The following churches will offer Traditional Masses on Christmas. If you know of a church that is not on this schedule, please email us so that it can be added.

Christmas, Wednesday December 25

Connecticut

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, Solemn Midnight Mass, Solemn Mass 10 am.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Bridgeport, Dec. 24: 7:45 Low Mass of the Vigil followed by Office of Prime; 11:30 pm Christmas carols followed by Midnight Mass; Dec. 25: 8:30 am Low Mass of the Dawn; 10:15 am High Mass floowed by veneration of the Bambino.

St. Patrick Oratory, Waterbury, Dec. 24: Christ Mass carols at 10 pm; Mass at Night 11 pm, reception in the church hall to follow; Dec. 25: 8:30 am Low Mass at Dawn; 10:30 am High Mass at Day

Sacred Heart Oratory, Redding, Sung Midnight Mass, 12 noon, Missa Cantata.

St. Martha Church, Enfield, Midnight Mass; 10 am.

St. Michael Church, Pawcatuck, 11 am Missa Cantata

New York

Holy Innocents Church, New York, NY, Solemn Midnight Mass; 1:30 am Low Mass at Dawn; 9 am low Mass; 10:30 high Mass.

Our Lady of Mt Carmel, New York, NY, Dec. 24: 11:15 Lessons and Carols followed by Solemn Midnight Mass; Dec. 25: 10:30 am Missa Cantata

St. Vincent Ferrer Church, New York, NY, Solemn Midnight Mass (Dominican Rite in Latin) , Haydn’s Missa Cellensis in C. Major with Chamber Orchestra

Our Lady of Peace, Brooklyn, 9:15 am

St. Josaphat, Bayside, Queens, Sung Midnight Mass featuring Franz Kostner’s Mass in A; 9:30 am Christmas Day Mass

Our Lady of Refuge, Briggs Avenue at E. 196 St., Bronx, Solemn Midnight Mass.

St. Rocco Church, Glen Cove, Long Island, Sung Midnight Mass; 11:30 am Missa Cantata.

St. Paul the Apostle, Yonkers, Christmas Eve 10 pm.

Annunciation Church, Crestwood, Lower Church, 2 pm.

Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow, Missa Cantata 2 pm

St. Patrick Church, Newburgh, 3 pm

Holy Trinity, Poughkeepsie, Christmas Eve 7 pm.

St. Mary and St. Andrew Church, Ellenville, Sung Midnight Mass; Christmas Day 11:30 am

Sacred Heart Church, Esopus, 11:30 am

St. Joseph Church, Middletown, 10:15 am Solemn Mass

New Jersey

Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, Midight Mass preceded by a prelude at 11:30 PM, featuring Christmas organ and choral music.

Our Lady of Victories, Harrington Park, Christmas Eve 9 pm

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Newark, Sung Midnight Mass

St. Anthony of Padua, West Orange, Solemn Midnight Mass; Low Mass of Dawn at 7:30 am; Low Mass of the Day at 9 am; High Mass of the Day at 11 am.

Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, Pequannock, Midnight Mass preceded by Christmas Carols at 11 pm; 7 am Mass at Dawn; 9 am Mass at Dawn; 11 am Mass of Christmas Day; 1:30 pm Mass of Christmas Day

Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, Raritan, Midnight Mass; 10:30 am Christmas Day Mass

Corpus Christi, South River, Midnight Mass

St. John the Baptist, Allentown, Midnight Mass; 7:30 am Low Mass.

Solemn vespers as celebrated yesterday at the “Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.” (Fr. Enrique Salvo, Rector). Fr. Armando G. Alejandro, Jr. of the Ordinariate was the officiant. There were some very familiar names among the ministers and servers….

The music was an extraordinary selection of what might have been heard on a Marian feast in Mexico City in the 18th century. Mr. Jared Lamenzo led the schola and orchestra.

Cardinal Cupich has graced us with his thoughts on the reception of communion – an article that has been enthusaistically received by the publicity arm of the German Catholic Church. 1) The cardinal’s statements are indeed extraordinary in many respects.

It seems Cardinal Cupich wants everyone to receive communion standing:

Our ritual for receiving of Holy Communion has special significance in this regard. It reminds us that receiving the Eucharist is not a private action but rather a communal one, as the very word “communion” implies. For that reason, the norm established by Holy See for the universal church and approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is for the faithful to process together as an expression of their coming forward as the Body of Christ and to receive Holy Communion standing.

In fact, the “norms” published by the USSCB and currently found on its website do not state that:

The General Instruction asks each country’s Conference of Bishops to determine the posture to be used for the reception of Communion and the act of reverence to be made by each person as he or she receives Communion

In the United States, the body of Bishops has determined that “[t]he norm… is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling” and that a bow is the act of reverence made by those receiving (no. 160).

Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing” (Redemptionis Sacramentum, no. 91). 2)

What other authority does Cardinal Cupich adduce?

It is important to recall that processions have been part of the liturgy from the earliest days of Christian practice. … This is why we process into the church, process up to bring the gifts, process to receive Holy Communion and process out at the end of Mass to carry the Lord into the world. … Nothing should be done to impede any of these processions, particularly the one that takes place during the sacred Communion ritual. 3)

In part, of course, this is nonsense. The congregation does not process in or out of the church. In the Novus Ordo only a few individuals “process” with the gifts. But in part it is also pathological. For the cardinal views communion as a group or communal event. This is consistent with current liturgical practice, where everyone receives communion, regardless of his spiritual state or, often, even his religion. In Cupich’s mind, however, the key problem is not to “disrupt” the “flow” of the action.

Cardinal Cupich further draws for support on the principle of:

(The “Council Fathers” – SC) took seriously the ancient maxim “lex orandi, lex credenda,” a phrase often associated with Prosper of Aquitaine, a fifth-century Christian writer. It simply means that the law of praying establishes the law of believing. 4)

Now, as an erudite friend of mine points out, the actual expression is lex orandi, lex credendi. “Lex orandi, lex credenda” means the law of praying must be believed. Is it simply a gross mistake? That’s very likely, since Cardinal Cupich goes on to write:

The law of praying establishes the law of believing is our tradition. (sic) 5)

But perhaps unwittingly the cardinal may indeed be asserting that the law of praying (meaning the Novus Ordo) must be believed (= unconditionally accepted?). That would be consistent with Traditiones Custodes and how it has been forcefully applied in the archdiocese of Chicago. And Cardinal Cupich commences his article by claiming:

We all have benefited from the renewal of the church ushered in by the Second Vatican Council. 6)

Yet all objectively verifiable indicia testify to the drastic decline in religious practice since Vatican II, and the growing ignorance of basic Catholic and Christian doctrine – including the nature of the Eucharist – among those who still remain in the Church. Yes, the law of praying does indeed determine the law of believing, but in the case of the Novus Ordo the result has been calamitous.

Isn’t the real problem here that the institution of receiving communion standing (and in the hand) is even today such a breach with Catholic tradition and practice that a minority, while remaining within the Novus Ordo, cannot accept it. And Cardinal Cupich’s “solution,” as well as his theory of the communion ritual as a communal act, illustrates nicely the totalitarian aspects of the Novus Ordo – the drive to create a block-like unity in the congregation through the mandatory performance by all of external acts under the supervision of the “presider.” Finally, our Conservative Catholic friends would do well to take note that Cardinal Cupich’s article confirms that, under the current pontificate, not just Catholic Traditionalism but all aspects of continuity with prior Catholic liturgical practice remain potential targets of the friends of Francis.

1. Cardinal Blaise Cupich, “As we pray…”, Chicagocatholic.com (12/11/2024). For the German semi-official reaction see: “Kardinal: Kommunionempfang nicht zur frommen Show machen,” Katholisch.de (12/13/2024). The introduction to the katholisch.de article states: “In receiving communion the community is what matters, not the servile pose of individuals.” The contempt of the Catholic establishment in Europe (and the United States) for the faithful, their dignity and rights, couldn’t be better expressed. (both accessed 12/13/2024)
2. USCCB, “The Reception of Holy Communion at Mass,” usccb.org (accessed 12/13/2024)
3. “As we pray… .” supra note 1.
4. Id.
5. Id.
6. Id.

This morning, at 6 am, a Solemn Mass was offered at St. Mary Church Norwalk in candle light.

Join us for solemn Vespers with chamber orchestra at Old St. Patrick’s in New York City, celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with music composed for the great cathedrals of Mexico, including works by Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla, Manuel de Sumaya, Ignacio de Jerusalem, and Santiago Billoni. The event also features Fr. David Michael Moses as guest preacher, and concludes with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Please note the Society of St. Hugh of Cluny is co-sponsoring these Vespers.

Here are some of the Traditional Masses available on December 9th, which has been designated a Holy Day of Obligation this year.

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, 8 am, 12:10 pm, 7 pm Solemn Mass

Corpus Christi Church, South River, NJ, Missa Cantata, 7 pm

We have observed an increasing attraction of Eastern Orthodoxy for “conservative” Catholic spokesmen dismayed by the post-Conciliar drift in the Western Church. This blog has commented on the cases of Alessandro Gnocchi, Rod Dreher,  and Michael Warren Davis. That list, moreover, is not exhaustive. Now the New York Post takes up the topic, looking mainly at why men convert from Protestantism to Orthodoxy:

Schlott, Rikki, Young men leaving traditional churches for ‘masculine’ Orthodox Christianity in droves (12/3/2024)

Christenson, who works as a fundraiser for nonprofits, attends Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church in Falls Church, Virginia. Conversion (from Protestantism to Orthodoxy-SC) means that he now must frequently attend confession, recite prescribed prayers, and endure extreme fasting, sometimes over 40-day stretches. Weekly services are also highly ritualized and regimented, and can last up to two hours.

Christenson’s story isn’t just anecdotal. As more and more Protestant churches unfurl Pride flags and Black Lives Matter banners in front of their gates, young men are trending toward more traditional forms of worship.

 A survey of Orthodox churches around the country found that parishes saw a 78% increase in converts in 2022, compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019. And while historically men and women converted in equal numbers, vastly more men have joined the church since 2020.

Father Josiah Trenham, an Orthodox priest, attributes this to the “feminization” of Western Christianity (both Catholic and Protestant)

“The feminization of non-Orthodox forms of Christianity in America has been in high gear for decades,” Trenham explained.

He points to the fact that the vast majority of attendees at most Christian churches are female, and many services are accordingly dominated by emotional songs, swaying, uplifted hands, and eyes closed in ecstasy.

“Men are much less comfortable [in those settings], and they have voted with their feet, which is why they’re minorities in these forms of worship,” he said. “Our worship forms are very traditional and very masculine.”

Other witnesses cited in this article speak of the stability and unchanging nature of Orthodox ritual, of the beneficial challenges Orthodoxy imposes on its members and of the freedom of the Divine Liturgy from the personality of the priest/preacher. As one convert concluded:

“One might say Orthodoxy itself is more masculine, especially when compared to the more feminized forms of Christianity that exist today where the emphasis is on emotional experience, feeling good, and appealing to the self.”

Although this article deals mainly with Orthodoxy as an alternative to Protestantism, do I need to point out the similarity of the “Western” services described above to the Novus Ordo? Indeed, the “Synod on Synodality” and Pope Francis have committed to increase the presence of women within the Church. And did not some Orthodox churches and churches of the East (like the Copts) speak out forcefully against the errors of Pope Francis in Fiducia Supplicans when most Roman Catholic bishops (outside of Africa) were silent or even supportive of the Vatican?

These are all valid points. Those tempted to explore this path, however, should be aware that there is much more involved in such a conversion than what is described above. For a dominent tendency of Eastern Orthodoxy today posits an unbridgeable theological gulf existing between the churches of the “West” and “East.” According to this line of thought, the abyss dates back at least to the 4th century. This position is reflected in the conversion process. A convert to Orthodoxy from Catholicism will be required to expressly abjure the entire Western (Roman) Church: all its saints, liturgy, history, philosophy, art and literature.1) I doubt many Catholic traditionalists are ready to take such a step or to adopt such preposterous notions of ecclesiastical history. After all, have the traditionalists not made, often at great personal cost, a commitment to cultivate and defend these very things?

Certainly, I am not claiming that everybody in the Orthodox world has such exclusivist views. But I am afraid their prevalence makes it unlikely that Orthodoxy can be the answer to the spiritual crisis in the West anytime soon.

1. See the book referenced above by Alessandro Gnocchi. Michael Warren Davis also posted this year on his substack a testimonial setting forth the reasons for his conversion to Orthodoxy, which was endorsed by Rod Dreher. It no longer seems to be available online. (checked 12/3/2024)

Once again last October, the Coetus Internationalis Summorum Pontificum assembled in Rome for its annual pilgrimage to Saint Peter’s Basilica. I want to add a few observations to what has already been reported. Our own photographic record can be found on this site. 1) The number of participants, primarily of the laity, happily continues to increase. Furthermore, a considerable number of clergy participate.  In this respect, it is nothing like the American “National Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage” in Washington on October 8 of this year, where no clergy were present. This year the Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage proceeded with relatively few glitches (aside from the unanticipated closure for restoration of the church of Santi Celso and Giuliano in front of which the pilgrims assemble on Saturday before setting out for St Peter’s.) 

As far as I could tell, the serving clerical bureaucracy of the Catholic Church in Rome remained totally absent  – except for one scowling ecclesiastic who stared at the procession as it passed him the street. In this very week, of course, the Synod on Synodality, the face of the official Catholic Church,  was reaching its (preliminary) end. Its recommendations would open the door to a whole world of potential further change.

 Paix Liturgique organized its customary conference prior to the start of the pilgrimage. Despite all the distressing developments,  the atmosphere was positive and enthusiastic, free from polemics and apocalyptic emotions,  Speakers from Spain, the UK and Nigeria told of their encounters with Catholic tradition. Indeed, in the first  two cases their acquaintanceship dates only from the last several years! In contrast,  John Rao,  well known to us here in New York,  took us back to the 1970s and the first stirrings of the traditionalist movement in the United States. Cardinal Gerhard Müller gave a most moving and impressive presentation. In conclusion, Christian Marquant, President of Paix Liturgique, spoke enthusiastically and eloquently of the present dramatic situation of traditionalists in the Church: “They have lost, but we have not yet won.”  Traditionalism remains alive and well, yet it remains the target of continuing official disdain and relentless persecution.

At the Paix Liturgique conference: Cardinal Gerhard Müller (above); Prof. John Rao (below).

As always, the Saturday procession to Saint Peter’s attracts great interest from bystanders  – some of whom even give signs of approval. Like last year, at the direction of Pope Francis,  the final act of the pilgrimage has been limited to a solemn procession to the main altar followed by benediction before the altar of St. Peter’s chair.  The ceremony and music were splendid; Cardinal Müller preached eloquently on the significance of the city of Rome, of the Christianized Greco-Roman culture it exemplifies and of the historic role of Saints Peter and Paul who are buried in this city:

If ancient Rome was the idea of peace among peoples under the rule of law, Christian Rome embodies the hope of universal unity of all peoples in the love of Christ

…

Do not, therefore, build the house of your life upon ideologies devised by men. But upon the rock of personal friendship with Christ in the divine virtues – faith hope and love – so that you may then be able to say with St. Paul: I live in the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and delivered himself for me.” (Gal 2:2))

The concluding service of the pilgrimage – a Solemn Mass for the Feast of Christ the KIng – was held in the FSSP church of Santa Trinità. Its dimensions are grossly inadequate for a congregation of this magnitude – to secure a seat one has to arrive an hour or more earlier. That’s a trial especially for families with young children. Of course, at the same time in Rome other, far larger, churches stand virtually empty. That one of these could be made available to this pilgrimage – as opposed to the Anglicans or Copts –  is, at this moment, perhaps a fantasy under the current papal regime.  Despite the discomfort, the solemn mass, celebrated by bishop Eleganti, was exemplary.

So this year’s Roman pilgrimage makes one very clear statement to traditionalists: you are not alone. An increasing number of individuals and countries are joining this pilgrimage. And the pilgrims’ attitude is not embittered, but relaxed, confident, enthusiastic – and also composed and prayerful. Inspired by this commitment, I am “cautiously optimistic” for the fututre.

1. “Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage, Solemn Procession to St. Peter’s,” The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (10/31/2024); “Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage in Rome: Solemn Vespers in the Pantheon,” The Society of St. Hugh of Cluny (10/29/2024)

The following churches will offer Rorate Masses. The Rorate Mass is a beautiful Advent devotion: the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary is offered by candlelight just before dawn.

Saturday December 7:

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, 6 am.

Holy Innocents Church, New York, NY, 7 am

St. Margaret of Cortona Church, Bronx, 6:30 am

St. Josaphat Church, Bayside (Queens), 6:30 am; Rorate Masses also on the following weekdays at 6:30: Dec. 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21.

Our Holy Redeemer , Freeport, NY, Solemn Mass, 6:15am.

Saturday December 14:

St. Patrick Oratory, Waterbury, CT, 6 am Missa Cantata. Parish social afterwards in the hall with an Advent spiritual talk, followed by Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Holy Innocents Church, New York, NY, 7 am

St. Josaphat Church, Bayside (Queens), 6:30 am; Rorate Masses also on the following weekdays at 6:30: Dec. 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21.

Annunciation Church, Crestwood, NY, 6 am, upper church

St. Marys/St. Andrews, Ellenville, NY, 6:30

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 259 Oliver St, Newark, NJ, 6 am. Ample and secure parking available accessed via Chestnut St. behind the church.

Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, 6 am

St. John the Baptist Church, Allentown, NJ, 6 am.

Corpus Christi Church, South River, NJ, 6:30 am Missa Cantata.

Our Lady of Fatima Chapel, Pequannock, NJ, 6:30 am Missa Cantata

Saturday, December 21:

Basilica of St. John the Evengelist, Stamford, CT, 6:30 am.

St. Josaphat Church, Bayside (Queens), 6:30 am; Rorate Masses also on the following weekdays at 6:30: Dec. 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21.

Other dates

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY: Rorate Masses at 6:55 on the following days: Dec. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10. 11. 13. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 23, 24