Your piece on the disappearence of Midnight Mass (The Tablet, 27 December) overlooks the official position of the Church. Midnight Mass is the popular description of the first Mass of Christmas. I believe that up to the changes in the Calendar nearly fifty years ago, the First Mass of Christmas was "in nocte" (in the night), the Second "in Aurora" (at Dawn) and the the Third "in die nativitate domine" (on Christmas Day). Midnight is not mentioned.
This arrangement is still in place. When a priest celebrates three Masses, the Universal Ordo according to the Roman General Calendar refers to these as to be "celebrated at their proper time" and when only one Mass is celebrated he "should choose the one corresponding to the time of day".
This all implies that the old designations still apply. The celebration of Christmas by an evening Mass on the Vigil, which fulfills the obligation was, I believe, established about the time of the Calendar changes.
Michael Dowden, Northampton
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