Merry Christmas!

We celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas, which means Christ's Mass (the Mass of Christ). Christ means "the anointed one." Jesus was God made flesh, come to earth so that we could understand how much God loves us and so that we would not be afraid to approach Him. The Baby Jesus is a living symbol of the humility of God who came to earth in poverty, as an example for how we are to give our lives for others.

The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the first Christian Roman Emperor Constantine. Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on the 25th December annually.

To find a Christmas Mass schedule at a Catholic Church near you, use our Parish Finder at https://nolacatholic.org/parishfinder.