Mass at the Vatican

Vatican mass at the Vatican is normally conducted in St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica, or in both venues- depending on the number of people expected to attend the mass. The Catholic Church posts its annual calendar, stating where masses and other activities will take place. Most of the frequent Vatican masses have an attendance of approximately fifteen thousand people, and such a crowd can be accommodated at St. Peter’s Basilica. However, special masses that will be attended by larger numbers of attendees are celebrated at St. Peter’s Square, which can accommodate to up to 400,000 people.

If you are planning to attend a Vatican mass, you must ensure that you have a ticket to attend the mass. The tickets are usually issued so as to help the organizers to put everything in place prior to the mass. The tickets are available free of charge and can be acquired through different means. You can order for the tickets on the Vatican website, or you can get them from the Swiss Guard. In most cases, you must get your tickets 1-3 days prior to the mass.However, the availability of tickets also varies. For instance, if the mass is a Special or Popular Mass, many people will be attending and the tickets will be on very high demand. Therefore, the earlier you book your tickets the better.

Some of the Popular Masses include the Easter Mass and Christmas Eve Mass. Tickets are generally issued for seats, but additional standing space is available if you have not managed to attain a ticket. Tickets for special Masses at Vatican are normally booked up to six months prior to the event.

Another Vatican mass is the Wednesday general mass, which is open to the public. During the mass, there are a few teachings before the Pope prays for the people in attendance, offering blessings to the items they have carried for this purpose.

But by far the most popular Vatican masses, which enjoys a huge turnout of interested audiences, is the announcement of a newly elected Pope and his first mass. The Pope appears to the world for the first time on the balcony at the St. Peter’s Basilica.