Christmas: The Vanishing Midnight Mass in Quebec

The midnight mass tradition is fading in Quebec. When the inhabitants went to the village church, often a stone’s throw from the house, the sound vibrated Midnight Christian It’s over now.

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In a few decades, Quebec has gone from 500 midnight masses to only fifty this year.

Contacted stakeholders attributed this sharp decline to the aging of priests and a lack of volunteers. However, Alain Bronkin, a columnist specializing in religious news, confirms that the celebration is “very popular in the Catholic Church in Quebec”.

“I remember in the 1960s, all the little parishes had midnight mass. In Côte-des-Neiges, you had two midnight masses in the same church. Upstairs, you paid for your ticket and booked it, and in the basement you had free mass,” he says.

A collection Register Shows only the many dioceses in the region such as Gaspé (1), Rimouski (1), Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière (1), Chicoutimi (2), Rouyn-Noranda (2) and Amos (2). Up to 70 churches offer one or two midnight masses per territory.

“It’s a tragedy and we shouldn’t hide it. If you don’t have a priest anymore, how do you want to fill the church,” replied Alain Bronkin. He hopes that one day the laity will be allowed to celebrate masses in some areas.

Dioceses stand apart

Despite a significant decline in attendance over the years, dioceses stand out and small communities continue to hold traditional midnight mass in their parishes.

Therefore, no less than 16 midnight masses will be celebrated in the territory of the diocese of Saint-Hyacinthe, the honor of Vicar General Claude Lamoureux.

“With us, there is a real desire to perpetuate this tradition. Parishioners work to find volunteers and priests are generous with their time,” he underlines.

Canon Lamoureux finds great enthusiasm this year in conducting midnight masses after two years of pandemic.

The Estrie is an area that takes a lot of effort to keep its midnight masses. The Diocese of Sherbrooke confirms nine celebrations will be offered in its churches. The mass of the small parish of Racine is recognized as one of the most beautiful in all of Quebec.

With the celebration of many masses, the evening of December 24 becomes a real marathon for the priests. The workload is even more severe in areas where a parish priest can visit several parishes in a few hours.

Five in one night

In Amos’ territory, priest Crescent Mboninipuka will start his evening work with mass at 4pm to finish after midnight.

He then celebrated five Masses at Roquemaure (4 p.m.), Duparquet (6 p.m.), Saint-Germaine-Boulé (8 p.m.), Palmarolle (9:30 p.m.) and Gallichan (11 a.m.) while traveling about 150 kilometers. Return the way.

“We don’t realize, but the role is to do four masses. In the regions there are sometimes 50-60 kilometers between villages. Imagine if there is a blizzard,” concludes Alan Bronkin.

• Midnight Mass may be added by December 24.
• The dioceses of Longueuil, Saint-Jérôme and Valleyfield were unable to send their schedules. The Diocese of Montreal was still waiting for the confirmation of some churches to complete its list.

Source: Compilation of information provided by the Diocese of Quebec

A community in Estrie is rallying to save its celebration

Citizens of Racine, a small community of 1,300 souls in Estrie, stand guard to preserve one of Quebec’s oldest traditional midnight masses.

Despite all efforts, if the Church does not find a new celebrant in 2023, the event may be its last edition this year.

“Yes, we are afraid of missing the midnight mass. We don’t know what’s hanging between us,” says Brigitte Bombardier, coordinator of the event, which has been around for 100 years according to many people we spoke to.

Even this year, maintaining this tradition is a challenge. Fortunately, cooperating priest George Harkins has extended his mandate by a year, which will allow him to celebrate midnight mass.

The manager has to work harder to find volunteers. At the end of November, it was forced to advertise in the media in search of volunteers. According to the latest news, he has six more seats to fill, which he notes will not compromise mass retention.

without interruption

Even the pandemic didn’t stop organizers from offering midnight mass in Racine. “No, we don’t have one. [année] Brigitte Bombardier says proudly.

“We were able to sing mass in the family bubble and all other hygiene rules were respected,” explains the man who was able to continue with his wife Bertrand Cloutier and their three children.

For 10 years, the organizers of the event have added an activity to the joy of parishioners. From 11pm, on Christmas Eve, citizens are expected to drink wine or hot chocolate outside the church.

Stoves and small rooms are built there. At 11:30 p.m., people are invited into the church for a short concert by the Choir de Racine. At midnight speed, Bertrand Cloutier sings a moving song midnight christian, It is sung to Racine from father to son. Her father, Paul-Emile Cloutier, has thrilled audiences for years.