The capacity of the congregation allowed in the Great Upper Church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception will increase from its current cap of 250 people to 1,000 people for Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday.

“I am grateful to the Mayor’s Office for accepting this request which allows more of the faithful to participate in the most sacred days of the Church year,” said Msgr. Walter Rossi, rector of the Basilica, stated,

The ticketing system implemented by the Basilica for the Christmas season has remained in place, therefore advance registration is required for the liturgies of Holy Week and Easter, and all solemnities.  

To register for tickets for the National Shrine’s liturgies of Holy Week and Easter, visit www.nationalshrine.org/mass-registration.  Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, with a 10-person ticket limit per registration. 

 The Basilica’s 2021 Holy Week and Easter schedule is as follows:

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

4:30 p.m. (Vigil), 9 a.m., noon (livestreamed, celebrated by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States), 2:30 p.m. (Spanish, livestreamed) and 4:30 p.m.

Holy Thursday

5:30 p.m. A Choral Meditation: Jesu, the Very Thought of Thee (livestreamed)

6 p.m. Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper (livestreamed, celebrated by Archbishop Pierre) 

Good Friday

2 p.m. Organ Prelude: A Meditation on the Passion of Christ (livestreamed)

2:30 p.m. A Choral Meditation: Hear, O God, My Prayer (livestreamed)

3 p.m.  Solemn Celebration of the Passion of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (livestreamed, with Archbishop Pierre presiding and Msgr. Rossi as celebrant and homilist)

Holy Saturday

8 p.m. The Solemn Easter Vigil (livestreamed)

 Easter Sunday – The Solemnity of the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

 7:30 a.m. (Crypt Church), 9 a.m., noon (livestreamed, celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington), 2:30 p.m. (Spanish, livestreamed), 4:30 p.m.        

For those unable to attend in person, the noon and 2:30 p.m. (Spanish) Masses of Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, and the Liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, will be livestreamed at www.nationalshrine.org/mass.

The National Shrine continues to operate with an adjusted schedule and operations due to the coronavirus pandemic and continued restrictions.  However, while Confessions are currently heard Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., the National Shrine is adding two hours of Confession Monday through Thursday of Holy Week from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

 For more information, visit www.nationalshrine.org.