Raleigh Catholic Diocese holds first Christmas mass at new cathedral

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- On Sunday, the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral held its first Christmas Eve mass since opening in July.

The birth of Christ and his sacrifice is what believers celebrated at 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve, with another service set at midnight Christmas Day.

More than 3,000 Triangle Christians gathered under one roof for the Christmas Eve mass.

Before this year's opening and dedication of the holy cathedral, the church was forced to hold more than a dozen holiday services in the area to accommodate the growing Catholic community.

Now, the new cathedral has been streamlined Christmas mass services to just five.

Justin Kerber, director of the local Cathedral, shared with ABC11 what his message will be to the crowd on Christmas Day.

"Christmas is about Jesus," Kerber said. "It's about how much he loves us and he's more anxious to love us than we are to receive his love. He's more anxious to forgive us than we are to be forgiven. We have to trust that love and give our hearts over to him."

Reverend Rafael Zarama, Bishop of the Raleigh Diocese, will attend the midnight mass on Christmas Day.

The service starts at 10:00 a.m.