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December 31, 2009

Christmas Eve Mass affected, but not canceled

Snow hampers turnout

David Laughlin

DUNCAN — Isaiah 40:31 says “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Soaring on wings like eagles may have been necessary to attend the Christmas Eve midnight Mass at Assumption Catholic Church.

Assumption Catholic Church in Duncan planned to celebrate Christmas at the strike of midnight with a full house. Mother Nature had other plans however as a blizzard dropped over six inches of snow on two inches of ice. Services were also planned for 5 p.m.

The Rev. Joseph M. Irwin said only four or five people were in attendance at the 5 p.m. service “I put a message on the voice mail and advised people not to come, just stay home,” Irwin said. “Someone always shows up.”

This was the first time Assumption Catholic scheduled a midnight Mass since the Rev. Irwin has serving in Duncan, to celebrate Christmas.

In previous years the celebration of Jesus’ birth occurred at 10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve. “It has been a long standing Catholic tradition to celebrate Christmas with a midnight Mass, so we though we do it too,” Irwin said.

Prior to the weather reports, the Rev. Irwin had high expectations for attendance. As the week progressed and the weather reports turned more and more bleak, his expectations for a large gathering began to diminish. “Usually the 5 p.m. you get a packed house full of young families with children,” Irwin said. “During the midnight service, you can expect over 150 people on average.”

The midnight Mass is significant because it is a changeover from the preparations and waiting of the Advent season, to the celebration of the birth of Jesus’.

“At the stroke of midnight we celebrate Jesus’ birth, it’s not very different than our regular mass. We start of with a proclamation that inaugurates Christ’s birth. It talks about the year and the time building up to the birth,” the Rev. Irwin said.

During the Advent season, the church abstains from singing “Gloria.”

At Christmas Mass the church sings “Gloria” again. “When we sing Gloria again, it’s special because we haven’t done it in four weeks,” the Rev. Irwin said.

During a regular midnight Christmas Eve Mass, the church will have Christmas hymns about 30 minutes before midnight.

The choir will also perform special music.

“We had about 15 or 16 people come to our midnight Mass service,” the Rev. Irwin said. ‘The priests and I live right next door, so we can go and celebrate Mass with one person, or 200 people.”

The church is hoping for better weather fortunes as it hosts a New Year’s Eve party to help ring in the New Year.



— David Laughlin is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 144, or via e-mail at david.laughlin@duncanbanner.com.

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