Here's How to Watch Easter Mass Online if You're Staying Home This Year
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Easter is a time of traditions, from fellowship with family and friends over a fabulous feast to dyeing eggs—and hunting them—with the littles. For many Christians, the springtime holiday also wouldn't be complete without attending a religious service celebrating Jesus's resurrection. But with the pandemic still dragging on, you might be justifiably wary of taking part in big public gatherings. Perhaps you're asking yourself how you're going to truly connect with the reason for the season without visiting your local house of worship on Easter. Happily, in 2020 and 2021 many churches offered virtual Easter Sunday Mass online, enabling congregations to livestream the proceedings, and 2022 looks to be no different.
While it's still early enough in the year that most religious institutions have yet to post their virtual Easter Sunday service schedules, we suggest that as the big day comes closer you check in with your church's website and social media channels. Chances are, they'll have a link up that will take you straight to the livestream at the appointed time. Or, you can tune in to some of the world's most famous and revered churches, which not only broadcast live online at Easter, but also regularly offer virtual masses, prayers, services and more. They give worshippers a sense of community, uniting them with clergy, the Divine, and each other. (We'll update you here with more specific details about Easter Sunday Mass livestreams as we get them.)
The Vatican
Last year, Pope Francis performed Easter Mass at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, at 4 a.m. EST. For early birders, the event was available to watch in real time on the Vatican's website, as well as through the Vatican Media Youtube Channel, where the pontiff can be seen praying the Angelus and Holy Rosary every day. CatholicTV Network also aired the Vatican Easter Mass live in 2021, rebroadcasting for late sleepers it at 5:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. The channel is available from platforms including Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV and CatholicTV.org.
St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City has posted a list of its 2022 Holy Week events, some of which will be presented live on its website. While the website does not yet note what Easter Mass will be livestreamed, in-person masses will take place at 7:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 8:45 a.m., 10:00 a.m. (Easter Solemn Mass; ticketed only), 1:00, 4:00 p.m. (Spanish), and 5:30 p.m. Last year, the cathedral livestreamed its Easter Solemn Mass at 10:00 a.m. EST on its site, as well as its Facebook page and Youtube channel. The service was also broadcast on the television channel WPIX. Currently, St. Patrick's is livestreaming masses every day of the week except Wednesday, when a Recitation of the Rosary is provided virtually. Videos of past services are archived and available on St. Patrick's site as well.
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Also known as "America's Catholic Church," the basilica offered its 2021 12 p.m and 2:30 pm (Spanish) masses of Easter Sunday live online at www.nationalshrine.org/mass. Livestreamed Sunday masses, as well as previously recorded services, including Solemn Mass on Christmas Day, are also available on the website. Located like the basilica in Washington, D.C., Washington National Cathedral broadcast its Easter Mass last year virtually at 11:15 a.m. EST on the cathedral's Facebook and YouTube pages. The cathedral is also currently livestreaming Morning Prayer at 7 a.m. on weekdays, as well as its Sunday Worship at 11:15 a.m. Find them on the website cathedral.org.
Lakewood Church
Joel Osteen's megachurch is tucked away in Houston, but reaches many millions more through its incredibly popular television and radio programs, podcasts and online presence. The church serves up 90-minute online services Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 7 p.m.; and Sundays at 8:30 a.m, 11 a.m., and 7 p.m. Last year, Lakewood Church hosted four Easter services online at 8:20 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. (in Spanish), and 7 p.m. It's a safe bet it will do likewise this year.
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