Event: Pope “Viewing Party”
Time: Saturday, February 13th, at 5:30 pm.
Location: 88-19 Parsons Blvd, Jamaica, NY 11432

Queens, NY – On Saturday, hundreds of New York Catholics, many with Latin American roots, will gather at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Jamaica, Queens, to watch Pope Francis celebrate Holy Mass LIVE from Mexico City. The Mass will be held at Mexico’s National Shrine, the Basilica of Guadalupe. The Pontiff’s 6-day visit to Mexico is part of his first Apostolic Trip of 2016.

“Presentation church is home to a big Hispanic community, welcoming a vast group of Mexican parishioners. With this special viewing, our Mexican brothers and sisters will have the opportunity to spiritually travel back to Mexico and witness the blessings of having our Holy Father in their homeland, as he blesses their land, their roots and their people,” said Father Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez, pastor of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish.

The parish will broadcast the Mass LIVE, courtesy of DeSales Media Group, on a 6’ x 10’ screen. Parishioners will pray with the Pope and receive Holy Communion from Father Manuel.

The Mass is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. EST. Media is encouraged to arrive by 5:30 p.m. for a chance to interview parishioners as well as Father Manuel.

The Diocese of Brooklyn is the eighth largest in United States and the only entirely urban diocese in the nation.  It serves 1.5 million Catholics in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. Due to a diverse and multicultural population, Masses are regularly held in 33 languages across 187 parishes and 213 churches.