Cardinal issues guidelines for simbang gabi; masses in malls not allowed

The faithful who used to attend simbang gabi masses in malls are now urged to go to the parishes to participate in the celebration.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales in a directive sent to archdiocesan clergy said simbang gabi masses will not be allowed anymore in malls “unless there is a chapel in the establishment, where the Holy Eucharist is celebrated with frequency and duly approved” by the archdiocese.

The guidelines are issued to ensure a “proper, solemn, dignified and meaningful celebration of the Simbang Gabi”, the cardinal said.

“We do not allow Simbang Gabi to be celebrated in corridors and hallways of shopping malls where the celebration of the Holy Eucharist is needlessly exposed to shoppers that are indifferent to the celebration,” Rosales said in the circular.

He said masses for simbang gabi should be celebrated in the parishes or chapels that are duly recognized by the parish.

Simbang gabi, also known as misa de aguinaldo is traditionally celebrated at early dawn, from 4:00 to 5:00 a.m., although it is already a practice in many parishes to celebrate simbang gabi masses in the evening.

“If the Misa de Aguinaldo is celebration from 8:00 o’clock in the evening onwards, it should be motivated by genuine pastoral care for the spiritual benefit of the faithful,” the cardinal stressed.

The simbang gabi masses celebrated in the evening started during martial law years because of the curfew imposed by the government at the time.

But the practice has remained because many faithful “who follow the urban rhythm of work find it easier to join in the evening instead of the dawn Masses.”

“We wish to encourage the practice of Simbang Gabi, whether at dawn or in the evening, because it is a great source of spiritual nourishment to our faithful,” the cardinal said.

But celebration of simbang gabi masses at other times such as morning, mid-day or late afternoon mass is not allowed since it “is not in keeping with the liturgical norms of the Archdiocese of Manila and is to be regarded as an abuse.”

The simbang gabi or the nine-day dawn masses preceding the feast of Christmas is a tradition brought into the country by the Spanish evangelizers.

In 1953, the Plenary Council of the Philippines formally requested Rome for special dispensation to celebrate the nine-day dawn masses leading to Christmas.

Celebrated with solemnity, the simbang gabi masses are votive masses in honor of the Virgin Mary.

“For Filipino Catholics, Simbang Gabi is above all an expression of their filial devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. For nine consecutive days, they join and accompany her, so to speak, as she awaits the birth of her Son,” according to Rosales.

“May the faith and devotion of Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of the Filipino nation, inspire us to receive in our hearts and home God’s surpassing Aguinaldo in the person of Jesus Christ. Let us keep her company through prayer and good works, so that she may also keep us company as we journey toward the fulfillment of God’s promise of peace in our nation and in the world,” the cardinal further said.