Saint Edward Parish Family

Lent ends at sunset on Holy Thursday, and the Triduum begins. These are the three holiest days in the Church calendar.

The first day, Holy Thursday, begins with the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, during which we remember the Last Supper – when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and instituted the Eucharist. The first day of the Triduum extends through the night and includes the celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday.

The second day of the Triduum begins at sunset on Good Friday and lasts until sunset on Holy Saturday. There are no ceremonies in church. Our minds are on Jesus, who rests in the tomb.

The third day of the Triduum begins at sunset on Holy Saturday with the Easter Vigil. The ceremonies of the Easter Vigil include the blessing of fire, of water, the Baptism and Confirmation of new members of the Church, and the first Mass of Easter. The day ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday.

Easter is not just one day, but 50 days of joy. The Church wears white because of the celebration and sings Alleluia over and over. The season includes the great feast of the Ascension, when Jesus returned to the Father, and concludes with Pentecost, the day the Holy Spirit came to the Church just as Jesus promised.

Here are some activities for you and your children thanks to our friends at Pflaum Publications.

What Easter Means Grades K_1

Baptism Crossword Grades 2_3

Feast of Jesus Crossword Grades 4_6

The Easter Season Grades 7_8

Holy Week begins with the sixth Sunday in Lent known as Palm Sunday. This Sunday observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by the crowds who were in Jerusalem for Passover waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king. The Gospels tell us that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, enacting the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, and in so doing emphasized the humility that was to characterize the Kingdom he proclaimed. The irony of his acceptance as the new Davidic King (Mark 11:10) by the crowds who would only five days later cry for his execution should be a sobering reminder of the human tendency to want God on our own terms.

This Sunday is also known as Passion Sunday to commemorate the beginning of Holy Week and Jesus’ final agonizing journey to the cross.

There are a variety of events that are clustered on Holy Thursday – this last day before Jesus was arrested that are commemorated in various ways in services of worship. These include the last meal together, which was probably a Passover meal, the institution of Eucharist or Communion, the betrayal by Judas (because of the exchange with Jesus at the meal), and Jesus praying in Gethsemane while the disciples fell asleep. Most liturgies, however, focus on the meal and communion as a way to commemorate this day.

Friday of Holy Week has been traditionally been called Good Friday. On this day, the church commemorates Jesus’ arrest (since by Jewish customs of counting days from sundown to sundown it was already Friday), his trial, crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial. Since services on this day are to observe Jesus’ death, and since Eucharist is a celebration, there is traditionally no Communion observed on Good Friday.

From the earliest days of the church, the Easter Vigil was primarily a means of preparing new converts for baptism into the Christian Faith, which was normally done on Easter Sunday as the focal point of the entire year. This preparation traditionally arises from a set of Scripture readings from the Old Testament that recounts the unfolding of God’s creation of a people in the Exodus, and a promise of restoration from Zephaniah (see Readings for the Easter Vigil). Following the lead of the Gospels themselves, this provides a crucial link between the revelation of God in Christ and the creation of the church with God’s past revelation of himself and the creation of his people Israel. This important emphasis on the continuity of the church with the Old Testament’s witness to God also helps define the nature of the church and its mission in the world, thoroughly grounding it in the ongoing work of God in history.

Click here to access our Holy Week Liturgical Ministers Schedule Holy Week Liturgical Ministers Schedule