Cardinal O’Brien Celebrates Mass of Thanksgiving at Cathedral Sunday; Catholics to Celebrate His Elevation to College of Cardinals

Cardinal Edwin O’Brien will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving for his elevation to the College of Cardinals as well as his service as the 15th Archbishop of Baltimore on Sunday, March 4 at 12:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in North Baltimore.

The Mass will be followed by a reception on the Cathedral grounds immediately following Mass. There are no tickets being issued for the Mass or reception; all are encouraged and welcome to attend both events.

On Saturday, February 18, Cardinal O’Brien was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI along with 21 others before 400 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He is the fourth leader of the Premier See to become a Cardinal, joining Cardinals Gibbons, Shehan and Keeler. He served as Archbishop of Baltimore from October 2007 to August 2011, when he was appointed Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, an ancient chivalric order dedicated to preserving Christianity, the Catholic Church and its sacred places in the Holy Land. Cardinal O’Brien remains Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, a position he will retain until his eventual successor is installed.