As the Lenten Season draws to a close, now more than ever we must prepare for the Easter Triduum which bespeaks the suffering, death and Resurrection, rendering visibly that God’s love has no bounds.
Through the blessings of the Lord, it is possible to physically attend Mass during this holiest of weeks as compared to 2020 when Parish services were suspended. For those who still have concerns about coming to Mass, each of the major celebrations will be livestreamed from Epiphany Cathedral in Venice (also check your local Parish livestreaming availability).
Either way, it is essential to stay truly connected to your Faith at this critical time. As we slowly emerge from the darkness and sorrow brought forth by the global pandemic, it is also a time to reflect on the past year.
“The Universal Church remains,” Bishop Frank J. Dewane said. The importance of the Paschal Triduum is enhanced as the celebration of these important moments in the suffering, death and Resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ are what unite us, bringing light in the face of darkness.”
Pope Francis describes Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday as enabling us to enter increasingly in the great mystery of our Faith: the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Holy Father said “The Mystery we adore in this Holy Week is a great story of love that knows no obstacles. Jesus’ Passion lasts until the end of the world, because it is a story of sharing with the sufferings of the whole of humanity and a permanent presence in the events of the personal life of each one of us.”
Pope Francis also noted how the Triduum represents God’s service, love, and silence, and that we, as His disciples, are called to live out these characteristics in our lives.
Ahead of the Paschal Triduum is Palm Sunday of the Passion of Our Lord. On Palm Sunday, the Church remembers Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem. The commemoration, with the blessing of the palms and procession, is a ritual action that marks our own entry into Holy Week.
The Paschal Triduum begins at the conclusion of Lent, which ends at sunset on Holy Thursday. “The Paschal Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, has its center in the Easter Vigil, and closes with Vespers (Evening Prayer) of the Sunday of the Resurrection. Triduum means “three days.” During these three days, we keep one festival that points toward Easter. These feasts are the heart of the entire liturgical year, not one feast among others.
Holy Thursday is April 1 and celebrated as an evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper. A component often present on Holy Thursday is the Washing of the Feet. The washing of the feet is an optional practice, which may or may not be done, depending on pastoral circumstance.
Following the Holy Thursday liturgy, the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the Church to a place of repose to remain there until the Easter Vigil.
Good Friday is April 2 and includes the celebration of the Lord’s Passion. This day is a good time to reflect on the Stations of the Cross, with many Parishes offering the Stations on this day.
The Good Friday Liturgy is comprised of the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Veneration of the Cross and reception of Eucharist. Veneration of the Cross is the climax of our response to the Passion. The faithful are called to behold Christ in his great act of love and we respond with loving veneration. For Christians, veneration – whether in person or remotely – means loving service to the cross and taking up one’s cross and following Christ crucified. For 2021, the veneration will be limited to a respectful bow before the cross, versus the traditional practice of touching or kissing the cross, for obvious safety reasons in the wake of the pandemic.
The Easter Vigil, on that holy night when the Lord rose again, is considered the “mother of all holy Vigils,” in which the Church, keeping watch, awaits the Resurrection of Christ and celebrates it in the Sacraments. The liturgy is begun in darkness, the Easter fire is kindled, the Paschal Candle is lit and brought into the darkened church with the proclamation that Christ is our Light. During the liturgy, the faithful hear the story of our salvation proclaimed in numerous Scripture readings. During this celebration, a Renewal of Baptismal Promises is made. In addition, 330 catechumens and candidates from across the Diocese of Venice will enter fully into the Catholic Faith through the reception of the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil celebration.
This Great Vigil opens the Easter Season which will continue for 50 days and finds its conclusion in the Solemnity of Pentecost, May 23, 2021. The 50 days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated “in joyful exultation as one Feast Day, or better as one ‘Great Sunday.’”
Holy Week livestream with Bishop Dewane
The key celebrations of Holy Week (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and Easter) with Bishop Frank J. Dewane as the celebrant will be available via livestream from Epiphany Cathedral in Venice through the Diocese of Venice and Cathedral Facebooks pages. The Holy Thursday evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper is at 7 p.m.; the Good Friday Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion is at 3 p.m.; the Easter Vigil is at 8:30 p.m.; and Easter Sunday Mass are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Bishop Frank J. Dewane continued celebrating Mass for students in Diocese of Venice Catholic schools with the latest stops on March 8, 2021, at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School in Sarasota, March 19 at St. Joseph Catholic School in Bradenton and March 23 at St. Martha Catholic School and St. Mary Academy in Sarasota.
During these Masses, Bishop Dewane stressed how the Lenten Season is a time for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of our Faith.
FORT MYERS
“I am painfully aware that this causes you, good Catholics, difficulty as you are troubled and hurt by the loss of the Eucharist and the other Sacraments, the consolation of those Sacraments in your life,” Bishop Dewane said “Our churches are closed, but yet I think we have to think of something else. Christ isn’t quarantined from any of us. Indeed, the Gospel is not in chains. The Word of the Lord, it is out there. It is alive” Bishop Dewane said. “In prayer and in Faith we are people of the Word, the Word of God, the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. With both of these together, whether its online or from a distance, nothing can stand in our way.”
While the gathering for Mass had been suspended since mid-March, Palm Sunday, a day marking the triumphant entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, with its traditional distribution of palms and uplifting liturgy, as well as the reading of the Passion of Christ, assist in putting the faithful in the right frame of mind for the significant events of Holy Week.
The Easter Vigil, a Mass held after sunset on Saturday, April 11, 2020, is one of the most powerful liturgies of the year. The celebration is to start in darkness, usually with the Easter fire lit and the Easter Candle brought forward. This year, the Easter Candle was lit and there was no Easter fire. This needed change removed the opportunity for the congregation to each have lit candles, providing a soft glow inside the church. In addition, the church was not darkened for the first part of the liturgy, when a series of readings, beginning with Genesis, were read.
The rest of the Easter Vigil and the Easter Sunday liturgies were unaltered. The Renewal of Baptismal Promises was made at both but from afar for those watching at home.
Pope Francis describes Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday as enabling us to enter increasingly in the great mystery of our Faith: the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Paschal Triduum begins at the conclusion of Lent, which ends at sunset on Holy Thursday. Triduum means “three days.” The Paschal Triduum is the three-day season counted sunset to sunset from Holy Thursday night to Easter Sunday evening. During these three days, we keep one festival, our Easter. These feasts are the heart of the entire liturgical year, not one feast among others.
The Good Friday Liturgy, is not a Mass, but is comprised of the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Veneration of the Cross and reception of Eucharist. All are invited to come forward for the Veneration of the Cross. Veneration of the Cross is the climax of our response to the Passion. The faithful are called to behold Christ in his great act of love and we respond with loving veneration. For Christians, veneration of one cross, with the Body of Christ on it, means loving service to the cross and taking up one’s cross and following Christ crucified. Everyone is asked to leave this liturgy in silence.
