Evening star., 1931-12-24
CHURCHES TO HOLD
SPECIAL SERVICES
Protestant and Catholic Con-
gregations to Observe
Christmas FittingIy.

Religious observance of Christmas
will be launched in Washington
churches late tonight, virtually every
Catholic Church in the city having
midnight mass, while many Protestant
churches also will conduct special
services
The most elaborate of the religious
obServances will be held at the Fran
CiScan Monastery in Brookland, where
will be presented in the course OF sew
eral hours devotions, the same services
which are held in Bethlehem. The
Monastery services will begin at 10:45
o'clock tonight when the friars will
chant the solemn mathis for the feast
of the Nativity. Beginning at mid
night, the solemn high mass will be
celebrated. Special music by the Mon
astery choir will mark the devotionS.
Win Sing Mass in Grctto.
At the conclusion of the mass the
Franciscan community will accompany
the officers of the mass to the "Grotto
of Bethlehem" an exact copy of the
original in the Holy Land. The gospel
announcing the birth of the Savior will
be sung in the grotto and at the
RECOMMENDATION of the words And they
1dIu Hill III bIlC llIfhllSCA, a AAASAAzAS
figure Of the Infant Jesus will be placed
in the manger. Following the midnight
mass, low masses will be said on the
altar of the nativity and others will
follow hourly from 6 to am. At
O'Clock the second solemn high mass
of Christmas day will be celebrated.
WashirgtonS religious observance of
Christmas will be heard abroad through
the radio broadcast of the Washington
Cathedral'S II am. services tomorrow.
Right Rev. James E. Freeman, Bishop
of Washington. will preach the sermon
and the services will be broadcast
through the Columbia Broadcasting
System and the British Broadcasting
Corporation in England. The broadcast
will take place from 1880 to 1880
o'clock
1t will be 4:30 o'clock Christmas aft
ernoon when the Washington Cathedral
Choir sings % Come, All Ye Faithful
at the opening of the radio portion OF
the services. This phase of the devo-
tions will include the singing of the
doXology, which Very Rev. G. G. F.
Bratenahl. dean of the Cathedral, will
conduct with the assistance of the
clergy staff.
Communion Service.
Other Christmas services at the
Cathedral will begin at 7:30 o'clock to-
morrow morning with the celebration
of holy communion. A similar service
will be held at $50 o'clock. The even
song will be held at pm. AL these
services will be conducted in Bethlehem
Chapel. A pilgrimage for out-of-town
visitors will be conducted by Cannon
John w Gummere following the festi-
val services to permit inspection of the
ctr e hn +iyyitx fn1I ty, hal
stained glass and sculptured stone Of
the great edifice. GuiCes will be avail
able throughout the day to show the
Cathedral to visitors unable to Join the
formal pilgrimage.
Downtown Catholic churches which
are having midnight masses tonight in
clude st. Patricks, at Tenth and G |
streets; st. Marys. at Fifth street
above G street; Holy Rosary, at Third |
and F streets, and st. Stephens, at
TWenty-ffth street and Pennsylvania
avenue. st. Patrick's Church also will
have a low mass at noon tomorrow as
well as at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and IL o'clock
in the morning. Other masses at Holy
Rosary will be at 8, and 1890 am.
Rev. DR.. Joseph Sizoo, pastor of the
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church,
will preach on The Feast of the
Lights" at special services in his
church at IL O'Clock tonight A quar- |
tet, under the direction of Paul w. |
Flshbaugh, will participate in these |
services.
Federation Service Tomorrow.
TIE annual Christmas services under |
auspices of the Federation of Churches /
will be held at IL a m. tomorrow in the |
National City Christian Church at !
Thomas Circle. Bishop William F. NC
Dowell, president of the federation,
will conduct the service. Music will be
under tie direction of William E.
BraithWaite with Robert Ruckman at |
the organ. The services will be pre-
ceded with a musical program, includ-
ing selections on the church chimes, at
10:45 am. Rev. DR.. A. j. Mccartney
of the Covenant-F First Presbyterian
Church will preach the sermon. Rev.
H. V. Wheeler of Emory Methodist
Church South will offer the prayer,
Rev. F. S. Niles of the Georgetown
Presbyterian Church will read the
scriptures, Rev. John Weidley of the
Lutheran Church of the Reformation
will make the announcements and Rev.
F. V. Fisher of TIE Ingram Congre-
gational Church will intone the closing
prayer.
The Covenant-First Presbyterian
Church will hold a candlelight service
at o'clock tonight, when special
program will be presented. This
program will include the Covenant
Quartet with Miss Esther Clody as
soloist.
Midnight Communion.
Rev. A. A. Birch, vicar of st. Georges
Chapel, IS R street, will conduct mid
night holy communion service at the
chapel at II: AS o'clock tonight.
Services at the Grace Lutheran
Church will begin at $50 am. tomor-
row, when Rev Gerhard E. Lenski. pas
tor will preach. The services will in
clude candlelight procession.
Rev. R. M. Williams, pastor. will
preach at the services in the Asbury
Methodist Episcopal Church at am.
tomorrow. The choir, under R. w.
Johnson, will sing Christmas carols.
Bishop Thomas F. Shahan, rector
emeritus of Catholic University, will
be the celebrant at solemn pontifical
mass at midnight tonight at
the National Shrine of the Immaculate
The devotionS will be the
first Christmas mass said in the shrine
since the completion of the basement of
on the university campus. ' lth the
two sacristies the shrine nov has the
largest crypt in the world. Music will
be presented by choir of 125 Chris
Ian Brothers. Admission to this mass
will be by ticket only and these can
be secured free at the shrine'S Office
Christmas masses in the
shrine will be said at 8, and 10 am.