Lent officially ends when the Triduum begins, with the celebration of Holy Thursday.

Here's a descripion of Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday.

Palm Sunday – This day is called Palm Sunday because when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, the people laid palm branches on the road before Him, to honor His coming. On Palm Sunday, the Passion of Jesus is read. The vestments worn by the priests are red because we hear how Jesus shed His blood for our salvation.

The Triduum is the last three days of Holy Week. It encompasses Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Lent officially ends when the Triduum begins, with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday night.

Holy Thursday celebrates The Last Supper and The Institution of the Eucharist. During the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to show that we cannot be His disciples if we are not willing to serve others. Extra bread and wine are consecrated to be used on Good Friday.

On Good Friday we celebrate Jesus’ passion – His suffering, crucifixion and death on the cross. The liturgical color on this day is red. This is the only day of the year that Mass is not celebrated. We deny ourselves the awesome gift of the Mass both to help ourselves realize what a gift the Mass is and to realize that without Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross we would not have the Mass. We can receive Holy Communion on this day without the consecration in a Mass because consecrated hosts from the Holy Thursday celebration are reserved for this Communion service.

The Easter Vigil is the evening celebration on Holy Saturday. This celebration begins after sundown to ensure that the celebration begins in darkness. The darkness symbolizes our lives without God, without the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. During the Easter Vigil the story of salvation history is told through a sequence of nine readings. The Alleluia, which means “Praise God” is reintroduced just before the Gospel.

On Easter when Jesus rises from the dead, the liturgical color is white . Easter is actually celebrated for eight days which is why it is called the Octave of Easter. The season of Easter is celebrated for fifty days. The Ascension is celebrated near the end of Easter and it celebrates Jesus’ return to heaven and acknowledges that His physical existence on earth as a human being has ended. Easter officially comes to a close with the celebration of the Pentecost.

Source: Catholic Faith Facts by Theresa K. Driscoll

The Stations of the Cross are depictions of Christ’s passion and death.
There are 14 stations:

1. Jesus is condemned to death;
2. Jesus takes up his cross;
3. Jesus falls the first time;
4. Jesus meets His Blessed Mother;
5. Simon of Cyrene helps carry the cross;
6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus;
7. Jesus falls a second time;
8. Jesus meets the holy women of Jerusalem;
9. Jesus falls the third time;
10. Jesus is stripped of His garments;
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross;
12. Jesus dies on the cross;
13. His body is taken down from the cross and laid in the arms of his mother;
14. His body is laid in the tomb.

Praying the Stations of the Cross can help us to identify with Jesus
and strengthen us to carry our own cross the way He did.

Join us for the
Stations Of The Cross
each Friday during Lent (7 pm)

Easter to Pentecost

"He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of his Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.”

The Feast of the Ascension marks the beginning of the first novena, or nine days of prayer. Before His Ascension, Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to His apostles. The Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary spent the next nine days in prayer, waiting for The Holy Spirit. Their prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit, which began on Ascension Thursday, ended with the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, ten days later.

The period between Ascension and Pentecost can be celebrated by praying the Novena to the Holy Ghost, asking God the Father to send His Spirit and to grant us the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Pentecost Sunday
Pentecost Sunday falls 50 days after Easter Sunday and 10 days after the Ascension of Our Lord. Pentecost marks the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. When the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, they were granted the “Gifts of the Holy Spirit.” On Pentecost the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the ability to speak in strange tongues to the crowds in Jerusalem. They were empowered to proclaim the Gospel and the Good News of our Lord to people of all the Nations. The Holy Spirit transformed the Apostles from selfish and timid men into men of courage and faith.

The Holy Spirit comes with seven gifts. These gifts transformed the Apostles on Pentecost Sunday and they help us to live our lives in God’s name.

1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Counsel
4. Fortitude
5. Knowledge
6. Piety
7. Fear of the Lord

Sources:
>> www.catholicism.about.com
>> www.ewtn.com/devotionals/mercy/index.htm
>> www.divinemercysunday.com/divine_mercy.htm

Pentecost

Pentecost Sunday is celebrated 50 days after Easter. It represents the birth of our Church. We have been on a pilgrimage with Jesus since February. During Lent, we walked through the dessert by fasting and repenting our sins. We were welcomed into Holy Week with Palm Branches on Palm Sunday. During Holy Week we relived the last few days of Jesus’ life. Easter Sunday arrived and we were joyful as we celebrated Jesus’ resurrection.

Pentecost calls us to a missionary life. Jesus gave his disciples a job to go out and proclaim the Good News of our Lord to all nations. We are Jesus’ new disciples. We have been called and chosen to use our gifts and talents to lead others to God. Our challenge is the same as the disciples ... do we have the courage to reach out to others and share the peace of the Holy Spirit?



Symbols of Pentecost in St. Mary's Church
Do you know where to find the pictures below at St. Mary's?
Click on each picture to view the full image and see if you are correct!