Two Masses, One Grace-Filled Weekend: Your Guide to the Double Mass Obligation This Dec. 6-8
- Denver Catholic Staff
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Good news! This holiday season, the Church is giving us a great gift: the chance to go to Mass TWICE in one weekend!
That might not seem like a “gift” to some, with all the demands of the holiday season pressing down. But this weekend, we celebrate a few fantastic feasts that you won’t want to miss.
First, on Sunday, December 7, we gather to celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent. We’ll hear an ancient prophecy of Jesus’ coming and the divine promise of peace that accompanies it. In fact, that Advent week is all about peace — and can’t we use a bit more of that these days?
Then, on Monday, December 8, the Church worldwide looks to our Blessed Mother on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. We celebrate the blessed moment of Mary’s conception and the grace-filled gift of being preserved from original sin, a gift given through the merits of her son-to-be, Jesus. In this way, from the very first moment of her life, Mary was prepared to give her “Fiat,” to become the Mother of God.
We’re talking about two major feasts here! Hence, the back-to-back Mass obligations!
Not a Burden, but an Invitation
It can be tempting to think of an overlapping obligation as a scheduling frustration. But the Church’s language has always been clear: the obligation to attend Mass flows from love, not legalism.
We attend Mass because God first loved us and calls us into relationship with him. Because we love him, even imperfectly, we’re called to spend time with him and to receive his grace, most especially in the Eucharist, which sustains us. As we worship, we are shaped into people capable of receiving and sharing his grace.
Sunday and Holy Day Masses are moments when the Christian community responds in love to God’s command to keep holy the Sabbath. They are invitations — not punishments! — sacred times when the Church gathers as one family around the altar.
How to Prepare
Because of the double obligation, parishes across the archdiocese will offer additional liturgies. Here are helpful tips:
Plan ahead. Look up your parish’s Mass schedule for the weekend of Dec. 6–8.
Make it prayerful. Treat the weekend as a mini-retreat: Advent anticipation, Marian hope, Eucharistic renewal.
Bring the family. These are beautiful opportunities to teach children about Mary, Advent and the rhythm of Catholic life.
Invite someone. Many people return to the Church during Advent; your invitation may be the encouragement they need.
A Weekend Full of Grace
This “double obligation” weekend is not a burden but a blessing, a chance to enter more deeply into Advent and to honor the woman whose “yes” made our salvation possible.
In the Immaculate Conception, we see the tenderness of God preparing a mother for his Son. In Sunday Mass, we encounter the Son himself, given for us in love.
A Guide to the Double Obligation
Note that attending one Mass does not “count” for both obligations. Each liturgy celebrates something distinct and essential: the hope of Jesus’ coming and Mary’s vital role in God’s plan of salvation.
As you plan your Mass attendance for the weekend of Dec. 6-8, here are some combinations that will satisfy both obligations:
A Saturday (Dec. 6) Evening Mass and a Monday (Dec. 8) Mass
A Saturday (Dec. 6) Evening Mass and a Sunday (Dec. 7) Evening Mass
A Sunday (Dec. 7) Morning/early Afternoon Mass and a Monday (Dec. 8) Mass
A Sunday (Dec. 7) Morning/early Afternoon Mass and a Sunday (Dec. 7) Evening Mass
A Sunday (Dec. 7) Evening Mass and a Monday (Dec. 8) Mass
A Sunday (Dec. 7) Evening Mass and a second Sunday (Dec 7.) Evening Mass
Be sure to check your parish’s bulletin for more information on Mass times!
