Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez will be the principal celebrant and homilist at the 12:05 p.m. Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent for Christians throughout the world. Lent is a 40-day period of penitence, prayer, fasting and almsgiving from Ash Wednesday through Holy Thursday in preparation for the celebration of Easter.
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
12:05 p.m.
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Blessed Ashes will be distributed to the faithful at all the Masses, reminding them to repent and believe in the Gospel as the 2021 Lenten Season begins. Mass will also be celebrated at 7:15 a.m. (Chapel), 12:35 p.m. (Chapel), and 5:15 p.m. (Basilica). In addition to the celebration of Mass with the distribution of Ashes, there will be Celebrations of the Word of God and the distribution of Ashes in the nursing facilities within the parish boundaries on Ash Wednesday if pandemic restrictions permit.
The Bishops of the United States prescribe that all Catholic persons who are fourteen years of age and older should abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent. Further, all persons eighteen years of age and older, up to and including their fifty-ninth birthday, are bound to fast by limiting themselves to a single full meal on Ash Wednesday and on Good Friday, while the other two meals on those days are to be light.
The Cathedral Parish will offer the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation on weekdays at 11:30 a.m. (Basilica), Saturdays at 4:15 p.m. (Basilica) and Sundays 9:00 a.m. (Basilica), 12:00 Noon in Spanish (Chapel) and 5:30 p.m. (Basilica). Likewise, individual parishes throughout the Archdiocese may have alternative dates and times for this Sacrament in addition to already scheduled times.
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Editor’s Note: The 12:05 p.m. Ash Wednesday Mass in the Cathedral Basilica will be streamed live on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArchbishopPerez
Streaming link: https://vimeo.com/event/17522
Embed Code: <div style=”padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;”><iframe src=”https://vimeo.com/event/17522/embed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen style=”position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;”></iframe></div>
For Ash Wednesday Mass, a press audio/video mult-box clean feed will be provided in the Cathedral parking lot with multiple HD-SDI video (BNC) and mic/line (XLR) connections. Crews will need a live truck or recording device.
Please contact Daniel Kearns with any technical concerns at 215-888-0305 (cell).
Contact: Alyssa McFadden
Communications Assistant
215-587-3747 (office)