Holy Week 2025
The Easter Triduum is made up of the three days before Easter - Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God principally through his paschal mystery: dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Therefore the Easter triduum of the passion and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of the entire liturgical year. Thus the solemnity of Easter has the same kind of preeminence in the liturgical year that Sunday has in the week.
Holy Thursday
TBA for 2025
Schedule for Holy Thursday
No Confessions
7:15 PM - Mass of the Lord’s Supper
9:30 PM - 12:00 AM - Adoration at the Altar of Repose
The Mass of the Lord’s Supper
“With the celebration of Mass on the evening of Holy Thursday: ‘the Church begins the Easter Triduum and recalls the Last Supper in which the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, showing his love…he gave his body and blood under the species of bread and wine offering to his Father and giving them to the Apostles so that they might partake…and commanded them and their successors in the priesthood to perpetuate this offering.’” Paschale Solemnitatis 44.
The liturgy begins with the tabernacle empty. All of our attention given to the presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament focuses on the Eucharist consecrated in this Mass, which will be transferred after Holy Communion to an altar of repose, where we will keep watch and pray. This procession symbolizes Jesus leaving the Upper Room and going to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he will undergo his agony in the garden.
The Gloria, which we have not heard, with a few exceptions throughout lent, is then sung. This is the last Mass to be celebrated until the Easter Vigil. While this celebration is one of great joy due to everything at the Last Supper, it also transitions to one of somber recognition of the beginning of Jesus’ passion. Ceasing the ringing of the bells symbolizes the mourning of the Church, which won’t hear the bells again until the Gloria is sung again on Saturday night.
The homily pays careful attention to the mysteries commemorated in this Mass, the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the Priesthood, and the New Commandment of love - “Love one another as I have loved you. (John 13:34).”
The Washing of the Feet - also known as the Mandatum - then takes place following the homily. This ritual washing of the feet represents Christ’s service and charity, who came “not to be served but to serve.” Mt. 20:28 Christ gave this example of love that his disciples are to follow.
The reception of the Holy Oils then take place. We receive the Oil of the Sick, Oil of Catechumens, and the Sacred Chrism that Bishop Vasquez of the Diocese of Austin blesses and consecrates at the Chrism Mass on Tuesday (the Chrism Mass is another beautiful liturgy to attend during Holy Week; you can learn more here). Jesus instituted the priesthood along with the Eucharist on this night, and His priests continue today to use oils to minister Christ’s presence in the sacraments.
After the Eucharist is celebrated, there is a procession with the Blessed Sacrament to an altar of repose. This is not to mourn at his grave or tomb, but to solemnly accompany him and keep watch with him (Mt. 26:40). The Blessed Sacrament is also reserved in a closed tabernacle and not exposed in a monstrance. It is traditional to meditate upon John 13-17 while keeping watch with Jesus on the night he was betrayed. If you look up at the sky this night, you will see the same moon that Jesus saw on the night of his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
After Mass, the altar is stripped as the Church now transitions into Christ’s Passion. “…They divide my garments among them; for my clothing they cast lots…(Psalm 22:19).”
What to Do
Give thanks for the sacraments - especially the Eucharist, pray for more vocations to the priesthood, and ask for the grace to love as Christ loves.
Spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after the Eucharist is celebrated. At every half hour, we will read a section of John 13-17. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked His disciples to remain and keep watch with Him. Meditate on his agony and betrayal.
See Matthew 26 and John 13:1-15
Good Friday
TBA for 2025
Schedule for Good Friday
No Confessions
8:00 AM - Communal Office of Readings & Morning Prayer
12:00 PM - Via Crucis (Spanish Stations of the Cross)
3:00 PM - Stations of the Cross
7:15 PM - Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
The Celebration of the Passion of the Lord
“On this day, when ‘Christ our passover was sacrificed,’ the Church meditates on the Passion of her Lord and Spouse, adores the cross, commemorates her origin from the side of Christ asleep on the cross, and intercedes for the salvation of the whole world.” - Paschale Solemnitatis 58
On Good Friday, the Church is in sorrow for the death of Christ. The liturgy expresses this sorrow by having the clergy and ministers process in silence, prostrate themselves in front of a stark & barren altar. There is no music or dialogue that usually begins a liturgical celebration, since the liturgy is a continuation of the previous day. The Eucharist is not celebrated. Something is different. The earth has gone quiet.
First Part:
The first part of this liturgy consists of the readings and the reading from the Passion narrative according to John.
The homily is prescribed to brief on this day to allow for silence so that we may reflect upon the reality just proclaimed in the Passion Narrative.
The Solemn Intercessions follow the homily. They come down to us in a form derived from ancient tradition and they reflect the full range of intentions that the Church prays for today, making known the universality of the Passion of Christ and the salvation of the world for all. They are prayed alternatively standing and kneeling.
Second Part:
The Adoration of the Holy Cross is an integral feature of this celebration. The priest will unveil a cross before the altar and venerate it, showing honor to the wood on which Jesus accomplished the salvation of the world. All gathered will then be able to come forward and venerate the Cross.
Third Part:
The final part of this liturgy is the distribution of Holy Communion. “On this day, in accordance with ancient tradition, the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist.” PS 59. Instead, Holy Communion is distributed from the hosts consecrated the day prior at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Every Eucharistic celebration is a making present again of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. We await the Easter vigil to celebrate the Eucharist again.
As the liturgy began, so it ends, in silence. Crosses that have been covered during Passiontide, the two-week period leading up to the Triduum, are now unveiled throughout the church.
What to Do
Good Friday is a universal day of fasting and abstinence from meat in the Catholic Church.
Continue venerating the cross after the conclusion of the Good Friday liturgy.
Place a crucifix prominently in your home
Pray the Stations of the Cross
Holy Saturday
TBA for 2025
Schedule for Holy Saturday
No Confessions
8:00 AM - Communal Office of Readings & Morning Prayer
12:00 PM - Easter Basket Blessing (Courtyard)
7:00 PM - Church doors open
8:30 PM - Easter Vigil
Holy Saturday - The Day Itself
According to Paschale Solemnitatis (the Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Easter Feasts), “on Holy Saturday, the Church is, as it were, at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his passion and death and on his descent into hell, awaiting his resurrection with prayer and fasting. It is highly recommended that on this day, the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer be celebrated with the participation of the people. Where this cannot be done, there should be some celebration of the word of God or some act of devotion suited to the mystery celebrated this day.” These prayers are part of the Liturgy of the Hours: the official, public prayer of the Church outside of Mass. You can learn more here, and pray the prayers here. Pray the rosary, especially if you are not familiar with the Liturgy of the Hours, the rosary is a great prayer on Holy Saturday. The disciples would have looked to Mary for comfort and guidance after the death of her son. Be close to her through praying the rosary.
While not obligatory, it is also recommended that Holy Saturday be observed as a day of fasting and abstinence, so that the Church with uplifted and welcoming heart, may be ready to celebrate the joys of Sunday of the Resurrection.
The Easter Vigil on the Holy Night
“From the very outset, the Church has celebrated that annual Pasch, which is the solemnity of solemnities, above all by means of a night vigil. For the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith and hope, and through baptism and confirmation, we are inserted into the paschal mystery of Christ, dying, buried, and raised with him, and with him, we shall also reign. The full meaning of the vigil is a waiting for the coming of the Lord (Paschale Solemnitatis 81).”
First Part: The Solemn Beginning of the Easter Vigil
The entire celebration of the vigil takes place at night and begins with the solemn service of light. The Easter fire is blessed outside of the church building and from it is lit the Paschal Candle. The Procession with the Easter candle then proceeds to the church. The Paschal candle is a symbol of the light of Christ overcoming the darkness of death through the power of the resurrection. The light from the Paschal Candle is then gradually passed to the candles that all present are holding. The church building begins in darkness so that the light of Christ may shine through the darkness of the night. To learn more about the symbolism of the Paschal candle visit here.
What follows is the Proclamation of Easter: The Exsultet which is sung. The Exsultet is an ancient hymn that proclaims the news that Christ is risen. You can listen to it here.
Second Part: The Liturgy of the Word
The outstanding deeds of salvation history are related in the seven readings from the Old Testament chosen from the law and the prophets and two readings from the New Testament, namely from the apostles and from the gospel. This summary of salvation history is reflective of Jesus after the resurrection on the road to Emmaus. The Lord “beginning with Moses and all the prophets” (Luke 24:27, 44-45) meets us on our journey and, opening up our minds and hearts, prepares us to share in the breaking of the bread. The faithful are encouraged to meditate on these readings by the singing of a responsorial psalm, followed by a silent pause, and then by the celebrant’s prayer after each reading.
After the readings during the the Gloria the bells are rung.
The priest then intones the Alleluia three times. This is the first time we have sung the Alleluia since the beginning of Lent at Ash Wednesday. How great it is to sing it again! In the words of St. John Paul II, “We are the Easter people. Alleluia is our song!” The verses of the Alleluia are taken from Psalm 117. Finally, the resurrection of the Lord is proclaimed from the gospel.
Third Part: Baptismal Liturgy
We invoke the saints, who glory with Christ before the blessing of the baptismal water and we ask for their intercession as we prepare to receive into the Church those who are becoming Catholic through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
We renew our baptismal promises holding the lit candles and we are sprinkled with the baptismal water to recall our own baptism.
Fourth Part: The Liturgy of the Eucharist
“The celebration of the Eucharist forms the fourth part of the Vigil and marks its high point, for it is in the fullest sense the Easter Sacrament, that is to say, the commemoration of the sacrifice of the Cross and the presence of the risen Christ (PS 90).”
The neophytes, those who have just been baptized and those who have just been fully received into the Church take part with us for the first time in the reception of Holy Communion. Jesus rises from the dead to give us His life. This is my body; this is my blood, which is for you.
Easter Sunday
Masses at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM (Spanish)& 6:00 PM
Other Holy Week Events
Good Friday
Spanish: 12:00 PM in the church
English: 3:00 PM in the church
This will be the last Stations of the Cross of Lent. Pray with us as we enter into the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday.
Stations of the Cross
