There are four options to give:

  1. Offer Mass Intentions for your loved ones – living or deceased – may be requested for any, or to all, Simbang Gabi Mass of your choice.
  2. Sponsor a SJB Simbang Gabi Mass or more - the Sponsorship is a love-offering for any or all of the SJB Simbang Gabi Masses.
  3. General Purpose Fund (i.e., for any Simbang Gabi need/purpose other than those earmarked above) will go towards operational expenses, e.g., purchase of food, food supplies, and paper products for the after-Mass fellowship, payment for janitorial services, payment for marketing needs, etc.
  4. Choose to make a donation for the Christmas decorations and lights displayed outside and inside the church. Pictures of these are available on the parish website. Each item may have more than one donor.



Donor or Sponsor's name will be acknowledged on the overhead screen at the church. We must receive your form no later than 9:00 PM on the evening prior to the preferred Simbang Gabi date, to enable inclusion of your Intention/s in the Mass of the same date. If we receive your form past your preferred date and/or time, we will include it in the next Simbang Gabi Mass.


Origin

Know more about the Filipino Advent tradition honoring the Blessed Mother

 

Simbang Gabi (literally, “Mass at Night”), a 9-day novena of early morning Masses, begins at St. John the Baptist, on December 15 and ends on December 23.

 

Origin

 

The beginnings of Simbang Gabi can be traced back to 1668, when religious missionaries brought from Mexico the practice to the Philippines. There are a few versions of the story of its origin, but one of them is that the priests from the Spanish period agreed to hold the pre-dawn Masses so that farmers could hear Mass before they set off to work in the fields.

 

Traditionally, Simbang Gabi is celebrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Sixtus V, however, added the following intentions: (1) glorification and exaltation of the Holy Mother Church; (2) propagation of the Holy Catholic Faith; and (3) preservation of the newly baptized natives in the True Faith.

 

Today in the Philippines, Simbang Gabi is celebrated “for the perseverance of the Filipino nation in the faith and the preservation of our holy religion in this part of the world.” In the Diocese of San Jose and in other dioceses in the United States, it has become, first and foremost, a way for people of different races to offer God worship and praise. Second, it is a way to express and develop personal spirituality by preparing the heart for the coming (Advent) of Christ at Christmas. Third, it is a way to develop community through a common effort of prayer, work, celebration, fellowship, and charity. Some Masses in the Diocese are offered very early in the morning; most Masses are in the evening.

 

It is good to reflect on this intention at this time of challenges and disagreements. And as we attend the early morning or evening Masses, let us ask God to help heal our nation and bless the hearts of our leaders.


Simbang Gabi Then      

 

Simbang Gabi was held before dawn so that farmers and fisherman would be able to participate in them before the usual early start of their labor for the day. In fact, the flickering candles in the star-shaped parols or Christmas lanterns that adorned the humble houses gave light to the early-morning churchgoers on their way to Simbang Gabi.

 

The pre-dawn Mass was announced by the ringing of the church bells. In some rural areas, an hour before the start of Simbang Gabi, a brass band played Christmas music all over the town. It is also believed that parish priests would go far knocking on doors to wake and gather the faithful to attend the Misa de Gallo. Farmers as well as fishermen woke up early to hear the Gospel before going to their work and ask for the grace of good harvest.

 

In Simbang Gabi, the Spanish missionaries took the opportunity to evangelize the people. The church bells reminded them of their faith and the bells indicated when the families pray the Angelus, the rosary and the children are blessed with the sign of the cross on the forehead. Simbang Gabi, for example, was introduced to teach the people the meaning of Christmas and how to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. At the same time, it was also used to catechize the people on the meaning of the Mass. Simbang Gabi, from the onset, was a catechizing and evangelizing moment, when rich and poor, men and women, children and elderly, came together as a community waiting for the coming of the Lord and rejoicing in the promise of the Messiah.

 


Simbang Gabi Now

            

The changing of times does not break the preservation of celebrating Simbang Gabi although it is celebrated in new ways. Still, the tradition of Simbang Gabi continues. Families, friends and even individuals find its way going to the nearest church to attend the nine-day novena. It soon became a cultural tradition during Christmas season where social festivities and “salu-salo” (fellowship) gained more prominence.