Mission
Baptism of Children
We normally celebrate the Baptism of children on the first Sunday of the month during the 10:00 am Mass. Parents who would like to have their child baptised are invited to contact the chaplain a month beforehand to arrange the preparations.
Marriage
If you are planning to marry in the Catholic Church, please contact the chaplain well in advance of your intended wedding date. Couples are required to take part in a marriage preparation course, so please allow sufficient time for the preparation and the necessary arrangements (preferably a year in advance).
The Holy Rosary
May and October are traditionally months of particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. During these months, we pray the Holy Rosary 30 minutes before both Sunday Masses:
9:30 am — Rosary before the 10:00 am Mass
5:30 pm — Rosary before the 6:00 pm Mass
Holy Days of Obligation
In addition to Sundays, the following feasts are Holy Days of Obligation in the Netherlands:
The Ascension of the Lord
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary — 15 August
All Saints — 1 November
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) — 25 December
Mass times on Holy Days of Obligation may differ from our regular schedule. Please see our Calendar for the Mass and Confession times for each celebration.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
On the First Friday of every month, traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we celebrate Mass at 7:30 pm. Mass is followed at approximately 8:00 pm by Eucharistic Adoration until 9:00 pm. During Adoration, there is an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
You are welcome to remain for the whole hour or simply to spend some time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
Confession
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is normally available:
Sunday: 9:15–9:50 am
5:15–5:50 pm
Wednesday: 7:10–7:25 pm
First Friday of the month
During Eucharistic Adoration, approximately 8:00–9:00 pm
Confession can also be arranged at another time by contacting the chaplain.
Mass during the week
Wednesday — 7:30 pm
The Wednesday evening Mass is followed by activities of the student parish on various weeks, including Bible study and catechesis.
1st Friday of the month — 7:30 pm
The celebration of the Holy Eucharist is at the heart of our life at St. Catherine’s. It is here that our community is gathered around Christ, listens to His Word and receives Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Our liturgical life is rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition and follows the calendar of the Church.
Whether you come every week, are returning to Mass after some time away, or are visiting Rotterdam, you are very welcome to worship with us.
Sunday Mass
Holy Mass is celebrated every Sunday at the Eendrachtskapel:
10:00 am — Holy Mass
6:00 pm — Holy Mass
Liturgy & prayer
St. Catherine’s is a remarkably international community, bringing together people from many countries, cultures and backgrounds. As a student parish, students are at the heart of our mission, while our community is also home to many young professionals, couples and families, and other regular parishioners. What brings us together is our shared Catholic faith and our life around the Eucharist.
There is always time to meet one another after Mass, and throughout the year we organise social gatherings, meals and other opportunities to spend time together.
Our Young Professionals Lunch Group meets once a month after the Sunday morning Mass for lunch and conversation.
Our Couples & Families Group also meets once a month after the morning Mass, offering couples and families in the parish an opportunity to share lunch, get to know one another and build community beyond Sunday Mass.
Whether you have just arrived in Rotterdam or have been part of St Catherine’s for years, there is always a place for you at the table.
Community
Faith is something we are called to grow into and understand more deeply. At St Catherine’s, we offer different opportunities to discover the richness of the Catholic faith and to reflect together on what it means to live as a Christian today.
Wednesday evenings are at the heart of our formation programme. After the 7:30 pm Mass, we gather either for catechesis, offering a structured exploration of the Catholic faith, or for Bible Study. Our Bible Study is a contemplative reading together of the Gospel of the coming Sunday: listening closely to the Word of God, sharing our insights and allowing Scripture to prepare us for the Sunday Mass.
We also organise occasional conferences and talks on important questions of faith and Christian life — from Catholic Social Teaching and the spiritual life to contemporary issues such as artificial intelligence.
Our Book Club and Film Club offer another way of exploring faith, life and culture together. Through books and films, we encounter questions of meaning, beauty, suffering, hope and the human search for God — followed, of course, by good conversation.
Learning
Our faith calls us not only to worship and prayer, but also to serve Christ in our neighbour. Inspired by the corporal and spiritual Works of Mercy, throughout the year we organise different opportunities to put our faith into practice and to serve those in need.
If you would like to volunteer more regularly in Rotterdam, there are also several organisations we warmly recommend.
The Missionaries of Charity, the sisters founded by St. Teresa of Calcutta, serve people in need from their house in Rotterdam. Volunteers are welcome to assist them in their work.
Missionaries of Charity
’s-Gravendijkwal 13
3021 EA Rotterdam
Tel. 010 477 3611
For Spanish speakers, Nuestra Casa offers another opportunity to volunteer. This Catholic organisation supports Spanish-speaking migrants in Rotterdam with practical help, accompaniment and community.