A brand new Catholic Christmas Festival will bring together thousands of people this December at Sydney’s iconic Town Hall with two days of major events to mark the Christmas season.
From Friday 19 to Saturday 20 December, the Town Hall will come alive with the annual Carols For Peace on the Friday at 6.30pm which will be followed immediately by a Catholic Christmas Procession to St Mary’s Cathedral.
Then on Saturday 20 December, the Sydney Town Hall will feature the Special Exhibition of the Shroud and St Carlo Acutis (11am-3pm) and in the evening a Black-Tie Ball to celebrate the Christmas season.
Beautiful Christmas decorations will adorn the Town Hall, all events are open to the public and raising money and awareness for Aid to Church in Need and other vital Catholic charities and associations.
The festivities will start on Friday 19 December, 6.30pm with Carols for Peace in the Town Hall which will also be televised on SkyNews.
Over 1,500 tickets are available for Carols For Peace which will feature 100 musicians including the full Artes Christi Orchestra, Combined University Choir and, for the first time ever, the Sydney University Pipes & Drums. Bishop Tony Percy will preside.
Carols For Peace will also feature acclaimed soloists Gary Pinto, Lorenzo Rositano and Emelina Phillips and special guests Danny & Leila Abdallah as well as Bridget Sakr & Craig McKenzie and their families.
Immediately following Carols For Peace, a Jubilee Christmas Procession “Christmas on the Streets” will arrive at the Town Hall and then make its way to St Mary’s Cathedral.
The procession is an annual Christmas event now in its 11th year, all are welcome.
On Saturday 20 December, the Special Exhibition of the Shroud & St Carlo Acutis will be held in the Town Hall for one day only from 11am-3pm including a full-sized replica of the Shroud.
The Exhibition of St Carlo Acutis was designed and created by St Carlo himself from the ages of 11-15 and features Eucharistic miracles from across the world.
The festival will reach its finale on the Saturday evening with the Jubilee Society Ball, a Black-Tie Christmas Ball with over 500 people expected to gather to celebrate the Christmas season. The Ball will also mark the 25th Anniversary of the new University Catholic Chaplaincies established in 2001 by Archbishop Pell.
All are welcome but tickets are strictly limited, with bookings essential for the Carols, Exhibition and Ball. Donations are suggested for the Carols for Peace and the Exhibition with proceeds from the exhibition being donated to Aid to the Church in Need.
For bookings and more information please visit www.theword.org.au
CHRISTMAS AT SYDNEY TOWN HALL
Fri 19 Dec (6.30pm) Carols For Peace
Fri 19 Dec (8pm) Jubilee Procession “Christmas on the Streets”
Sat 20 Dec (11am-3pm) Catholic Exhibition of the Shroud & St Carlo Acutis
Sat 20 Dec (6.30pm) Jubilee Society Ball