April 13 – Palm Sunday’s entrance antiphon is composed of the joyful words of those who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel. Hosanna in the highest.” The communion antiphon repeats Jesus’ words as that crowd prepares to arrest him in Gethsemane: “Father, if this chalice cannot pass without my drinking it, your will be done.” Before we leave the church to begin Holy Week, this prayer is prayed over the people: “Look, we pray, O Lord, on this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ did not hesitate to be delivered into the hands of the wicked and submit to the agony of the Cross. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.” As Pope Francis’ exhorted us in his homily, make we join Simon of Cyrene in carrying Jesus’ cross. Read Pope Francis’ 2025 Palm Sunday homily at the Vatican website.

April 16 – The Wednesday of Holy Week – also called Spy Wednesday in reference to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus for 30 piecese of silver – is the last day before the Triduum. Recent years have seen a resurgence in the celebration of Tenebrae or ‘The Service of Shadows’. My friend (and at the time, parishioner) Thom Ryng was crucial in introducing this tradition to me and my then-parish of Holy Rosary in Tacoma. Like so many others, the elements of chanted psalms, a ‘hearse’ of fifteen candles slowly extinguished over the course of the service, and the growing darkness as the night outside crept into the previously lit church – at the only held at bay by a lone candle that is ever-so-briefly entombed before lighting our departure in silence. We will be holding our own Tenebrae service at Queen of Angels in Port Angeles this year at 6 pm – I hope you will join us! Read more about this devotion in my reflection from last year (2024).

April 17 – Of all the days of the Triduum, Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper holds the richest mix of celebrations. Though the Chrism Mass may, for serious reason, be celebrated on another day (as is done in our archdiocese), it is traditionally the first Mass of the day – wherein the Ordinary of the diocese, his priests & deacons, and the lay faithful gather for the consecration of the holy oils. These oils are brought back to each parish, where they are presented to the local community before the Holy Thursday Mass. Finally, the Holy Thursday Mass is offered, where we recall the institution of the Eucharist and the ordained priesthood, as well as the mandatum – the washing of the feet of the faithful (traditionally 12 people). After communion the Mass does not end – for the Triduum is one long liturgy! – but instead the eucharist is brought in procession to an altar of repose apart from the church. Immediately after incensing the tabernacle there, the priest and servers return to the church, where they strip the altar (typically while Diviserunt Sibi and Deus, Deus meus are chanted). The Lord – and indeed any decoration whatsoever – removed from the sanctuary, we depart in silence. As a priest, this day holds special significance, for without Holy Thursday that vocation would be empty, non-existent. In addition to the many prayers of this day, please take a moment to pray for priests around the world. Simcha Fisher has a lovely reflection from 2016 over at Aleteia.

April 18 – Of all the days of the Triduum, I find Good Friday to be the longest….which feels especially fitting, given that this is the day in which our churches are empty of the Lord’s eucharistic presence, all images & statues are covered, the altar unadorned with any cloth, candles, or cross. Is it any wonder that we fill this day with prayers and devotions? In addition to Morning Prayer at 9:30, our students will lead a Passion play at 10:30 am, we will have the traditional Tre Ore service from noon to 3 (with confessions between the brief homilies on the seven last words of Christ), followed by Stations of the Cross at the hour of Christ’s death. For just a brief couple of hours, our church will be empty as we prepare for the Good Friday service of the Passion of the Lord – which itself begins without music, pomp, or ceremony: the priest and deacon will process in and lay prostrate before the altar while all silently kneel. The service will be long – with the Passion of Christ recited from the gospel of John, the veneration of the cross by all who desire to come forward, and finally distribution of communion from the extra hosts consecrated from Holy Thursday. As with that liturgy (which we continue but do not yet conclude), we end without a blessing – all departing in silence. Oh, and this is also a day of abstinence and fasting! And yet, all of this is just a small return of the relationship that Jesus sacrificed so much to restore. Andrew Petiprin of Word On Fire offers a reflection on this day.