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Lent culminates in the annual celebration of the redemption accomplished for us by Our Lord’s suffering, death and resurrection. This celebration takes place in the week we call Holy Week, the holiest week of the year and the high point of the liturgical calendar.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday (24th/25th March). We will commemorate Our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem with the blessing of palms at all three Masses and children’s liturgy will take place as usual at 9am. At the start of the 11am Mass there will be a longer procession from the school playground, weather permitting.
During the three days or ‘sacred triduum’ of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday we enter into the drama of our salvation in ‘real time’. The principal liturgies are the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 8pm on Maundy Thursday (28th March); the Liturgy of the Passion at 3pm on Good Friday (29th March); and the Easter Vigil at 8pm on Holy Saturday (30th March). You’ll find a brief description of these liturgies in our Holy Week edition of the newsletter.
There are other events taking place during the week, including the usual weekday Mass at 9.15am on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; times of eucharistic adoration and confessions after Mass on Monday and Tuesday, a Reconciliation Service on Tuesday evening (7.30pm), and a talk introducing the Triduum Liturgies followed by adoration and confessions on Wednesday evening (8pm).
On Good Friday, we also have morning prayer and office of readings at 8.15am, followed by Stations of the Cross especially for children at 9am, then we join our brothers and sisters from the other churches in Upminster for the Walk of Witness: we start from outside St Joseph’s at 10am joined by St Laurence’s, ending up in Upminster Park with those who have walked from other points of the compass (Trinity URC if wet or waterlogged).
Although the Easter Vigil is instead of our usual Saturday evening Masses, the morning Masses on Easter Day (Sunday 31st) are as usual at 9am and 11am.
During Holy Week Fr Matthew gave this talk, explaining the liturgies of the Easter Triduum:
