Press "Enter" to skip to content

Santa Clara University President Celebrates Biden's Pre-Inaugural Mass in DC – NBC Bay Area

Vice President and Oakland native Kamala Harris was not the only person in the presidential inauguration on Wednesday representing the Bay Area.

Santa Clara University President Kevin O'Brien celebrated a Roman Catholic Mass for President Joe Biden and Harris to celebrate the inauguration of the 46th President.

Biden is now the country's second Catholic president, and his Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC, took place 60 years after John F. Kennedy attended his pre-inaugural Catholic Mass prior to his swearing-in ceremony.

The Mercury News via Getty Images

Rev. Kevin O'Brien smiles after being introduced as president of Santa Clara University at an event within the Locatelli Student Activities Center on the campus of Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif., On Tuesday, March 19, 2019 (Photo by Randy Vazquez). / MediaNews Group / The Mercury News via Getty Images)

More than 100 family members and invited Democratic and Republican leaders attended the mass.

O'Brien, who met the Biden family 15 years ago while serving at Georgetown University, has served Mass for Biden before. The Jesuit priest also presided over Biden and his family in 2009 and 2013 when he was sworn in as vice president.

Pre-inaugural religious services are a longstanding tradition for American presidents prior to their swearing-in ceremonies. Presidents like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have had theirs too.

Source link

Be First to Comment

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *