Overwhelmed at Christmas Masses this evening

I assisted my first Christmas Mass this afternoon at Most Holy Trinity Parish.  This is the first Christmas Mass celebrated somewhere other than my home parish in Abita Springs of St. Jane's.  My new friends at MHT have been warning me of the overwhelming turnout at the 1st of our 2 Christmas eve liturgies.  I certainly expected a huge turnout, but scoffed at some of the numbers I heard thrown around.  Our church holds 400 comfortably yet we can squeeze in another 100 easily.  Well tonight, I learned my new friends were right and I could not be more delighted.  At our 4 p.m. vigil, the ushers counted 891 folks at Mass before they quit counting to help make room for the ministers to get through the overflow crowd in the back of Church.  I'm betting we actually had 950.

Now if you read my earlier post you know I already mentioned what our attitude must be for all our visitors and yes, our Catholic brothers and sisters who may not be with us throughout the year but manage to celebrate the liturgy at Christmas, and Easter too.  I hope all our visitors and those who fall in this category felt welcome and also may be encouraged to return often. 

I understand that our 6 p.m. Mass, while not standing room only, packed in another 400-450.  Imagine, a new parish, still meeting for Mass in temporary facilities, playing host to nearly 1,400 Catholics on this Christmas Eve.  And our parish boundaries are right next store to the Archdiocese's largest parish which was preparing for over 3,000 worshippers tonight.  Catholicism is alive and well in our corner of the world.  Thanks be to God!

What's important here is that the liturgy was prayed, announcing the birth of Christ, and that same Christ was sacramentally present for those who could receive Him in the Eucharist.  Beyond any doubt, I would not want to be anything other than Catholic when celebrating the Birth of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Tonight, I'm relaxing at home watching Midnight Mass from the Vatican and waiting to see Midnight Mass from St. Louis Cathedral.  And at some point before I retire for the evening, I will step outside and look to the sky and offer more praise to God the Father for sending me His Son, on this very night, some 2,000 years ago!