Simbang Gabi 2015 in the Tampa Bay Area
Simbang Gabi will be celebrated in the Tampa Bay Area in 2015! This year, nine churches in the Tampa Bay Area will be participating in this nine-day novena mass anticipating the coming of Christmas:
Tuesday, December 15, 2015, 7PM
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church
1711 E 11th Ave, Tampa FL 33605
Wednesday, December 16, 2015, 7PM
St. Anne Catholic Church
106 11th Ave NE
Ruskin, FL 33570
Thursday, December 17, 2015, 7PM
St. Mark The Evangelist Catholic Church
9724 Cross Creek Boulevard
Tampa, FL 33647
Friday, December 18, 2015, 6PM
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
4661 82nd Ave. N
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
Saturday, December 19, 2015, 6PM
St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church
4843 Mile Stretch Dr.
Holiday, FL 34690
Sunday, December 20, 2015, 4PM
Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church
6400 E Chelsea St.
Tampa, FL 33610
Monday, December 21, 2015, 7PM
St. Matthew Catholic Church
9111 90th Ave
Largo, FL 33777
Tuesday, December 22, 2015, 7PM
Espiritu Santo Catholic Church
2405 Philippine Pkwy
Safety Harbor, FL 34695
Wednesday, December 23, 2015, 7PM
St. Paul Catholic Church
12708 N Dale Mabry Hwy
Tampa, FL 33618
For more information about this event, please contact Ed and Susan Bilbao at (813) 503-6460 or (813) 323-0454.
What is Simbang Gabi?
“Simbang Gabi” is a devotional nine-day series of Masses practised by Catholics and Aglipayans in the Philippines in anticipation of Christmas and to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. The masses are held daily from December 16 to December 24 in the early mornings. On the last day of the Simbang Gabi, which is Christmas Eve, the service is instead called Misa de Gallo or “Rooster’s Mass”. The Simbang Gabi originated in the early days of Spanish rule over the Philippines as a practical compromise for farmers, who began work before sunrise to avoid the noonday heat out in the fields. Priests began to say Mass in the early mornings instead of the evening novenas more common in the rest of the Hispanic world. This cherished Christmas custom eventually became a distinct feature of Philippine culture and became a symbol of sharing.