Mater Ecclesiae’s Annual Assumption Mass in Philadelphia Cathedral

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Mater Ecclesiae Roman Catholic Church will celebrate its 19th annual Mass for the feast of the Assumption on Thursday, August 15, at 7:00 pm, at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, located at 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The solemn Tridentine Mass will once again feature the Ars Laudis Festival Chorus and Orchestra. For the Ordinary of the Mass, Dr. Timothy McDonnell will conduct Haydn’s so-called “Theresienmesse,” nicknamed for its unofficial dedicatee, the empress Maria Theresa of the Two Sicilies, the consort of the last Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II. (Maria Theresa herself was an accomplished soprano, singing the soprano solos in performances of both The Creation and The Seasons at the Viennese court in 1801.)

This Mass is sponsored by Mater Ecclesiae, a full Extraordinary Form, diocesan staffed Mission of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey. The first solemn Assumption Mass was celebrated at Camden’s Immaculate Conception Cathedral in the 2001; the church was too small to handle the crowds, and so it was moved to the beautiful church of St Peter in Merchantville, New Jersey. The tenth Assumption Mass was celebrated at St Peter Church’s in Philadelphia, the burial place and shrine of St John Neumann. For the last several years, thanks to the kindness of the rector, Father G. Dennis Gill, and the generous permission of His Excellency, Archbishop Charles Chaput, the Assumption Mass has been celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Ss Peter and Paul, Philadelphia. It has become a great tradition and festival in honor Our Lady and solemn worship of God in truth, goodness, and sublime beauty. You are most welcome!