1st Vespers of the Nativity
The time of Advent ends with the first vespers of the nativity.
We sing the hymn « Jesu Redemptor omnium » (Jesus Savior of all) that we sing at every vespers during the Christmas time.
Office of the Vigils of the Nativity
Shortly after vespers and a simple meal we sang the vigil service. In this office, we read one of the sermons of St. Leo the Great for the nativity. Here is an excerpt:
« Our Savior, my beloved ones, was born today: let us rejoice, we are not allowed to be sad when we celebrate the anniversary of our life. He destroys the fear of having to die, He gives us the joy of the promised eternity. «
The mass of the night
The first Christmas Mass, called the Mass of the Night, took place in the Basilica of Evron. It was celebrated by don Paul Preaux. It was followed by a « mulled wine » shared with the faithful.
the dawn Mass
At the first light of Christmas morning, the Church allows us to celebrate the mass of the dawn, also called the « mass of shepherds » or the « mass of angels ».
The mass of the day
With the parish of Evron, we celebrated the Christmas Mass. Some seminarians went to the parish of Laval to to help out with the choir.
shared meal
After mass, everyone was invited to an aperitif in the abbey’s gallery, followed by a shared meal so that, on Christmas day at least, no one is alone. The meal was animated by songs and other musical improvisations in the different languages of the seminarians and guests.
walk of seminarians in the city and exchange of gifts
In the afternoon, people could see 120 seminarians with their formators walk around the streets of Evron for the traditional Christmas walk. Rrefreshed, we then sang the vespers, distributed the gifts (everyone had made a gift for a brother) to finally conclude the day with a dinner.
December 26, after the mass, all went on vacation to see their families.
