SIMBANG GABI IN MONMOUTH COUNTY; BEGINS DECEMBER 15
Simbang Gabi is the Filipino custom of offering a nightly Mass each day for nine nights prior to Christmas Day to help the faithful prepare themselves for the festive, yet solemn, celebration of the birth of our Lord. The novena of Masses signifies the nine months our Lord was in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God and our mother, too. This special novena is recognized by the universal Church as an authentic devotion to our Blessed Mother and has been prayed every year in the Philippines since the 1600s. In the Diocese of Trenton which covers four counties, every county has formed an organizing committee to ensure that all the faithful throughout the Diocese are given an opportunity to pray this novena.
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, Simbang Gabi in Monmouth County is not cancelled but will be very different this year from the way it had been celebrated in the previous years. All nine Masses are open to the public and will be celebrated in one host parish - St. Benedict Catholic Church in Holmdel - which can seat up to 170 people, following social distancing guidelines. No seat reservations are required. Those who choose to stay home can watch the livestreamed Simbang Gabi Mass on St. Benedict’s YouTube channel. All Masses will be in English and will start at 7:00 p.m. from December 15 to December 23, except Saturday, Dec. 19, to allow some time for the sanitizing of the space inside St. Benedict’s church building after their usual 5 o’clock Saturday evening Mass. The Simbang Gabi Mass on Saturday, Dec. 19, will start at 7:30 p.m.
Prior to every Mass, the Rosary will be recited in the church and, if weather permits, the Sacrament of Confession will be celebrated outside the Adoration Chapel. No fellowship meal will take place after the Masses this year.
