Holy Week and Triduum Schedule

MONDAY: Rehearsals for Altar Servers, Participants in the Feet Washing, OCIA Candidates and their Sponsors

5:30 – 6:15 p.m. Holy Thursday

6:15 – 7:00 p.m. Good Friday

7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Easter Vigil

TUESDAY:

Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of St. Andrew. This is an invited only celebration due to the limited seating. I and three parishioners will be there. We will be bringing back the Holy Oils.

HOLY THURSDAY: A CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER

The Celebration will begin at 6:30 p.m. Here, the Feet Washing Ceremony will take place. The Celebration is continued in the Shepherds Hall where the Reservation Altar is set up with the Blessed Sacrament for adoration until midnight. This Adoration is often called the “Night Watch” or “Gethsemane Watch,” recalling Jesus’ invitation to his apostles to stay with him while he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is also a time to remember Jesus’ humility and service, as demonstrated by his washing of the feet of his disciples, and to reflect on his sacrifice on the cross. During these Holy Hours, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, people are encouraged to pray, meditate, and offer thanksgiving and adoration to God.

GOOD FRIDAY: A CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S PASSION

We will have a Solemn Stations of the Cross at 3:00 p.m. The Good Friday Service with the Veneration of the Cross will begin at 6:30 pm.

HOLY SATURDAY: A CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S RESURRECTION

9:00 – 12:00 p.m. OCIA Retreat

11:00 a.m. Easter Egg Hunt (shared with Georgetown United Methodist Church)

12:00 p.m. Blessing of Easter Food

9:30 p.m. The Easter Vigil

EASTER SUNDAY: THE CELEBRATION OF OUR LORD’S RESURRECTION

Solemn Mass celebrating the Lord’s Resurrection will be at 8:30 and 11:00 am.

I do realize that I have been talking and inviting participation to the Holy Week’s celebrations ad nauseam. But this is the holiest week of the church year. This is the liturgical pinnacle for us Catholics. I know that the everydayness does not take nor afford us a pause for the Holy Week. Honestly, sometimes it is just plain hard to veer from regularities. Extras sometimes mean shouldering more burdens.

I do not promise that participation would guarantee a change of heart or a deeper dive into the heart of God. The possibility, however, lies therein. Please try your hardest. Please come. And together, let’s taste the sweetness of God’s Love.

Peace,

fr. phong