Readers share favorite Christmas memories

Latin, English Masses welcome Emmanuel

By Joann Day
Special to The Criterion

I walked into the warm, dimly lit church. There was a holy silence as people began to fill the pews. The poinsettias and greenery sparkled with expectation. The choir began to sing the familiar carols as more worshipers slipped unnoticed into the pews.

At 11:55 p.m., the lights were extinguished except for the flickering candles and the illuminated Christmas manger. The priest and servers entered the sanctuary and everyone kneeled in the pews. The beautiful strains of “Silent Night” filled the church as the music flowed over and through the people.

Christmas Mass had begun in the old Church at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in New Albany. The priest’s back was to the people. Everything during the Mass was said or sung in Latin. There was somewhat of a dialogue between the priest and the choir or servers. The people in the pews were observers and listeners. There was no interaction between them. Some people followed along by reading the Missal, while other people fingered rosary beads.

The reception of Communion was very devout as all the people kneeled at the Communion rail. The priest placed the host on the tongue of the recipient. The people were not offered the Blood of Christ. As people returned to their seats, they knelt and spent time in deep prayer. After the Last Gospel, the Mass ended. The choir sang a jubilant song as the parishioners filed out of the church in total silence.

Now, after the Second Vatican Council, the Mass is no longer celebrated in Latin.

I walk into the warm, brightly lit church. The altar and sanctuary are beautifully decorated with greenery, white Christmas lights and banks of poinsettias. The people greet one another as they enter the church. There is a happy chattering among them as they fill the pews. The choir performs a program of Christmas music. The congregation becomes quiet as announcements are made and Midnight Mass begins with the opening song.

The priest is facing the people. The liturgy is celebrated in English. The people are participants—singing and praying aloud the hymns and parts of the Mass. The Scripture readings are proclaimed by a lay person called a lector. During the Our Father, parishioners hold hands with one another. There is a Sign of Peace and all the people shake hands, hug or kiss each other as a symbol of wishing them Christ’s peace.

Lay people called extraordinary ministers of holy Communion distribute the Eucharist to the people in their hands. They receive the Blood of Christ from a common cup. During this time, the choir and the community sing together. When the final song ends, there is a burst of conversation among the people as they leisurely put on their coats and prepare to leave the church.

During the Mass, the community of believers comes together to praise the Lord, ask for his help and receive him in holy Communion as food for our souls.

That is exactly what we did in the old Church as individuals. The Mass in the new Church is so very different from the old Church, but at the same time it is uniquely the same.
Emmanuel … God with us.

(Joann Day is a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in New Albany.) †