Worshippers and visitors gather at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for mass ahead of Christmas service

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) — As worshippers around the world welcome in Christmas Eve, many parishioners will be gathered for mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan.

The cathedral will host services all day Sunday in light of the holiday.

These services will culminate in the annual Midnight Christmas Mass, which will be led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York.

Taking to social media ahead of his sermon, Cardinal Dolan shared some words about the ongoing “suffering” in the Mideast.

“We see all of that in the Holy Land today. Our hearts go out to the people suffering there,” he said.

Cardinal’s Dolan’s message comes as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war.

The cancellation of Christmas festivities is a severe blow to the town’s economy. Tourism accounts for an estimated 70% of Bethlehem’s income – almost all of that during the Christmas season.

With many major airlines canceling flights to Israel, few foreigners are visiting. Local officials say over 70 hotels in Bethlehem have been forced to close, leaving thousands of people unemployed.

The fighting has affected life across the West Bank. Since Oct. 7, access to Bethlehem and other Palestinian towns in the Israeli-occupied territory has been difficult, with long lines of motorists waiting to pass military checkpoints. The restrictions have also prevented tens of thousands of Palestinians from exiting the territory to work in Israel.

As these recent events have sparked major concern across the world, the message of “peace on Earth” was shared among visitors who attended St. Patrick Cathedral Sunday morning.

“The true meaning of Christmas is being with family,” said one visitor to Eyewitness News before sharing “peace on Earth” as their wish this holiday season.

“I just want everyone to be healthy and happy and be nice to each other,” said another visitor.

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