Pontifical Mass to Mark 100th Anniversary of St. Lawrence Chapel

On Tuesday, April 24th, 2018, His Excellency Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, Bishop of Harrisburg, will celebrate a Solemn Pontifical Mass at St. Lawrence Chapel, home of Mater Dei, our apostolate in the Pennsylvania capital. The Mass honors the 100th anniversary of the dedication of St. Lawrence, a beautiful neo-Gothic edifice that stands near St. Patrick’s Cathedral on State Street.

The community of St. Lawrence has even older beginnings, its roots stretching all the way back to German immigrant communities of pre-Revolutionary Pennsylvania. The community became a parish in 1859, and the current chapel was dedicated in the spring of 1918. You can read more here in the booklet released for the 125th anniversary of St. Lawrence Parish in 1984.

Mass will begin at 7pm, and will include music by Mater Dei’s Schola and Mixed Choir in collaboration with the music staff of St. Patrick’s. Additionally, Mater Dei is hosting a “100th Anniversary Opening Celebration” the preceding Sunday, April 22nd, with a High Mass at 10am followed by a bratwurst and burger lunch, an organ recital and sung Vespers with organ.

If you are in the area, join with Mater Dei in celebrating the centennial of the beautiful chapel that they call home.