reopened sometime in February for the Spring Masses.
Visiting the Chapel of the Little Flower
If
you haven’t attended Mass at the Chapel of the Little Flower yet, you
are welcome to join us these last Sundays in Advent. Seating is adequate
at both Masses, and there is plenty of parking; a cry room; open space
outside for the kids after Mass.
General Announcements
Ember Days This Week – This Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday are the winter Ember Days in the 1962 calendar, a three-day period ahead of each season dedicated to fasting and prayer (now voluntary) in thanksgiving for God’s creation and for fruitfulness in the season ahead. In the 1962 calendar Ember Wednesday and Saturday were days of fasting and partial abstinence (meat at principle meal) while Ember Friday was a day of fasting and complete abstinence. These Embertide disciplines are now voluntary but a great opportunity to offer sacrifices for the restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass. See "Saints and Special Observances" below.
Support Our Parishes – Father Reid noted that Saint Ann parish will bear much of the financial costs of keeping the Chapel of the Little Flower open and encourages our continued generosity (and our occasional visits!). Parishioners from other parishes should continue to support their own parish.
Rosary for the Traditional Latin Mass – A Rosary will be offered for the restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass in the church on Sundays after the 11:30 a.m. Novus Ordo Mass at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church.
Daily Holy Face Chaplet for Sacred Liturgy (perpetual novena) – For the preservation of the Traditional Latin Mass, it has been recommended to all friends of the sacred liturgy in the diocese to consider continually praying the powerful Holy Face chaplet, under the banner of Our Lady of the Holy Name. To pray the chaplet, please see this link.
Cardinal Burke’s Prayer for Pope Leo XIV – His Eminence Cardinal Raymond Burke has released a prayer for Pope Leo XIV. Please see the prayer at the links below and consider praying this daily for the Holy Father as he leads the Church. PDF copies can be accessed at these links: [English] [Español] [Latin]
Holy Face Devotions
Prayers of Reparation to the Holy Face of Jesus are offered each week at the following churches on the indicated days:
Note: Days and times may be subject to change due to holidays.
“Jesus, Your ineffable image is the star which guides my steps. Ah, You know, Your sweet Face is for me Heaven on earth” (from Canticle to the Holy Face by Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, the 19th century Discalced Carmelite nun who took the name in religion, Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face).
Traditional Latin Mass and Liturgical News
Saints and Special Observances
Ember Days are the days set aside by the Church at the beginning of each of the four natural seasons of the year as days of fasting and abstinence. Ember is said to be a corruption of the Latin term Quatuor Tempora (“four times”) which is rendered Quatember in German. They were formally established by Pope Gregory VII in the eleventh century as the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following the Feast of St. Lucy (December 13) near the beginning of winter; the same days of the week following Ash Wednesday (or, more properly, the first Sunday in Lent) around the beginning of spring; the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday following Pentecost prior to the onset of summer; and the same days of the week following the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14) at the beginning of autumn.
The connection of Ember Days to the seasons of the year was intended to give thanks to God for the gifts of nature and to urge men to make wise use of them for the good of all. Rooted in the pre-Christian rituals of agricultural societies, like so much else, seasonal days of prayer and fasting were sanctified by the Church for its own purposes. There is evidence that certain days were set aside for special thanksgiving and intercessory prayer – seeking good weather, abundant harvests, and protection against storms and natural disasters – as early as apostolic times. The Church in Rome held fasts three times a year in June, September and December on days announced by the priests; the spring observances were added at an unknown date not later than the fifth century. Pope Gelasius (492-496) mentioned all four and also permitted the ordination of priests and deacons on ember Saturdays. After his time the observance of ember days spread throughout the western world.
No
longer included in the General Roman Calendar, the observance of Ember
Days is left to the discretion of individual episcopal conferences.
There has been a movement to renew their use among Catholics who worship
according to the 1962 Roman Missal, but they remain an unknown quantity
for most Catholics.
The Rorate Caeli Mass is a votive Mass typically celebrated in Advent to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. The name is taken from the opening words of the Introit which begins, Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem (“Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior” (Isaiah 45:8)). Thus, from the beginning, the Rorate Mass invokes the image of Mary as the God-bearer who will bring forth the Savior to be born at Christmas. Celebration of this special Mass during the season of expectancy is further enhanced by setting it in the hour just before dawn. Lit only by candles, the church represents the world waiting in darkness for the coming of Christ, the Light of the World. The second part of the Introit anticipates the arrival of the One sent to save His people: Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam: avertisti captivitatem Jacob (“Lord, thou hast blessed thy land: thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob” (Psalm 84:2)).
Originating in the Middle Ages as one of numerous Advent devotions honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Rorate Mass was typically celebrated on each of the Saturdays during the season preceding the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. Its popularity was such that it was often offered on other days during Advent as well. Beginning in the darkness before the sun comes up, as the Mass progresses the church is gradually brightened by the arrival of daylight. The priests shine forth vested in white rather than the violet vestments usually worn in Advent: The penitential aspect of the season is set aside for an hour to savor the joy of knowing that the Savior who will conquer sin is about to be born. The prayers and readings of the Rorate Caeli Mass remind us of the prophecies of the coming of Christ and underscore Mary’s role in bringing the Savior into the world.
Closing Commentary
In closing, we share a commentary extracted from The Liturgical Year of Dom Prosper Guéranger on “The Third Sunday of Advent.” A link to the full text of the great liturgist’s commentary is included below.
Third Sunday of Advent
Today, again, the Church is full of joy, and the joy is greater than it was. It is true that her Lord has not come; but she feels that He is nearer than before, and therefore she thinks it just to lessen some what the austerity of this penitential season by the innocent cheerfulness of her sacred rites. And first, this Sunday has had the name of Gaudete given to it, from the first word of the Introit; it also is honoured with those impressive exceptions which belong to the fourth Sunday of Lent, called Laetare. The organ is played at the Mass; the vestments are rose-colour; the deacon resumes the dalmatic, and the subdeacon the tunic; and in cathedral churches the bishop assists with the precious mitre. How touching are all these usages, and how admirable this condescension of the Church, wherewith she so beautifully blends together the unalterable strictness of the dogmas of faith and the graceful poetry of the formulae of her liturgy. Let us enter into her spirit, and be glad on this third Sunday of her Advent, because our Lord is now so near unto us. Tomorrow we will resume our attitude of servants mourning for the absence of their Lord and waiting for Him; for every delay, however short, is painful and makes love sad.