Christmas Carol Mass

Christmas is a time when families gather, when people come to Mass who might otherwise only rarely gather for Eucharist. It is a unique opportunity for welcome, a time when exercising the privilege of hospitality reflects the central message of Christmas itself, making a place for Christ who comes among us as a stranger. This Mass setting uses the melodies of familiar Christmas carols which are part of our everyday cultural experience during the Christmas season, to extend that hospitality to all present at the Eucharist, by enabling everyone, friends and strangers, newcomers and visitors, to join in singing the ordinary parts of the Mass together.

For musicians and choirs, this Mass setting can be a simple way of bringing a distinctive seasonal flavour to traditional Christmas celebrations, or it can provide a foundation for familiar descants and voices to create spectacular choral arrangements in a short time. From children’s and family Masses to the solemnity of midnight Mass, the timeless melodies of Christmas carols lend this setting their own special joy and beauty.