The name “Rorate” comes from the Latin “Rorate caeli” (heavens, rained), a traditional Advent chant sung at the beginning of this liturgy.

The Mass begins before dawn and with no lighting in the church. The only lights contemplated in this ceremony are the candelabra on the altar and the candles of the faithful.

The darkness of the church recalls the darkness of the world before the coming of the Lord, while the few lights symbolise the struggle of those who want to be faithful to God in the midst of the shadows. Normally the end of the Rorate Mass coincides with the rising of the sun. This is to recall the words of the prophet Zechariah, who, filled with the Holy Spirit, said that Christ is “the light that rises from on high to enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadows of death and to guide our steps in the way of peace”.