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Donner!and!Blitzen!!Christmas!Eve!on!the!4th!Sunday!of!Advent?!!! How’s!that!gonna!work?! !

The$phone$calls$have$already$begun$in$the$parish$office:$“What’s(the(Christmas(Mass( schedule?”$It’s$great$that$folks$are$thinking$ahead$–$especially$this$year;$it’s$complicated!$ What’s$the$big$deal?$Well,$with$Christmas$falling$on$a$Monday$(hasn’t$happened$since$ 2006),$Christmas$Eve$falls$squarely$on$the$4th$Sunday$of$Advent,$which$raises$all$sorts$of$ issues.$At$Our$Lady$of$Mt.$Carmel,$we$normally$have$8$Lord’s$Day$Masses,$but$wait$–$we$ also$normally$have$7$–$that’s$SEVUen$–$Christmas$Eve$Masses$to$fit$everyone$in.$$$ $ So,!here’s!what!you!need!to!know:! • December$24$is$the$4th$Sunday$of$Advent$$ (YES,$it$is$a$Sunday$of$obligation,$which$can$also$be$met$Saturday$evening)$ • December$25$is$the$Solemnity$of$Christmas$(YES,$it$has$a$separate$obligation$for$Mass,$ as$it$of$course$should$be$–$it’s$the$birth$of$Our$Lord!$Obligation$can$be$met$either$$ Sunday$evening$or$Monday$morning)$ • In!other!words,!there!are!no!“two2fers.”!You$can’t$go$to$Mass$on$the$evening$of$ Christmas$Eve$and$“count”$it$twice$for$the$4th$Sunday$of$Advent$and$Christmas$Mass.$$ Nice$idea,$but$no$can$do.$ $

Mark!your!calendars:!special!Mass!schedule!! to!help!you!fulfill!both!Advent!and!Christmas!Mass!obligations:$ !

(Sat,$Dec$23$U$8AM:Communion$service)$ !

OBLIGATION!#1:!4TH!SUN.!OF!ADVENT! !

o Saturday,!December!23!! ! 4PM$Mass$ ! 5:30PM$Mass$ ! NO$evening$confessions$ ! 7PM$Misa(en(Español$ $ o Sunday,!December!24!! ! NO$7AM$Mass$ ! 8AM$Mass$in$church$ ! 9:30AM$Mass$in$church$ ! 11AM$Mass$in$church$ ! 11AM$Mass$in$parish$hall$ ! NO$12:30PM$Mass$

! OBLIGATION!#2:!CHRISTMAS! !

o Sunday,!Dec!24!! ! 4PM$Mass$in$church$ ! 4PM$Mass$in$parish$hall$ ! 4PM$Mass$in$school$gym$ ! 6:30PM$Mass$in$church$ ! 7PM$Misa(en(Español(en(sala( parroquial$ ! 8:30PM$Mass$in$church$ ! 12:00$Midnight$Mass$in$ church$ $

o Monday,!Dec!25! ! 9AM$Mass$in$church$ ! 11AM$Mass$in$church