Bishop Drainey: What about the Twelve Days of Christmas?
Blogged by James Preece on 27th December 2010
Bishop Terence Patrick Drainey has lost something...
It has always seemed strange to me that we spend so much time preparing for Christmas and yet as soon as Christmas Day is over, we are already trying to forget it and move on with life. With the recession and having to cut back, the timing was somewhat slower this year, but generally you can guarantee that as soon as October is moving out the Christmas trimmings are moving in. I suppose you can lay some blame at the door of the Church for that; there has always been the tradition of spending a month preparing for Christmas in the season of Advent. So then, what about the Twelve Days of Christmas? Where have they gone?
It is interesting that the Church also seems to be in something of a hurry. Yes there are indeed the Twelve Days of Christmas culminating in the three Kings arriving to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
[link]
What about the Twelve Days of Christmas? Where have they gone?
Seriously? Is he joking?
I'll tell you where they've gone! You see, here in Middlesbrough Diocese the twelve days of Christmas have been reduced to eight by the decision to move the Feast of the Epiphany to the nearest Sunday.
Sorry kids, but four days of Christmas have been cancelled.
Who is responsible for this decision? Don't blame the Bishop's Conference! Archbishop Vincent Nichols is not Bishop of Middlesbrough, Bishop McMahon is not Bishop of Middlesbrough and neither is Archbishop Patrick Kelly. No. Bishop Drainey is Bishop of Middlesbrough and he is personally responsible.
Bishop Drainey cancelled four days of Christmas and then he writes to us all asking "What happened to the Twelve Days of Christmas?"
I wrote to Bishop Drainey back in the summer to ask him about the holy days of obligation and received no reply.
Perhaps the Twelve days of Christmas got lost in the mail with my letter?
Reader Comments
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Richard R said...
"culminating in the three Kings arriving to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh" - Does the Lord Bishop of Middlesborough believe everything he sees on Christmas Cards? Where does it mention three Kings in the Sacred Scriptures? Perhaps a sabbatical at the Biblicum is overdue?
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Ben Trovato said...
The moving of the feasts to Sundays was a major pastoral disaster, eroding yet another part of Catholic identity in these sorry islands
However, in our household, Christmas lasts until the feast of the Purification on 2 Feb (unless some clown has moved it when I wasn't looking). Only then do the cribs come down, and only then do we stop singing the Alma Redemptoris.
Of course the Epiphany marks the end of the major celebration, and the decorations come down then (cribs excepted) but the season lasts for another 4 weeks.
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ann said...
That has happened in Wisconsin too. So dumb.
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Auricularis said...
Bishop Terence Patrick Drainey has lost something...
The Catholic faith?
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Catholicos said...
Dear Auricularis,
RE: Bishop Drain and the Catholic Faith.
Nemo dat quod non habet!
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Sarah said...
Same here in Brentwood diocese, they are calling it the "Christmas Octave", which gives the illusion that it's always been 8 days.
The Catholic Calendar of the Pope's visit, produced by the BCE&W has the feast of the Epiphany listed for this Sunday, so perhaps the blame does rest further up?
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Richard Collins said...
TPD is that an abbreviation for Tepid?
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Fintan said...
Individual diocesan bishops cannot move the celebration of major feasts. This is one of the few responsibilities of a bishops conference. This is so that there are no regional variations of the dates on which such feasts are celebrated. The translation of celebration of a feast to a Sunday can only be made in accordance with norms issued by Rome.
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