Shepparton’s vibrant Filipino community will once again be bringing their traditional Misa de Gallo dawn novena masses to Shepparton this Christmas season.
From Friday, December 16 to Saturday, December 24, a special mass will be held daily at 6am, with a breakfast served afterwards. Each mass will be celebrated by a different priest from across the Sandhurst Diocese, including Bishop Shane Mackinlay.
The masses began in Shepparton last year and were attracting well over 50 people most mornings.
The Misa de Gallo dawn novena masses have gained popularity in Australia, with people young and old and of various cultural backgrounds attending the nine-day devotion before Christmas.
Bendigo has been holding them since 2019, with up to 100 people or more attending each morning.
St Brendan’s Church assistant priest Father Jackson said everyone was welcome to attend the daily masses, for however many days.
While the mass typically starts at 4.30am in the Philippines, the morning service at St Brendan’s starts later to allow travel time for those coming from neighbouring towns.
Misa de Gallo means ‘mass for the roosters’ in Spanish, and as the name suggests, was started by agricultural farmers.
In the Philippines the Misa de Gallo dawn novena masses are also called Simbang Gabi.
In related news, St Brendan’s Catholic Church has announced its Christmas mass times.
Dawn Mass/Misa de Gallo
Daily mass, December 16 to 24 at 6am.
Reconciliation
Wednesday, December 21 from 5pm to 6.30pm.
Saturday, December 24 from 9.45am to 10.30am.
Christmas Eve Mass
Children’s Mass at 5pm. (The cash collection will go to supporting an orphanage in the Congo.)
Family Mass at 6.30pm.
Christmas Carols at 10.30pm.
Late Mass at 11pm.
LED candles and Christmas decals will be available to purchase at all St Brendan’s masses for $2.
Christmas Eve Dookie Mass at 7pm.
Syro-Malabar Mass at 8pm.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day masses will be at 8am and 11am.