Baltimore Basilica - America's First Cathedral

08/25/2026

Tickets are now on sale for Handel’s Messiah at the Baltimore Basilica!

Join us at America’s First Cathedral for a favorite Baltimore tradition and experience Handel’s complete masterpiece in one of the nation’s most breathtaking sacred spaces.

📅 Friday, December 11 at 7:00 PM
📅 Saturday, December 12 at 3:00 PM

Maestro Edward Polochick leads the Baltimore Basilica Festival Orchestra and Choir in this glorious celebration of hope, joy, and redemption, from the opening notes to the triumphant “Hallelujah” chorus.

🎟️ Reserve your seats today:
americasfirstcathedral.org/concertseries

08/25/2026

Join us at the breathtaking Baltimore Basilica, America’s First Cathedral, for a favorite Baltimore tradition - two glorious performances of Handel’s Messiah on Friday, December 11th and Saturday, December 12th, 2026 with Maestro Edward Polochick and the Baltimore Basilica Festival Orchestra and Choir!

From the heart-stirring opening strains to the exultant “Hallelujah” chorus, experience the complete masterpiece performed in one of the nation’s most inspiring and historic sacred spaces. With soaring choruses, brilliant orchestral writing, and world-class soloists, Messiah remains a timeless proclamation of hope, joy, and redemption.

Whether you have cherished this work for years or are discovering it for the first time, allow Handel’s beloved masterpiece to fill your heart and usher in the beauty and wonder of the Christmas season.

Ticket link in the comments.

Archdiocese of Baltimore
The Catholic Review

08/12/2026

Come early to Mass this Sunday at the Baltimore Basilica 🙏

Join us at 10:00 AM on Sunday, August 16, for Lauds sung by the Basilica Schola Cantorum, followed by our Solemn 10:30 AM Mass.

Experience the beauty of the Church’s ancient prayer in the sacred setting of America’s First Cathedral.

📍 Baltimore Basilica
🕙 Lauds | 10:00 AM
⛪ Mass | 10:30 AM

Archdiocese of Baltimore The Catholic Review

07/25/2026

Another great Family Adoration and Fellowship event at the Baltimore Basilica. ❤️

07/22/2026

We're honored to be featured in the latest National Catholic Register article, "Café Catholicism: Parishes Are Upping Their Coffee Game." ☕⛪

The story highlights the Sexton's Lodge Café at the Baltimore Basilica, where coffee has become so much more than a beverage. Every Thursday and Sunday after morning Mass, parishioners, visitors, young families, and our "friends on the street" gather around the same tables to share conversation, friendship, and community. As the article beautifully notes, it is a place where children know the names of our friends on the street, and our friends on the street know the names of our children.

This is the Church at its best: welcoming, joyful, and rooted in authentic encounter.

If you're in Baltimore, we'd love to welcome you. Join us for Mass, then stay for coffee and conversation at America's First Cathedral.

Read the full article here: https://www.ncregister.com/features/cafe-catholicism

Coffeehouses aren’t a nice added extra for a Catholic parish, but rather an essential, one priest told the Register.

07/07/2026

Hundreds of people venerated the major relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque during a July 5-6 visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore.

07/07/2026

On This Day | July 7, 1806

On this day 220 years ago, John Carroll laid the cornerstone for the Cathedral of the Assumption, the nation's first cathedral.

What began as a bold vision for the young Church in America would become the mother church of the United States and a place where generations have gathered to worship, pray, and celebrate the faith.

We give thanks for this historic moment that laid the foundation for what is today America's First Cathedral.

07/04/2026

Happy Independence Day!

As our nation celebrates 250 years, we invite you to join us in giving thanks for the blessings of liberty and praying for the United States.

Continue the celebration with us tomorrow, Sunday, July 5, at the 10:30 a.m. Mass celebrated by Archbishop William E. Lori. Stay afterward for festive treats and the opportunity to venerate the major relics of Margaret Mary Alacoque, on display following Mass.

May God continue to guide our nation. Happy Fourth of July!

07/02/2026

Basilica Schedule | July 3–6

Please note the following schedule for the upcoming holiday weekend:

Friday, July 3
• 7:30 AM Mass only
• The Basilica will close immediately following Mass.
• No 12:10 PM Mass
• No First Friday Holy Hour

Saturday, July 4
• 8:00 AM Mass
• Guided tours immediately following Mass

Sunday, July 5
• 8:00 AM Mass
• 9:30 AM Confessions
• 10:30 AM 250th Anniversary Mass celebrated by Archbishop William E. Lori
• Festive celebration with refreshments following Mass
• Public veneration of the major relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque from the conclusion of the 10:30 AM Mass until 7:00 PM

Join Catholics across the nation in praying for the United States and entrusting our country to the loving protection of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Monday, July 6
• Normal weekday Mass schedule
• Public veneration of the major relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque from 7:00 AM–1:00 PM

We look forward to welcoming you to America's First Cathedral this weekend!