Rorate Caeli Jubilee Mass
Saturday, December 20, at 6:30am
The Rorate Mass is an ancient Advent tradition celebrated by candlelight in the early morning darkness, symbolizing hope and the coming of Christ. Its roots stretch back to medieval times and it has been cherished across cultures, often dedicated to Our Lady during Advent, as we do today.
The full text of the Rorate chant may be worth contemplating more here. It translates:
“Be not angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity:
behold the city of the Holy One is become a desert:
Sion is become a desert: Jerusalem is desolate:
the house of thy sanctification and of thy glory,
where our fathers praised thee.”
“[And] We have sinned and are become as one that is unclean:
and we have all fallen as a leaf,
and our iniquities like the wind have carried us away:
thou hast hidden thy face from us,
and hast crushed us in the hold of our iniquity.”
“Behold, O Lord, the affliction of thy people,
and send forth Him Who is to come:
send forth the Lamb, the ruler of the earth,
from the Rock of the desert, to the mount of daughter Sion:
that he may take away the yoke of our captivity.”
“Be comforted, be comforted, my people:
thy salvation cometh quickly:
why art thou consumed with grief:
for sorrow hath estranged thee:
I will save thee: fear not,
for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel.”
[So then]: Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above,
and let the clouds rain down the Just One.”
Celebrated before dawn, the Rorate Mass begins in darkness and concludes in sunrise, mirroring our spiritual journey from waiting in hope to welcoming Christ, the light of the world. The liturgy’s unique prayers and chants reflect both the anticipation of Christ’s birth and our hope for His return. “Ecce Dominus veniet, et omnes sancti ejus cum eo: et erit in die illa lux magna, alleluia. / Behold, the Lord will come, and with Him all His saints; and on that day there shall be a great light, alleluia.”
This year, our Rorate Mass is especially significant as it is the last of our Jubilee Ember Day Masses and a final opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence during the Jubilee Year of Hope. In many ways, this dawn liturgy—rooted in centuries of hope and anticipation—serves as the perfect culmination to our Jubilee celebrations. Gathering in darkness to greet the light together, we close the Year of Hope as we began: united in prayer, expectation, and gratitude for the gift of Christ.