Our First Rorate Mass

We attended our first Rorate Mass here at the Kartause on the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto!

The Rorate Mass is a Votive Mass in honor of the Virgin Mary for the season of Advent.  It has a long tradition in the Catholic Church, especially in Central Europe.

The Rorate Mass takes its name from Isaiah 45:8 in Latin:

“Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.”

“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior.”

The Rorate Mass is lit only by candlelight.  The priests wear white in honor of Mary.  Everyone in the church prepares to honor the Light of the world, Who is soon to be born, and to offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady.  In theory -- as the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church would become progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ.

We left our home at 6:00am and walked to the church through the beautifully falling snow carrying our lanterns (which the kids use on St. Martin's Feast Day and on Christmas Eve to carry the Bethlehem light).  Mass began at 6:15am and was over before the sun had a chance to enter our church -- that's because we're in the foothills and don't see the sun until later in the morning.  After the Mass, we all gathered at our friends' home for breakfast and then the kids were off to school before 7:30am!

It was a beautiful, special Advent morning as we await the Christkind (Christ Child)!