Solemn Mass was celebrated for the Second Sunday of Advent at Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, Queens, NY. The celebrant was Fr. Joseph Zwosta and the Deacon was Fr. Tomasz Szczepanczyk/
Photos courtesy of Arrys Ortanez.

Two churches in Connecticut will have Rorate Masses in honor of Our Lady early next Saturday morning, December 16.

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, 6:30 am

St. Mary Church, Greenwich, 6:30 am.

This notice in the St. Mary Norwalk bulletin explains what a Rorate Mass is:

“Rorate” comes from the Introit of the day: “Drop down ye heavens from above…” This is a Mass celebrated in honor of our Lady on a Saturday in Advent. This Mass is always done in darkness with only candlelight. Ideally the sun should begin to rise at the Consecration. This year sunrise is at 7:14 am, so that starting the Mass at 6:30, the dawn will indeed begin to show her roseate face when the Body of Christ is lifted up to be adored.

There are also Rorate Masses scheduled this week at the Church of the Holy Innocents in New York: see https://sthughofcluny.org/2017/11/rorate-masses-at-church-of-holy-innocents.html

Rorate Mass St. Mary Norwalk 2016

Rorate Mass at St. Mary Church, Greenwich, 2015

On a snowy day in early winter….

Blue vestments at Holy Innocents tonight  – was New York ever part of the Spanish  empire?

This beautiful photo was taken by Diana Yuan at the Rorate Mass at Holy Innocents Church, New York on Monday December 4. Holy Innocents has scheduled a total of 10 (!) Rorate Masses this Advent, each at 6 AM. Here is the schedule: link

St. Michael at St. Joseph’s Chapel.

It was reported last month that the chapel of St. Joseph in Battery Park City (also, the Archdiocesan 9/11 memorial) finally will be closed as of January 2018. This is a consequence of a massive rent hike (the space occupied by the chapel is leased). The art therein will be removed to St. Peter’s (where the “shrine” will be “rededicated” before September 11, 2018).

The “pastoral letter” by the pastor of St. Peter’s church officially informing parishioners of the closure is given HERE. Predictably, the reasons for shutting the 9/11 memorial are not given, except indirectly, nor is any regret expressed. Rather, parishioners are summoned to “move forward” to a “new chapter.”

Thus ends a Catholic presence in that corner of New York dating back to 1890. And thus ends the “Catholic Memorial at Ground Zero” established by Cardinal Egan at a cost of $1.7 million as recently as 2005. As we have noticed in relation to other churches, the existence of a “shrine” plays no role whatsoever in the Archdiocesan determinations as to which churches shall survive and which shall close.  It’s a bit schizophrenic: the creation of a “shrine” at great cost (relative to the size of the chapel) would seem to indicate some kind of Archdiocesan-wide interest and commitment.  Yet the continued existence of St. Joseph’s has been decided exclusively on the basis of the money the congregation of that chapel can raise vis-a-vis the admittedly rising cost of keeping it open.

Of course I don’t think any more than a handful of people living outside of the immediate neighborhood of St. Joseph’s were ever aware it even existed. The so-called “art” on display – despite claims to the contrary – was anything but a major attraction. Finally, as always, despite the ever-growing population of Downtown New York, the Archdiocese was unable to attract enough parishioners to its chapel.

This morning there was a Rorate Mass in the Dominican Rite at St. Vincent Ferrer, NY. Photos courtesy of Diana Yuan.

Connecticut

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Brookfield
Christmas Day:  Traditional Latin Mass 12:30 PM in chapel

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, 12 midnight, Solemn Midnight Mass (11 pm Rosary by the Creche, 11:30 pm carols); 9:30 am Solemn Mass for Christmas Day.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Bridgeport, CT,  Midnight (11:45 procession to the Crèche);  8:30 Mass at Dawn Low Mass;   10:15 Mass for the Day High Mass.  (Beginning on December 31, the church will have a Low Mass at 8:30 am every Sunday in addition to the 10:15 High Mass)

St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven, Missa Cantata, 2 pm.

St Martha’s Church, Enfield,   High Mass at midnight and a low Mass at 11 AM Christmas Day.

New York

Sacred Heart Church, Albany
Christmas Midnight Mass, Sacred Heart Church Hall

St. Matthew, 35 North Service Road, Dix Hills (Long Island)
Monday, December 25th, Traditional Latin High Mass 12:30 P.M. in the
Parish Center Chapel

St. Ladislaus, Hempstead (Long Island)
Christmas Day, 9:00 AM

St. Rocco, 18 Third St., Glen Cove (Long Island), 11:30 pm carols followed by Midnight Mass.

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, 12 midnight, Traditional High Mass (followed by a festive reception in the parish hall); 2:30 am, Mass at Dawn (Low Mass);  9 am, Traditional Low Mass, 10:30 am Traditional High Mass.

St. Catherine of Siena Church, New York, Missa Cantata in the Dominican Rite for Christmas,  12 Midnight. Featuring Tomas luis de Victoria’s Missa Alma Redemptoris

Pontifical Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, 10:25 am, Missa Cantata.

St. Agnes Church, New York,  9 am.

Our Lady of Peace Church, 522 Carroll St, Brooklyn,
High Mass, 9:30 am.

Church of Saint Anthony, 1496 Commonwealth Avenue, Bronx, 12:00 midnight, High Mass. The celebrant will be the parochial administrator, Fr. Louis Anderson. His sermon will be given in both English and Spanish.

Immaculate Conception Church, Sleepy Hollow, NY, Dec 24. 1:30 pm Low Mass Vigil of Christmas; Dec 25. 1:30pm Sung Mass.

St. Patrick Church, Newburgh, NY, 3 pm.

New Jersey

St. John the Baptist,  Allentown
Midnight Solemn High Mass – Vierne’s Missa Solennelle

Sacred Heart, Clifton
Christmas Day 8:00 AM

Our Lady of Victories, Harrington Park
Christmas Eve: 9:00 PM Sung Latin Mass

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 259 Oliver Street, Newark
Solemn Mass at midnight.
The mass will be of Franz Schubert in G.  After mass there will be coffee and refreshments in the rectory.

St. Anthony of Padua, Jersey City, Dec. 24, 9 pm, Mass of the Shepherds; Dec. 25, 9 am.

St.  Catherine Laboure, Middletown
Christmas Day 8:45 am Traditional Latin Sung High Mass

Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima, 32 West Franklin Ave., Pequannock

Sunday, December 24,
Christmas Carols at 11:00 PM on the evening

Monday, December 25th
CHRISTMAS MIDNIGHT MASS 12:00 AM
CHRISTMAS DAY MASS AT DAWN 7:00 AM
CHRISTMAS DAY MASS OF THE DAY 9:00 AM
CHRISTMAS DAY MASS OF THE DAY 11:00 AM

St. Anthony of Padua Oratory, West Orange

Sunday, Dec. 24th CHRISTMAS EVE
9:30 pm Confessions,
10:30 pm Traditional Christmas Carols
11:00 pm Solemn High Midnight Mass (First Mass of Christmas)

Monday, Dec. 25th CHRISTMAS DAY
7:30 am Low Mass (Second Mass of Christmas)
9:00 am Low Mass (Second Mass of Christmas)
11:00 am High Mass (Third Mass of Christmas)

January 1st, Octave of Christmas Schedule: 

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, CT, 9 am.

St. Stanislaus Church, New Haven, low Mass, 2 pm.

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, on December 31:  4 pm to 11pm exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; 11pm singing the Te Deum followed by Benediction; 11:30 pm, Mass of Reparation (Missa Cantata); Monday, Jan. 1, 9 am low Mass, 10:30 am high Mass.

Church of St. Agnes, New York, Missa Cantata, 10:30 am followed by the singing of Veni Creator Spiritus.

Immaculate Conception Church, Sleepy Hollow, NY, 3 pm low Mass.

St. Patrick Church, Newburgh, NY, 3 pm.

Stained glass window from the Church of the Incarnation, Washington Heights, New York