Schedule of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses
Most Reverend Nelson J. Pérez will be the principal celebrant and homilist at the 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Vigil Mass on Friday, December 24, 2021 and the Christmas Day Solemn Mass at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 25, 2021.
Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103
The Holy Day of Christmas is a most special occasion for Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as we celebrate the Birth of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
The current liturgical guidelines issued by the Archdiocesan Office for Divine Worship and approved by Archbishop Pérez pertaining to the celebration of Advent and Christmas within the context of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic remain in effect. A full copy of these guidelines can be found at https://www.odwphiladelphia.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Coronavirus-Mask-Mandate-and-Philadelphia-Churches-Aug.-13.pdf.
Faithful throughout the five-county Archdiocese of Philadelphia are invited to celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord at the mother church of the Archdiocese, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, safely in-person and virtually via three live-streamed broadcasts of the Holy Mass.
Friday, December 24, 2021
– 5:00 p.m. – Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez will be the principal celebrant and homilist at the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass at the Cathedral Basilica. The Mass will be streamed live on the Archdiocesan Vimeo website https://vimeo.com/event/17522, as well as on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/ArchPhila and https://www.facebook.com/ArchbishopPerez beginning at 5:00 p.m. (EDT). There will also be a live feed for American Sign Language interpretation available on the Deaf Apostolate’s YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/DeafCatholicPhilly.
– 7:30 p.m. – There will be a second Christmas Eve Vigil Mass at 7:30 p.m. featuring a Cantor and Organist.
– 11:00 p.m. – The Cathedral Basilica Schola and Instruments will provide an hour of Lessons and Carols prior to Midnight Mass.
Saturday, December 25, 2021
– 12:00 a.m. – Solemn Midnight Mass will be streamed live on the Archdiocesan Vimeo website https://vimeo.com/event/17522, as well as on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/ArchPhila and https://www.facebook.com/ArchbishopPerez. beginning at 12:00 a.m. (EDT), with music provided by the Cathedral Basilica Choir and Instruments.
– 12:00 p.m. – Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez will be the principal celebrant and homilist for the Noon Solemn Mass, with music provided by the Cathedral Basilica Choir and Instruments. The Mass will be streamed live on the Archdiocesan Vimeo website https://vimeo.com/event/17522, as well as on the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/ArchPhila and https://www.facebook.com/ArchbishopPerez beginning at 12:00 p.m. (EDT). Music will be provided by the Cathedral Basilica Choir and Instruments.
Additional Christmas Day Masses will be celebrated in the Cathedral Basilica at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.
THERE WILL BE NO EVENING MASS.
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Editor’s Note: There will be a multbox feed available for the 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass only. Media planning to cover any other Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul are asked to call the Cathedral rectory at 215-561-1313 or pull from the online livestream. Please see the multbox information below.
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” allowfullscreen style=”position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;”></iframe></div>
Media trucks can access an external mult-box in the parking lot at the rear of the Cathedral. The mult-boxes feature both Program and Cleanfeed 1080i video with embedded audio (BNC) and Program audio (XLR).
Please contact Daniel Kearns with any technical concerns at 215-888-0305 (cell).
Contact: Kenneth A. Gavin
Chief Communications Officer
215-587-3747 (office)