Washington D.C., 23 December, 2023 / 9:00 pm (ACI Africa).
This year, the fourth Sunday of Advent falls on Dec. 24 — Christmas Eve. The next day is Monday, Dec. 25 — the solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. That means the faithful must attend two Masses back to back to meet their Sunday and Christmas Day obligations.
In a newsletter issued in early 2017 — the last time Christmas Day fell on a Monday — the U.S. Catholic bishops addressed questions regarding whether Sunday and holy day Mass obligations can be fulfilled with a “two-for-one” Mass attendance at Christmas this year.
Because Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation, some have asked whether a Sunday evening Mass on Christmas Eve would fulfill both the obligation for a Sunday Mass and the obligation for a Christmas Day Mass.
However, the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship has said the faithful should attend two Masses to fulfill their Sunday and Christmas Mass obligations.
Since the mid-20th century, the Church has allowed Catholics to attend vigil, or anticipated, Masses for Sundays and holy days of obligation as “a convenience for many of the faithful.”
