Allentown Parish will hold a special Mass on Thursday in honor of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

of Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Siena in Allentown A special memorial mass is being prepared for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who died on Saturday at the age of 95.

The mother church of Allentown’s five-county Catholic parish was covered in black bunting, and a memorial with flowers and a picture of Benedict was placed inside the church at 1825 W. Turner Street.

Bishop Alfred Schlert will hold the Vespers in the cathedral on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm and preside over a memorial service on Thursdays at 12:15 pm.

Both services welcome the public. Mass that overlaps with Benedict’s funeral in Rome, Parish News Website, www.ad-today.comand its Youtube When Facebook channel.

“The Diocese of Allentown joins the Universal Church to pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,” Schraert said in a statement. “May his love for Christ and his church lead him to eternal life.”

Born Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict was elected Pope in 2005 after the death of Pope St. John Paul II.

In 2013, he surprised the world by resigning, saying he had lost the power to lead the church due to illness, the first time in 600 years.

His successor is Pope Francis, who will officiate at his funeral.