29th Annual Simbang Gabi Commissioning Mass

Join Bishop Frank Schuster and Catholics from across the archdiocese for this festive, colorful and prayerful Filipino Advent celebration. Simbang Gabi is a novena of nine Masses meant to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in anticipation of Christmas. A reception will follow Mass in the Cathedral Hall. 

 

Simbang Gabi, or “night Mass,” began during the early days of Spanish rule over the Philippines. The Masses were offered in the evening after the farmers had put in long, hot days in the fields. Though exhausted, they came anyway. As a compromise, the friars switched to mornings, sometimes as early as 3 a.m. Read more about how the archdiocese has celebrated Simbang Gabi for the past 29 years in Northwest Catholic here. 

 To read more about the Archdiocese’s Multicultural Ministry, click here. 

Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Seattle.  

Date
Dec 12 2026
Time
11:00 am - 3:00 pm
Location
St. James Cathedral
St. James Cathedral
804 9th Avenue, Seattle, WA, USA
Organizer
Archdiocese of Seattle
Other Organizers
Multicultural Ministries
Intercultural Integration