Joint Celebration of the Anglican and Catholic Churches in Mojácar Around the Festival of Nine Lessons

As has been the tradition during the Christmas celebrations for many years in Mojácar, the municipality’s two most significant religious communities, Catholic and Anglican, gather at the Santa María Parish Church on the occasion of the Festival of Nine Lessons. This signifies a meeting between the faithful of both denominations gathered around the reading of Genesis in both languages.

The celebration was officiated by the Parish Priest at the Santa María Catholic Church in Mojácar, Víctor Manuel Fernández, and the Costa de Almería Anglican Minister, Alwyn Carter.

The Festival of Nine Lessons held in the Mojácar Santa María Parish Church was attended by Spanish and British faithful, Catholics and Anglicans, who jointly and movingly celebrated this time of Advent, a prelude to the most important days of the year for the faithful of both communities.

The readings by the faithful begin, following tradition, with the Old Testament. Through the prophet Isaiah, the birth of Jesus is announced, and through the apostles Luke, Matthew, and John, the impact of his birth on the world is recounted. The lessons, in Spanish and English, are interspersed with typical Christmas carols.

Despite being a reformed church, the Anglican Church maintains similarities with the Catholics. They accept the apostolic tradition and venerate the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. Both the Catholic and Anglican Churches celebrate masses throughout the world for the birth of Jesus.

The tradition of performing the Festival of Nine Lessons during the Advent season is of Anglican origin and dates back to 1880 when the Archbishop of Canterbury designed the service for use on Christmas Eve in Cornwall, Great Britain. It is a service that consists of nine short readings from the Bible in which the story of the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus is usually outlined.

The good neighborly relationship between the numerous residents, mainly British and Spanish, led to an agreement to celebrate together the arrival of the baby Jesus and the beginning of Christmas in Mojácar. This is an example of coexistence and respect between both communities that has given rise to some of the most moving Christmas events of this time of year.