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CIRCULAR # 13 – Directives for Misa de Gallo


November 25, 2007

TO ALL PARISH PRIESTS AND CHAPLAINS

Dear Monsignor/Father:

Peace!

Msgr. Cristobal Garcia, Chairman of our Archdiocesan Commission on Worship, upon the order of His Eminence Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, our Archbishop, has issued the following directives for the celebration of the Misas de Gallo in Cebu. Obviously these directives are given so that liturgical abuses may be avoided.

DIRECTIVES FOR MISA DE GALLO

Section A – INDULT

  1. Misa de Gallo began as an indult given in 1587 to the Diocese of Mexico to celebrate dawn masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary beginning in the 16th of December to accommodate the sheer number of recent converts since we were under Mexico then. This indult was applied to us.
  2. The first Plenary Council of the Philippines renewed this indult as a national novena foe the preservation of the faith to be said at dawn from December 16 to December 24 in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
  3. John Paul II strengthened this indult granting it a privilege of votive masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary from December 16-24 only for dawn even on Sundays of Advent, retaining the readings of the weekdays, superseding Sundays if Advent and requiring the recitation of the Creed throughout the Novena.

Section B – TIME AND PLACE

  1. In the Archdiocese of Cebu, the Misa de Gallo may be started at dawn between 4:00 – 5:00 a.m. only, neither earlier nor later.
  2. They may be celebrated only in Parish Churches, Archdiocesan Shrines, Conventual Churches, Chapels of Houses of Formation, Public Oratories, Chapels recognized by the Parishes and Hospitals.

Section C – PROHIBITION

In the Archdiocese of Cebu, it is prohibited:

  1. To have the so-called anticipated Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi. This is not covered by the Indult – a deception of our people and by no means tolerated in this Archdiocese. Likewise, it is forbidden to hold Misa de Gallo at any other time outside that stipulated above.
  2. The Misa de Gallo is forbidden to be celebrated at any time in malls, hotels, offices, private chapels, clubhouses, villages, housing projects, factories, schools, stores, street corners, basketball courts and sports centers, dancehalls, parks, restaurants and other such places deemed by the Commission on Worship and the Parish Priests as inappropriate. This prohibition applies also to ALL MASSES BETWEEN DECEMBER 24-25.
  3. It is forbidden to have only a portion of the Misa de Gallo such as Triduum celebrated in a given place unless a parish clusters a group of neighboring chapels and celebrates the Misa de Gallo at various places completing the nine days within the cluster.

Please be guided accordingly. Receive my best wishes foe Christmas and the New Year.

Sincerely in the Lord,

MSGR. ADELITO A. ABELLA, P.A.

Chancellor