The Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Communications will provide live, streaming video online and to mobile devices at www.archphila.org beginning at 9:45 a.m.

The Solemn Funeral Mass for Cardinal John Patrick Foley will take place in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on Friday, December 16, 2011. Cardinal Foley himself identified the principal celebrant, homilist, key participants, readings and some of the liturgical music.

Most Reverend Edwin F. O'Brien, Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, will be the principal celebrant for the Mass. Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of New York and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, will be the homilist. A complete list of liturgical ministers and participants is attached.

At approximately 9:45 a.m. the motorcade will arrive at the Cathedral. The mult-box feed and live streaming video will begin at this time. Cardinal Foley's body will be transferred to the vestibule of Cathedral for the Rite of Reception of the Body. Most Reverend Robert P. Maginnis, Retired Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, will preside over this brief ceremony. Midmorning Prayer for the Dead will be celebrated and Cardinal Foley's body will then lie in state for public viewing until the casket is closed at 1:30 p.m.

At 1:40 p.m. the procession begins. The Procession of approximately 300 Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Seminarians begins in the parking lot of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center. It will exit the parking lot on the 18th Street side turn left onto 18th Street and then left into the main entrance of the Cathedral. No interviews may be conducted with anyone in the Procession.

At 2:00 p.m. the Solemn Funeral Mass begins. Approximately 1500 people are expected to attend. Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia; Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston; Cardinal William Keeler, Archbishop Emeritus of Baltimore; Cardinal Adam Maida, Archbishop Emeritus of Detroit; Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, D.C.; Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C.; Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States; Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap, Archbishop of Philadelphia and Representatives of the Church of Philadelphia will be joined by Ecumenical and Interfaith representatives, civil dignitaries, and members of the general public.

The Rite of Committal will take place immediately after the Solemn Funeral Mass has ended. The casket will be carried to the crypt of the Cathedral, which is located underneath the main altar, by Archbishops Vigano, Celli, Chaput, Dolan, along with family members. At this time, prayer will be offered and Cardinal Foley's remains will be committed to their final resting place.

Seating space inside the Cathedral will be extremely limited. An area has been reserved for media and Archdiocesan Communications staff will provide assistance.

An audio/video mult-box clean feed is available in the Cathedral parking lot with multiple BNC video and XLR mic/lines. Crews will need a live truck or recording device. Each television broadcast media outlet is permitted one parking space in the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center parking lot and will be directed by Archdiocesan staff where to park. The parking lot will open at 8:00 a.m. on Friday morning.

Pool coverage for still photos of the Solemn Funeral Mass will be provided to Catholic media by Catholic News Service (CNS). The contact at CNS is Nancy Wiechec. Her phone number is
(202) 541-3471; her email is nwiechec@catholicnews.com.

Pool coverage for still photos of the Solemn Funeral Mass will be provided to secular media by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News.The contact is Michael Mercanti. His phone number is (215) 854-2626; his email is mercanti@phillynews.com.

Pool coverage for still photos of the Rite Committal in Cathedral Crypt will be provided to Catholic and secular media by The Catholic Standard and Times. The contact is Sarah Webb. Her phone number is (215) 587-3660; her email is swebb@adphila.org. Due to severe space limitations in the crypt there is only room for one still photographer.

For media wishing to downlink to the satellite feed the coordinates are
AMC 15 / Transponder K2 - Slot C9
Uplink Frquency - 14044.500 (V)
Downlink Frequency - 11744.500 (H)
FEC - 3 / 4
Symbol Rate - 6.1113
Windows - 1200 to 1230 (test) and 1330 to 1700 with a 30 minute approximation.

The on site technical contact for the satellite feed and live audio/video stream is Dan Kearns. His phone number is (215) 888-0305.

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Editor's Note: Donations in remembrance of Cardinal Foley may be made to the recently established John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics and Social Communication at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary. For more information please contact advancement@scs.edu.

For more information on the life of Cardinal John Patrick Foley please visit http://bit.ly/AOPCardinalFoleyObituary.

Contact
Kenneth A. Gavin
Associate Director of Communications
215-587-3747