In what is certain to be a dramatic setting, religious communities from around the Diocese of Knoxville will come together for a special candlelight Advent Mass on Thursday, Dec. 21, at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville.
The celebration, known as the Rorate Mass, will begin at 5:30 p.m., just minutes after the sun sets in East Tennessee. Winter officially begins that night.
All are welcome to attend the Mass.
The Rorate Mass is a celebration always held during Advent but not connected to anything celestial, per se. It just happens that the cathedral schedule allowed for the Mass to be celebrated this year on Dec. 21.
“The Church has a long tradition of celebrating what is known as the Rorate Masses, a special candlelight Mass in honor of Our Lady, during the season of Advent,” said Sister Mary Simone Haakansson, RSM, director of religious communities for the Diocese of Knoxville.
“We have had an excellent response from our religious communities to attend this special Mass, and we are grateful to our religious community priests, especially the Paulist Fathers, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary in the diocese. They have kindly agreed to lead this special celebration,” Sister Mary Simone added.
Priests from around the diocese have been invited to concelebrate the Mass.
Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Knoxville, will not be able to attend the Mass due to obligations in his home Archdiocese of Louisville.
“I offer my genuine thanks to the religious communities of the Diocese of Knoxville for the important work they do to in the name of Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Fabre said. “This special Mass, in honor of Our Lady, and for the next bishop of the diocese, comes at the conclusion of Advent. I extend my prayers and best wishes at this time, and please know that I accompany you in spirit as we joyfully approach the feast of the Nativity of the Lord.”
While the Mass will be celebrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin, prayer intentions will also be offered for the next bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville.
“This year, as we wait for the next bishop of our diocese to be appointed, we wanted to invite all of our religious communities to come together at our cathedral during the season of Advent to pray together for this intention,” Sister Mary Simone said.
There are nearly 20 religious communities that serve in the Diocese of Knoxville. Bringing them together for an Advent celebration was important, Sister Mary Simone noted.
“It has been a while since a special Mass was celebrated for the consecrated men and women of our diocese, so we hope this will be an occasion to make the beauty of consecrated life and the precious service of their communities more visible for the good people of East Tennessee,” she said.
The Rorate Mass is historically celebrated in the dark, often just before dawn, with candles serving as the primary illumination inside the church. Celebrated in honor of the Virgin Mary, it can take place on any weekday during Advent that doesn’t conflict with a special feast. The Mass tradition goes back centuries, to the Middle Ages, and is popular in Europe.