Cardinal Seán O’Malley continued his holiday tradition of Christmas mass Wednesday to a crowd of hundreds of people in Boston’s South End neighborhood.
The anticipated service began at 11:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Washington Street. The Cardinal's sermon attracted visitors from around the world as they expressed the gratitude they feel for blessings they were given in 2019.
"I got a special gift this year. I got a baby girl," said Jim Burns. "It's my first and she's just absolutely beautiful so I have a lot to be thankful for. And a lot to pray for."
Louise and Jonathon Eustace visited the Hub from Ireland. They attended mass while in town.
"Christmas is going to mass, always," said Jonathon Eustace. "Unfortunately, we missed out on midnight mass, but we made it today."
Last year, the Cardinal gave a lighthearted sermon about discovering our origins since DNA tests grew in popularity in 2018.
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“God is in our DNA and that’s the important thing,” O’Malley told NBC10 Boston after his sermon last year.
Aside from Cardinal Seán's sermon, other services were offered in the morning: English mass, Spanish mass and extraordinary form were given before the Cardinal made his speech.