The following churches will celebrate the traditional Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany on Thursday, January 6. Please inform us of Masses that are not on our schedule.

Connecticut

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, Low Mass 8 am; Solemn Mass 7 pm (Solemn Mass with the Proclamation of the Moveable Feasts of the Year, and Blessing of Chalk)

St. Pius X, Fairfield, Missa Cantata 5 pm

St. Emery Church, Fairfield, Solemn Mass 6 pm followed by blessing and distribution of chalk. (Wed. Jan 5 at 6 pm: Missa Cantata followed by blessing of Epiphny Water)

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Oratory, Bridgeport, Low Mass 7:45 am; Missa Cantata 6 pm followed by blessing of the chalk.

St. Patrick Oratory, Waterbury, Low Mass 8 am, High Mass 6 pm (Wed. Jan. 5 at 6 pm solemn blessing of the Epiphany Water)

St. Martha Church, Enfield, 7 pm (Wed. Jan 5 at 7 pm, blessing of the Epiphany Water)

New York

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, Missa Cantata 6 pm (Wed. Jan. 5: Blessing of Epiphany Water follows the 6 pm Mass)

St. Vincent Ferrer, New York, Solemn Mass in the Dominican Rite, 7 pm

Church and Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY, Solemn Mass 7 pm, distribution of Epiphany chalk following Mass.

Most Holy Redeemer, New York, Solemn Mass 7 pm, including blessing and distribution of chalk (Wed. Jan 5, blessing of Epiphany Water 6 pm)

St. Josaphat, Bayside, Queens, 7 pm

St. Paul the Apostle, Yonkers, 12 noon.

Annunciation Church, Crestwood, Missa Cantata 7 pm (On Wednesday Jan. 5 at 7 pm there will be the blessing of Epiphany water, chalk and incense)

Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow, 7 pm

St. Rocco, Glen Cove, Long Island, Missa Cantata 7 pm

New Jersey

Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, 5 pm

Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, Raritan, Missa Cantata, 7 pm

St. Catherine Laboure, Middletown, 12 noon.

St. John the Baptist Church, Allentown, Solemn Mass 7:00p.m., blessing of chalk and Epiphany Water

The following churches have scheduled Traditional Masses on January 1 to celebrate the Octave of Christmas, the Circumcision of Our Lord. Please contact us with information about traditional Masses that are not on this schedule.

Connecticut

St. Mary Church, Norwalk, Solemn Mass 9 am.

St. Roch Church, Greenwich, 8 am.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Oratory, Bridgeport, Low Mass 8:30 am; High Mass 10:15 am.

St. Stanislaus, New Haven, 2 pm

St. Patrick Church, Waterbury, Low Mass 8:30 am; HIgh Mass and Benediction, 10:30 am.

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Brookfield, Missa Canata, 12:30 pm

Christ the King Church, Ridgefield (SSPX), 8am low mass, 10am low mass

St. Martha Church, Enfield, 9 am

New York

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, New Years Eve: Eucharistic Vigil of Reparation: Following the 4:00 P.M (Novus Ordo) Mass, the Most Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for adoration until 11:00 p.m. at which time the Te Deum will be sung in order to gain the plenary indulgence followed by Benediction, High Mass at 11:30 pm. New Years Day: Low Mass 9 am; High Mass 10:30 am.

Most Holy Redeemer, New York, 12 noon.

Church and Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY, Missa Cantata 10:30 am

St. Agnes Church, New York, 10:00 am

Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Joseph, Brooklyn, (Discalced Carmelite Nuns), 7 am.

St. Josaphat Church, Bayside, Queens, 10:30 am

St. Paul the Apostle, Yonkers, 12 noon

Annunciation Church, Crestwood, 11:15 am

Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow, 2 pm

Holy Trinity, Poughkeepsie, 10:30 am

Sacred Heart, Esopus, 11 am

St Michael the Archangel Church, Farmingville (Long Island) (SSPX), 7am low mass, 9am high mass

New Jersey

Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, 11 am.

Our Lady of Victories, Harrington Park, 9 am

St. Anthony of Padua Oratory, 1360 Pleasant Valley Way, W. Orange, 9 am, 11 am.

Our Lady of Fatima, Pequannock, 7 am, 9 am, 11 am, 1:30 pm

Corpus Christi Church, South Rivier, Solemn Mass, 12 pm

St. John the Baptist, Allentown, Solemn Mass 11 am

Blue Army Shrine, Asbury, “Join us Friday, Dec. 31 at 11 pm – Deo Gratias Service (Holy Hour), followed by midnight Mass (Jan. 1) in the Extraordinary Form, in honor of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.”

Below is the notice of the ritual in the current parish bulletin. N.B.: St. Mary’s, New Haven is NOT traditionalist.

By 2013 – the year of Pope Benedict’s resignation  – the stalemate that has arisen at the end of the 1960’s had lasted for 45 years. The popes had not dared to force a showdown with the progressive forces on a significant issue. That would have called into question the Council. But neither would they adopt the progressive demands to explicitly adapt Catholic theology and morality to the dictates of the modern world,  which would render dubious the Church’s claims of continuity with its perennial traditions. The result was that the Vatican’s authority declined to a merely administrative role, while the pressure of secular society on the Church steadily increased.  The Church disguised this through the activity of John Paul II’s papacy and otherwise strove to maintain an image of infallibility, omnipotence, harmony of past and present, and agreement among all elements of the Church. The result was best described as “managed decline.” 

Pope Francis’s election brought a recommitment to the progressive agenda of the 1960’s along with a radical revival of ultramontane authoritarianism. Thus, his regime strongly resembles the reign of Paul VI – at least as it existed up to 1970. In one extreme recent example, if Paul VI had imposed on the entire Church radical changes in liturgy, so Pope Francis has now undertaken to compel the traditionalist Catholics to adopt the Novus Ordo. An entire population of Catholics – priests, religious orders, monasteries schools and laity  – previously in official good standing with the Church, have been reduced overnight to outcasts.  Prior papal legislation, commitments and agreements to the contrary – such as the regimes established for the Ecclesia Dei communities –  have been revoked. The Vatican has published a set of implementation measures that have centralized authority to an unheard-of degree – regulating even the content of parish bulletins!

And this anti-Traditionalist “crusade” is but one example among many. From the first day of his pontificate,  Pope Francis rejected the application to himself of any of the customs, laws and rules of the church. He routinely disregards the rulings and statements of his own Vatican officials.   A whole series of Catholic congregations and orders (like the Order of Malta) have been placed under the rule of papal commissioners. The same is now true of the entire Italian church in regard to Francis’s legislation on divorce. The pope has received the resignation of one entire country’s episcopate (Chile) and later of individual bishops in other countries (Germany and France). A class of bishop emerged that, after proferred resignation, continues in office only at the discretion of the pope. The Vatican has asserted centralized control over contemplative religious monasteries and orders, on the establishment of any new religious congregation and, most recently, on the term of office of the leadership of the so-called movements. In the United States, Francis has intervened directly and repeatedly in the affairs of the national bishops’ conference and even in American domestic politics. (e.g., the management of USCCB meetings, the status of politicians who promote abortion, the recognition of New Ways Ministry)

Pope Francis has added to his 1960’s progressivism publicity techniques borrowed from the repertoire of John Paul II. Gigantic papal events and voyages continue.  Papal statements, interviews and books proliferate.  A vast papal public relations apparatus has come into being at the Vatican and beyond – often in league with the secular press. (e.g., Vatican Insider, Crux, Rome Reports)   Francis has progressively refined this system over the years to focus it ever more closely on its designated role as a vehicle for propagating his image and thoughts.

The centralizing tidal wave at the Vatican has been reproduced down to the lowest level of the Church. The existence of Catholic Church’s traditional organizational form at the base – the parish – was increasingly called into question. The Archbishop of New York has openly speculated about a reorganization in which all Church property would be vested in the Archdiocese – a step that would, when combined with the current term limits on pastors, effectively transform all New York parishes into chapels. In dioceses in Germany and in the United States (such as the Cincinnati and Hartford Archdioceses) plans are being implemented that provide for radical reductions in the number of parishes. In response, the Vatican has feebly tried to uphold parish rights under canon law. 

The changes in rhetoric and style are as significant as the concrete measures. The pope has divided the Church into friends and enemies.  For example, in the American context,  the pope has made absolutely clear what he thinks the role of Catholic media should be –  by singling out for praise the eminently conformist Catholic News Service while accusing its competitor, the “conservative” EWTN, of doing the work of the devil. His publicists carry on this campaign further, denouncing those who “criticize the pope” and, in the last month or two, speculating on how Francis can neutralize “rogue” prelates (his critics in the hierarchy ).  They also explain that Francis really shouldn’t care about those in the Church he hurts or “leaves by the wayside.”

The pope often employs against his conservative opponents the language and techniques of ultramontanism. In Traditionis Custodes, for example,  the pope sets up Church unity and the inviolability of the Council as absolute values.  Indeed, the Second Vatican Council  (and its implementing decrees) are described as  “dictated by the Holy Spirit.”  The pope has canonized representatives of Catholic modernity ( like Pope Paul VI!) thereby seeking to invest their polices with an aura of infallibility. Pope Francis himself claims to teach “with magisterial authority.”  One often gets the sense Francis is mocking the legalistic and traditional diction of certain of his enemies, as when he titles his motu proprio seeking to abolish traditionalism Traditionis Custodes  (“Guardians of Tradition”!)

The culture of the Catholic Church under Francis has been rightly described as Orwellian.  The great advocate of dialogue never communicates with those who question his policies or who are the recipient of his attacks. Effeminate rhetoric (tenderness; accompaniment) contrasts with brusque commands and coarse denunciations.  Advocacy of a “synodal” church proceeds hand-in-hand with extreme centralization. The apostle of unity within the Church excludes whole sections of believers without a second thought.  Truly the regime of Francis can be called totalitarian ultramontanism!

Yet the pope’s totalitarian ultramontanism has a radically limited scope.  The most obvious constraint on Francis is the power of the Catholic progressives,  the media, and the institutions of Western civil society. Francis is absolutely dependent on their support. But their backing is not at all unconditional but depends on the pope continuing to advance their agenda.  Whenever Francis’s Vatican has been perceived as wavering in this mission,  the progressive powers, like the German church, have summarily rejected its (and his) authority. Just recently, Francis and the leadership of his upcoming conference on synodality have had to abjectly apologize to the progressive New Ways Ministry in the US.

In his direct interactions with the institutions governing the Western world, the pope pursues policies that are both totally secular and largely identical with the positions advocated by the media. So, Pope Francis has precisely implemented the dictates of the establishment regarding suspension of religious services because of Covid. I should add that the relationship – often scandalous –  between the Vatican and the Western financial powers has never been closer.

Resistance within the Church to Pope Francis has, however, also emerged from the other end of the spectrum, even if it is, in contrast to the progressive challenges, most often not publicly disclosed. Only a few prelates from this quarter – generally retired or previously removed from their positions – criticize the pope openly. Nevertheless, the publication of a book by the “pope emeritus” and Cardinal Sarah helped to derail Francis’s push for a  married clergy. The pope’s acceptance of divorce in Amoris Laetitia and his accompanying measures have by no means been received enthusiastically everywhere. Indeed,  it took blatant manipulation by the Vatican to obtain in the first place from the synods on the subject something that Francis could call approval of his marriage policies. Francis has had to publicly employ strong-arm tactics with the American hierarchy to block their policies on opposition to abortion. Finally, bishops throughout the world generally have been slow in signing on to Francis’s war against traditionalists. 

Thus, certainly in the opinion of certain progressives, the organizational deadlock that existed prior to Francis’s papacy has reemerged.  The tug-of-war continues between the advocates of radical change and the upholders of some form of Catholic tradition.  The debate on synodality in Rome and  in Germany  – which really often is about other substantive issues such as married and female priests – may well bring this conflict to a head. 

What a strange fate for ultramontanism! A set of policies that was supposed to secure the doctrine of the Church from internal enemies and preserve her independence from secular control has instead facilitated the greatest crisis of belief in the Church’s history along with her most abject subjection to the “temporal power” – not that of monarchs as in the past, but of the media, banks, NGOs,  universities and, increasingly, “democratic” governments (including China!). The most extreme assertions of ultramontanism (such as those by Pope Francis) coincide with today’s total humiliation of the Church. Is it a failure of trying to achieve spiritual objectives through the application of organizational techniques?  In any case, the need for evangelizing the world that arose after the religious collapse of the French Revolution remains unmet even today, as a whole, by the institutional Church.   

Amid the surrounding unbelief, the lonely Holy Family. Courtesy of “The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.” Even if the Christ Child appeared some ten days before Christmas Day….

In the first installment of these historical reflections, I briefly reviewed the triumph and maturity of “ultramontanism” in the Catholic Church. Fundamentally a defensive strategy, it aimed at block-like unity, centralized control and absolute subordination to superiors. Especially up to 1945, its catalogue of achievements was remarkable. Yet,  like all defensive stances, it could not be prolonged forever.  At some point a counterattack must be undertaken  – for otherwise the enemy, having familiarized himself over time with a static opponent, will find a path to break through….

The Second Vatican Council convened in 1962. In no prior council had both the freedom from overt secular control and papal dominance over the proceedings been so assured. 2) The course and outcome of the council was determined by a new alliance of the papacy with internal progressive forces. Paul VI then enjoyed almost unlimited scope of action in implementing the council throughout the Catholic world.

The management of the Council and its subsequent implementation were truly the greatest triumph of ultramontanism. For no previous pope had radically and systematically changed the liturgy and the forms of Catholic piety  (e.g., the rules governing fasting,  the architecture and decoration of churches) virtually overnight. Paul VI found active supporters for his mission of change. A whole legion of clergy was inspired to forcefully drag into the modern Church the benighted sectors of the laity and their own less “enlightened” fellow clergy and religious. But, on the whole, resistance was minimal – so effective had been the inculcation of ultramontane obedience over the generations.  Of course,  the customs and traditions of the Church had likely lost their grip on much of the Catholic world through the ultramontane understanding of obedience to authority and adherence to legal rules as the source of their legitimacy. 

But even while still in session, the Council had unleashed forces that shattered the closed ultramontane world.  For the progressive clergy, empowered by Paul VI,  undertook to directly reverse the theology, teachings on personal morality and the governing structures of the Church – all the things that hindered complete reconciliation with the world. For internally, the Council and its aftermath may have been revolutionary. But viewed from outside, these changes were completely conformist, as the Church adopted the worldview, vocabulary and even the dress of the secular world of the 1960’s. The guiding Conciliar principles of aggiornamento and “reading the signs of the times” had in fact subordinated the Church to secular society far more thoroughly than had been conceivable under the European monarchies of the 18^th century, the Holy Roman Empire of the Gregory VII’s day,  or the Roman empire in the 4^th century. None of these historical powers had disposed of means (such as news media in the modern sense) capable of reaching into the life of each individual Catholic.  Truly,  it was a new, monumental  “Constantinian shift!”  And it was in these very years of the Council that the Western establishment’s attitude to the Church began to progressively change from a politically dictated posture of respect to an overt, intensifying hostility: starting with Rolf Hochhuth’s 1963 drama The Deputy and culminating in an across-the-board critique of  “retrograde” Catholicism, above all, the Church’s teachings on sexual morality.

These developments came to a head with the storm over Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical on contraception, Humanae Vitae. The pope could not obtain obedience to his decree – not only from the “rebels” but also from the religious orders, Catholic universities and even entire episcopal conferences. For Paul VI found himself confronting not only internal opponents,  but also modern “civil society” and its media, which stood behind the rebellious elements. It was a previously unthinkable breach in ultramontane discipline.  Truly, the Council, which had marked the high water mark of ultramontanism, had now administered to it its greatest defeat!

As to papal authority,  the result was deadlock. Paul VI would not withdraw his encyclical  – but neither did he attempt to insist on its enforcement.  The same impasse was true of many other doctrines and rules of the church.  A state of permanent, unacknowledged “civil war” from now on  prevailed in a Church in which a substantial part of the Catholic establishment either denied or understood in a new non – literal way what had been previously fixed and certain doctrine.  To give just one example, papal infallibility  – a foundation stone of ultramontanism  – was widely either denied outright (Hans Küng’s Infallible? – an Inquiry (1971)) or, more subtly, had its origins called into question (Hubert Wolf ’s The Nuns of Sant’Ambrogio (2013)). The progressives did not necessarily see any need of respecting the “views” (Eamon Duffy) of the Vatican.  

Of course, some leaders of the Church – and not just those resident in the Vatican – continued to resist these interpretations and tried to preserve Catholic doctrine as traditionally understood.  Popes John Paul II and Benedict took numerous actions and made frequent statements on the liturgy, Catholic education, Catholic doctrine on sexual morality, etc.  Like Humanae Vitae, these were mostly ignored.  Disciplinary measures to impose order on the Jesuits (under John Paul II) or on American religious sisters (under Benedict) ended in capitulation by the Vatican.  For there was very little the popes could do. To directly confront the progressive establishment would in short order draw the media into the fray. That would reveal clearly that the alleged Conciliar reconciliation of the Church with the modern world had failed. Moreover, I suspect the popes feared that a large portion of the laity would likely follow the media.  

This reluctance of the popes during this period (1970-2013) to act against the progressive forces and their institutions was not just dictated by tactical considerations.  All these popes shared at least to a limited extent the opinions and goals of the progressives. And they were also desirous of a favorable presentation by the media. Peter Seewald’s biography of Pope Benedict reveals this obsessive concern of the Vatican with the pope’s image in the press.

There was no longer any question of recreating the pre-conciliar unity of belief and practice. At most, the popes could achieve a “tilt” in the direction of Catholic tradition – mainly through episcopal appointments. Even here the results were erratic. Yet, within the constraints outlined above, under  John Paul II there was an “ultramontane revival.”  John Paul II gained prestige from his role in the collapse of communism and his charismatic public persona. He adopted to a great extent the style of secular politicians and regimes. That even extended to features imported from the repertoire of the totalitarian states of the Eastern bloc (e.g., youth days and festivals; massive orchestrated public appearances).  The result was a renaissance of the papal image – appealing to so many at the time. The cult of “John Paul the Great” was born. 

The “neo-ultramontane” wave generated an immense amount of activity on the part of the partisans of the “Polish Pope” – especially in the United States and mostly among those outside the clerical establishment. Papal infallibility was reemphasized by these activists and now extended far beyond the 1870 definitions.  The election of the pope was now “God’s choice.”  The articles contained in Civilta Cattolica, because they were cleared by the Vatican Secretary of State, took on an aura of infallibility. The infallibility of Humanae Vitae was proposed. The stalemate of the post-Conciliar Church was recast as a struggle between papal authority and “dissenters.” Although such positions remained unofficial, they are indicative of the pro-papal surge under John Paul II. 

The new papalism, however, had to account for the tolerance of John Paul II for the progressive forces. The explanation that was found was the Pope’s need to avoid “schism.” This is, of course, a degenerate ultramontane understanding, in which preserving the external appearance of unity takes precedence over ensuring its actual substance. 

Another aspect of the neo-ultramontane era – sparked by the style and restless activity of John Paul II – was the obsession with the political aspects of the papacy and the Vatican. A whole legion of reporters, “information entrepreneurs” and, later, internet personalities concerned themselves with the internal affairs of the Vatican. In considering any issue of Catholicism it became usual to include speculation on Vatican personnel moves. Actions having the greatest importance for each individual Catholic were portrayed as the product of changes in the leadership of, and even within, Vatican dicasteries. Do I need to mention all the Vatican novels published in this era? – some of them informative, others ludicrous. Whatever might be the Vatican’s actual authority over the Church, this focus on Rome demonstrated that an unhealthy ultramontanism was alive and well.

We should mention at this point the ever-growing bureaucratization of the Church after the Council. Despite all the disorders within the Church,  offices, “apostolates” and administrators increased. As the ranks of clergy and religious declined in the post-Conciliar chaos, the number of lay employees grew exponentially. The clergy were also assimilated to bureaucrats. A retirement age was now set for bishops, and they increasingly were moved about from diocese to diocese.  At the local level, term limits began to be imposed on pastors. Added to this mix was an extreme degree of legalism. The result was an increased perception of the Church as a secular organization like the United Nations, a governmental agency, the EU headquarters or, later, a very large NGO (non-governmental organization)

Towards the end of John Paul II’s papacy, and during the whole of Benedict XVI’s reign, the Church and in particular the Vatican had to face ever increasing difficulties. The fundamental issue of the decline of belief and practice of the Faith within the Church herself had not been resolved. The Vatican bureaucracy became a cesspool of careerism, incompetence, and financial corruption.  The documentation that has been disclosed on the career of Cardinal McCarrick reveals how little John Paul II understood of the appointments he was charged with making.  The scandals of sexual abuse, the conduct of the leaders of the Legionaries of Christ and financial misdeeds at the Vatican opened up new fronts for relentless secular attack on the Church from 2002 to the present day. Pope Benedict was utterly unable to contend with either the media or his own Vatican bureaucracy.  Indeed,  the pope’s enemies in the latter organization resorted to outright treason to block Benedict’s initiatives. 

Faced with rising tide of challenges,  these popes seem to have slipped into a fantasy world – at least if popular biographies are any guide.  According to George Weigel’s Witness to Hope (1999), John Paul II seems to have been of the opinion that his innumerable voyages thorough the world were having major political effects (only in Poland was that conclusion perhaps justified). In Seewald’s biography (Benedict XVI: ein Leben (2020), pope Benedict is reported to have thought, upon ascending the papal throne, that all issues of the Church already had been favorably resolved by his predecessor. To quote another example, at several Vatican-sponsored conferences it was proposed that excess priests be shifted from the developed to the third world – this, at a time when the churches of these “advanced” countries were in fact relying more and more on imported African, Asian and Latin American priests.

In the same vein, as the popes’ real power within the Church declined, papal visions of global leadership grew. The bishop of Rome now was described as the “pope of all mankind,” a kind of worldwide spiritual advocate. Thus, John Paul II presided over interfaith assemblies at Assisi. Pope Benedict lectured in abstract terms on the relationship of faith and reason to the unbelieving German parliament.

Most importantly, the need for a renewed evangelization – now primarily within the Church herself – still had not been met. The opening to the world had been a one-way street in which the world instructed the Church. The marriage of the Council with ultramontanism had produced a culture that was far more provincial than the ghetto of 1958 so derided by the advanced Catholic circles of that time. The art and music of the Church by 2013 was either kitsch or uninspired copies of modern aesthetic orthodoxy. The increasing lack of funds limited even that activity.

The papacy had indeed survived the turmoil it had itself created in wake of the Council. But the Conciliar papacy had not preserved the Church’s unity in doctrine and practice – the reason ultramontanism had been advocated in the first place. The Vatican increasingly functioned as a mere administrative center, while all kinds of developments, heterodox or not, proceeded autonomously. In 2013 Pope Benedict resigned. It was a crushing blow to the papacy and absolutely unimaginable under pre-conciliar ultramontanism.  

1. The window is contemporary with the encyclical. Mater et Magistra is also noteworthy in the history of ultramontanism. William F. Buckley’s public disagreement with the pope’s conclusions – on economics – was up till then virtually unheard of.
2. With the exception of any understandings that may have been reached prior to the Council with the Soviet Union. But in avoiding a specific critique of the communist world the Council was only following the lead of the Western secular establishment which, by that time, had largely committed to an ideology of “peaceful coexistence.”

John Stulich has provided us with some beautiful photos of the Rorate Mass from last Saturday, Dec. 19 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Jersey City.

The following churches have scheduled Traditional Masses on Christmas. Please let us know about Masses that are not on our list so that we can complete our schedule.

Connecticut

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

St. Roch Church, Greenwich, 8 am

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Oratory, Bridgeport, CHRISTMAS EVE
Office of Prime and Christmas Martyrology after Low Mass of the Vigil (around 8:30 a.m.); Christmas Carols at 11:30 p.m., followed by Procession to the Crib & Midnight Mass; CHRISTMAS DAY, Low Mass at 8:30 a.m. & High Mass at 10:15 a.m.

St. Emery Church, Fairfield, Solemn Midnight Mass and Christmas Day, 12:30 pm

St. Stanislaus, New Haven, 2 pm

St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Brookfield, Christmas Day, 12:30 pm

St. Patrick Church, Waterbury, Christmas Midnight High Mass, starting with carols at 11:30pm, confession available 11pm; Christmas Day: 8:30am Low Mass & 10:30am High Mass with Benediction.

St. Martha, Enfield, Midnight Mass and 11 am.

St. Michael the Archangel, Pawcatuck, 11 am.

New York

Church of the Holy Innocents, New York, NY, Midnight Solemn Mass: The Solemn Midnight Mass will be preceded by Exposition & Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament beginning at 10:00 P.M. with the singing of Christ- mas Carols at 11:00 P.M. and ending with Benediction at 11:30 P.M. Solemn Midnight Mass will begin with the Procession to the manger and Blessing of the crib at 11:45 p.m. Christmas Day: 9 am low Mass at dawn; 10:30 am high Mass followed by benediction.

Church and Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New York, NY, Midnight Solemn Mass; 10 am Missa Cantata

St. Vincent Ferrer, New York, NY, Solemn Midnight Mass in the Dominican Rite.

St. Agnes, 43rd St, New York, NY, 9 am.

Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Joseph, Brooklyn, (Discalced Carmelite Nuns), Midnight Mass; and 10 am.

St. Josaphat Church, Bayside, Queens, NY, Midnight Mass preceded by Christmas carols at 11 pm; 9:30 am.

Our Lady of Refuge, the Bronx, Midnight Mass.

St. Paul the Apostle, Yonkers, NY, 10 pm Missa Cantata, 6 am Mass at Dawn.

Immaculate Conception, Sleepy Hollow, Missa Cantata, 2 pm

Annunciation Church, Crestwood, NY, 11:15 am

St. Columbanus, Cortlandt Manor at 10 AM on Christmas Day (Low Mass)

St. Patrick’s Church, Newburgh, 3 pm

St. Matthew, Dix Hills 12:30 PM Christmas Day (High Mass)

St. Rocco, Glen Cove, Midnight Missa Cantata; 11:30 am Missa Cantata

Holy Trinity, Poughkeepsie, December 24, Vigil of Christmas, 9 pm Missa Cantata (Christmas concert at 8:40)

St. Joseph, Middletown, Missa Cantata, 9 am.

Sacred Heart, Esopus, Missa Cantata, 11 am

St. Mary/St. Andrew, Ellenville, Midnight Missa Cantata; 11:30 am low Mass.

New Jersey

Our Lady of Sorrows, Jersey City, Sung Midnight Mass; program starts at 11:30 pm.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 259 Oliver St., Newark (parking lot next to the church)11:30 pm – Carol prelude followed by Midnight Solemn Mass.

Our Lady of Victories, 150 Harriot Ave, Harrington Park
Christmas Eve, 9:00 pm – Latin Mass

St. Anthony of Padua Oratory, 1360 Pleasant Valley Way, W. Orange, 11:00 pm – First Mass of Christmas, Solemn High Mass; 9:00 am – Second Mass of Christmas, Low Mass; 11:00 am – Third Mass of Christmas, High Mass

Our Lady of Fatima, Pequannock, Midnight Mass preceded by Christmas carols at 11 am; 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, NJ, Solemn Mass, Midnight; Missa Cantata, 10 am. Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.

Corpus Christi Church, South River, Sung Mass at Midnight.

St. Dominic’s Church, Brick NJ, 12:00 pm (noon).

St. John the Baptist, Allentown, NJ – at Midnight – Solemn High First Mass of Christmas