Q: This year Christmas falls on Saturday and the next day is the Feast of the Holy Family. Is it permitted to have a vigil Mass for that feast in the late afternoon or evening of Christmas Day?
A: Only Christmas Masses are permitted on December 25, 2010, though some parish may schedule a late afternoon Mass for pastoral reasons and the convenience of the faithful. No anticipated Mass for the Feast of the Holy Family is allowed this year. Because it falls on a Saturday, January 1, 2011, is not a holy day of obligation.
