How to stream Easter 2021 church services – TV and Radio Schedule

Easter 2021 church services. Photo: stmatthews-redhill

Even though we're physically apart on Easter Sunday, we can — and should — still find ways to safely connect with our communities, especially our religious ones, on such a special occasion.

In the last year, churches near and far have been live-streaming masses, music, and prayers to help their congregants stay connected to God and each other. This Easter Sunday, visit your local church's website or social media channels to see if they'll be holding religious services in person or online (or both). Or, if you prefer, stay home with your loved ones and attend a virtual Easter mass online at a world-famous church, including St. Patrick's Cathedral and St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.

How to watch and stream Easter Mass or service

You can check several places for an Easter services this year. The Church of England will live stream from their website from 9am on Easter Sunday, there’s also the option on Facebook, YouTube or radio. You can tune into local radio at 8am, Radio 4 8.10am and BBC One at 10am.

For Catholic Mass read on for the Pope’s Holy Week schedule of services.

On TV there’s also Britain’s Easter Story on BBC Two at 1pm on Good Friday and the biblical epic King of Kings at 2pm on the same channel.

Handel’s Messiah from English National Opera is on at 6pm on Easter Sunday on BBC Two before Easter from King’s at 7pm on the same channel. The service involves readings and music for Holy Week with the Choristers at King’s College Cambridge. On BBC One you can also see Pope Francis deliver his Urbi et Orbi message from Rome live at 11am, that’s his Easter Message and Blessing, which will be followed by a Songs of Praise with Katherine Jenkins celebrating Easter Sunday from Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff at 1.15pm.

How to Stream the Vatican's Easter Mass Online

Since traveling to Italy isn't in the cards this year, experience Easter mass in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican from the comfort of your own home. Pope Francis will celebrate mass on Sunday, April 4 at 11 a.m. in Rome, 5 a.m. EST. You can watch the whole service on the Vatican's website or through the Vatican Media Youtube Channel, according to Good housekeeping.

Other U.S. Churches Hosting Virtual Easter Mass Online

Photo: churchofengland

Many churches across the country will host virtual Easter mass online this year, and so you should check your local parish's website to see their offerings. Here is a selection of Easter services that you can watch online, no matter where in the world you may be.

• Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, California: Mass begins at 11 a.m. PST and will live-stream on the Cathedral's website.
• Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew, Honolulu, Hawaii: Visit the Cathedral's Facebook page at 10 a.m. HST for a virtual mass.
• Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Baltimore, Maryland: All three services — 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11 a.m. EST — will be available to stream on the Cathedral's webcast.
• Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri: Watch Easter mass online at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. CDT on the Cathedral's website.
• Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, New Jersey: Join Cardinal Tobin at 12 p.m. EST for virtual Easter mass on YouTube; the Cathedral will also hold mass in Spanish at 10 a.m.
• Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, Santa Fe, New Mexico: Archbishop Wester will host mass on YouTube at 10 a.m. GMT; 8 a.m. mass will be held in Spanish.
• St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York, New York: Easter mass will take place at 10:15 a.m. EST and will live-stream on the Cathedral's website.
• Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul, Charleston, South Carolina: Easter mass will live-stream at 10 a.m. EST on YouTube.
• Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC: Tune in to a virtual Easter mass online at 11:15 a.m. EST on the Cathedral's Facebook and YouTube page.

What time are the Pope’s Easter services?

You can take part in the Easter Mass (and services around Eastertide) at the Vatican from home. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass on Sunday, 4th April at 11am, 5am EST and 10am UK time.

Vatican's Easter Services and times

Maundy Thursday, 1st April

Chrism Mass – 10am

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, Thursday 1st April – 6pm

Good Friday, 2nd April

Celebration of the Passion of the Lord – 6pm

Way of the Cross – 9pm

Easter Saturday Vigil, 3rd April

Vigil service for Holy Saturday – 7.30pm

Easter Sunday

Easter Morning Mass – 10am

Urbi et Orbi – 11am (on BBC One)

St Paul’s Cathedral Easter Services and times

Maundy Thursday, 1st April

Chrism Eucharist – 10.30am

Maundy Thursday Liturgy – 5pm

Good Friday, 2nd April

Good Friday Liturgy – 5pm in the Cathedral

Pre-recorded Good Friday services will be available from midday and 2.30pm.

Easter Saturday, 3rd April

Holy Saturday the Cathedral is open from midday to end of the Vigil – about 7.15pm.

Easter Sunday, 4th April

Easter Day service will be livestreamed at 11.15am, and be shared to the Holy Week page.

Westminster Cathedral Easter Masses and times

Maundy Thursday, 1st April

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper – 6pm

Good Friday, 2nd April

Good Friday Liturgy of the Passion 1 – 10am

Good Friday Liturgy of the Passion 2 – 12pm

Good Friday Liturgy of the Passion 3 – 3pm

Stations of the Cross – 6pm

Easter Saturday

Holy Saturday Office of Readings – 10am

The Easter Vigil – 8.30pm

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday Mass – 12pm

Easter Sunday Solemn Vespers and Benediction – 4pm

Easter Sunday Evening Mass – 5.30pm

ST Matthew Easter Masses and times

1 Apr - Maundy Thursday 8pm - Liturgy of The Last Supper

2 Apr - Good Friday 12pm – 3pm - “Draw Near With Faith” Open throughout with prayer & reflection every half hour

3 Apr - Easter Eve 6pm - Compline & reflection

4 Apr - Easter Sunday 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am - Holy Communion Service (register in advance)

What Easter services and programmes are on radio?

Photo: allevents

Good Friday message, BBC Local Radio, 7am

Coverage on BBC Local Radio begins on Good Friday too with Cardinal Vincent Nichols leading a service featuring prayers, hymns and readings from 7am. There will be more content on BBC Scotland, BBC Wales and BBC Northern Ieland.

At The Foot Of The Cross, BBC Radio 2, 7-9pm

Over on BBC Radio 2 on Good Friday Dan Walker presents an evening of poetry and music from 7-9pm called At The Foot Of The Cross. Artists including Newton Faulkner and The Kingdom Choir join the BBC Philharmonic for one night only, creating brand new recordings. West End star Marisha Wallace speaks about the hope brought by her recording of Tomorrow, and MOBO Award Winner, Called Out Music, performs his own tracks recorded at his home studio, plus performances from the BBC Young Chorister of the Year, Alexander, and BBC Young Chorister finalists, Josie and Leah.

Good Friday Afternoon on Radio 3, 2-5pm

In the 60th anniversary year of the consecration of Guildford Cathedral, another chance to hear Barry Rose conducting Stainer’s Crucifixion, recorded in Guildford Cathedral on 25 March 2018.

Radio 3 in Concert: Music For Good Friday, 7.30pm

The BBC Singers and BBC Concert Orchestra performing the traditional Good Friday concert live on BBC Radio 3. The programme includes choral music by Dobrinka Tabakova, Composer in Residence with the BBC CO, and Roderick Williams; and the Orchestra play music by influential American composer Judith Lang Zaimont and Joseph Haydn. The climax of the concert is a recent re-orchestration by Jonathan Rathbone of Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem, which uses texts from the Mass, the Bible and poems by Walt Whitman.

Private Passions: Sister Teresa Keswick, Easter Sunday, Radio 3, 12pm-1pm

Sister Teresa Keswick, a former London lawyer who became an enclosed nun, shares her life story and the music she loves with Michael Berkeley in a special programme for Easter Day.

Good Friday meditation, Radio 4, 3-30pm

There’s the Good Friday meditation on Radio 4 with Neil MacGregor and the Revd Lucy Winkett contemplating one of Rembrandt’s masterpieces Ecce Homo.

Sunrise Service, Radio 4, 6.35 am-7 am

An Easter morning celebration of Christ’s resurrection, exploring the themes of transformation and restoring hope. With a reading from the gospel of John describing the moment when Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. Led by Arianna Walker and Debbie Harvie from Mercy UK, a Christian charity that helps women. With uplifting hymns and worship music including Morning Has Broken and Lord I Lift Your Name On High from Voices Beyond gospel choir.

Easter Sunday Worship, Radio 4, 8.10 am-9 am

Tune in to Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend Justin Welby on BBC Radio 4 as he shares his Easter message live from Canterbury Cathedral. A celebration of the Eucharist with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Easter Message. Easter Songs, hymns, and anthems ringing in the joy of Easter, Radiotimes reported.

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