Christmastide

Dear St. Mary's Family,

Merry Christmas!  Despite the fact that Christmas trees tend to come down today, the Nativity of Jesus is so important that the Church bids us to celebrate it for twelve days ending with The Epiphany. The counting and numbering of the days immediately following the Nativity are confusing, so I thought I'd take a moment to try to unpack them. Links are provided should you wish to learn more!

The three feasts that follow the Nativity - December 26 (St. Stephen) , 27 (St. John) , and 28 (Holy Innocents) - are often referred to as a single entity: Comites Christi ("Companions of Christ"). From time immemorial in the Western Church, these feasts were so important that they always occurred on their proper day, even if it happened to fall on the Sunday after Christmas. In 1979, The Episcopal Church published a new prayer book with a new calendar that introduced a new principle: because Sundays are feasts of the Lord, they supersede all other feasts.

This is why we celebrated the First Sunday after Christmas yesterday, not St. Stephen's Day. In the Roman Church, poor Stephen was forgotten entirely, but in our Church, we move the Comites Christi feasts forward by one day (see p. 161 of the BCP). Thus, this year, here's how things shake out (along with Mass times, links, and some fun facts):

• Monday, Dec 27, 12:00 p.m.: St. Stephen
• Tuesday, Dec 28, 12:00 p.m.: St. John.  It is customary to bless wine on St. John's Day because according to legend, John was served poisoned wine, but survived because he blessed the wine before he put it to his lips.  The faithful are invited to bring a bottle of wine or two  (or more) to be blessed at the end of the service.
• Wednesday, Dec 29, 6:00 p.m.: Holy Innocents
• Thursday, Dec 30, 12:00 p.m.: St. Thomas Becket
• Friday, Dec 31, 12:00 p.m.: Christmas feria
• Saturday, Jan 1, 10:00 a.m.: Holy Name, formerly known as the Circumcision of Christ.  This is a major feast, so we will celebrate with a High Mass in the main church with music.
• Sunday, Jan 2, 8:00 a.m.  and 10:00 a.m.: Second Sunday after Christmas
• Monday, Jan 3, 12:00 p.m.: St. Genevieve
• Tuesday, Jan 4, 12:00 p.m.: Christmas feria
• Wednesday, Jan 5, 6:00 p.m.: The (Eve of the) Feast of the Epiphany.  This is a major feast, so we will celebrate with a High Mass in the main church with music.  We will bless chalk that the faithful can use to mark their doorways at home.
• Thursday, Jan. 6, 12:00 p.m.:  Epiphany.  This will be a simple Low Mass in St. George's Chapel with no music.
• Thursday, Jan 6, 7:00 p.m.: The Seating of Bishop Diane Jardine Bruce at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral

To read a comprehensive historical analysis about the liturgical time between Christmas and The Epiphany, click here.

I encourage you to leave your decorations up for the Twelve Days, and perhaps even some of them until Candlemas (February 2) as we do in the church.  And I encourage you to make it a point to come to Mass on as many of these holy days as you can!

​See you soon in church!

Peace,
Fr. Charles