Bishop Burbidge to conduct Holy Week Masses; services to be live-streamed for viewing

The Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Virginia has been wired to increase its Wi-Fi capabilities, enabling all Holy Week Masses this year to be live-streamed.

The Masses will be celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Diocese of Arlington, and will be available at ArlingtonDiocese.org. Typically near its 1,200 person capacity for numerous Masses during this sacred season, the Cathedral will not be open to the public for the celebration of these Masses, in conjunction with efforts being made at all levels to slow the spread of the coronavirus. This announcement comes one week after Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced that the ban on more than 10 people in a group will extend through April 23, 2020.

“While we all desire to come together to celebrate the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord during this sacred season, we know we must continue to take steps to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Here, the Lord calls us to surrender again. This year, we must celebrate Easter in a different way,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. “In doing this, we want to ensure that the faithful are able to celebrate this special season with a sense that they remain spiritually unified during this challenging time. We will be offering Masses from the Cathedral live-streamed so anyone can participate from their homes. There is no spiritual distancing in this diocese!”

Holy Week Masses Live-Streamed, to be Celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge (All live streams can be found on the Diocese’s homepage at ArlingtonDiocese.org.)

Mass of Palm Sunday
Sunday, April 5, 11:15 a.m.

Chrism Mass
Thursday, April 9, 10:30 a.m.

Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Thursday, April 9, 7:30 p.m.

Passion of the Lord
Friday, April 10, 3:00 p.m.

Easter Vigil Mass
Saturday, April 11, 8:30 p.m.

Easter Sunday Mass During the Day
Sunday, April 12, 9:30 a.m.

Last week, crews worked around the clock to wire new Cat6 Ethernet cables into the Cathedral’s majestic pillars, enabling fast and reliable streaming. The wiring project allowed for new Wi-Fi access points to be installed, which will be used for streaming the Masses. The Diocese’s multimedia team will have a multi-camera setup for Holy Week Masses, allowing for an immersive viewing experience. Masses will be available on ArlingtonDiocese.org and streamed to Facebook Live, YouTube, Periscope, and Instagram Live.