For generations, 12 o’clock worship on Christmas meant Midnight Mass.
This year, one unlike any other in recent memory, it will also mean Christmas Mass starting as early as noon Dec. 24, an accommodation by the Archdiocese of Baltimore and acknowledgement of the limitations on gatherings made necessary by COVID-19.
Typically, worship on the Nativity of the Lord begins at 4 p.m. Christmas Eve. Mindful that the birth of Christ draws the largest Mass attendance of the year and the need to space out those crowds due to capacity restrictions put in place by the coronavirus pandemic, and after discussion with priests in regional meetings, the archdiocese announced Nov. 5 that, “for this year only (it) will allow parishes to celebrate Masses earlier in the day than is customary” on Christmas Eve.
Conditions apply, including parishes opting for the noon start to have Masses at regular intervals.
At Sacred Heart in Glyndon, that means Mass every other hour on Christmas Eve: at noon; 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 p.m.; and midnight. St. Ignatius Hickory in Forest Hill, meanwhile, is planning for 13 Masses over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
St. John in Westminster will offer its Christmas Eve Masses at a second location, the Carroll County Agriculture Center’s Shipley Arena, at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9:30 p.m. (Spanish). In its church, it will offer a 4 p.m. virtual Mass without a congregation, as well as a Midnight Mass and Christmas Day Masses at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and noon.
The Church of the Nativity in Timonium, meanwhile, will forgo its Christmas Eve tradition of gathering at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, a liturgy that drew more than 10,000. Instead, it will share a 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass with its community on a number of digital platforms.
In its church, Nativity will offer Christmas Eve Masses at noon, 2 p.m and 6 p.m., and on Christmas Day at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., using an online reservation system.
St. Michael the Archangel in Overlea, St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Pasadena and St. John the Evangelist in Frederick are also among the parishes asking the faithful to sign up for a Christmas Mass beforehand. Father J. Kevin Farmer, the pastor of the Frederick church, said that it is using an e-ticketing procedure.
“That will let us know, did we plan enough?” he said. “That will also let us prepare for ‘walk-ins.’ We don’t want to turn anyone away.”
Some parishes, such as St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park, are adding outdoor liturgies. It will celebrate Mass on Larsen Field at 2 p.m. Christmas Eve and noon Christmas Day, as well as a total of six Masses in its church, all but Midnight Mass being livestreamed.
While local jurisdiction regulations on gatherings do not apply to religious services, the archdiocese continues to limit Mass attendance to no more than 1/3 of a worship space’s capacity.
The faithful are strongly encouraged to visit parish websites for specific Christmas Mass schedules, which are subject to change; livestreaming information; and, where applicable, reservation requirements.
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