During Holy Week, which began on Palm Sunday, the Church celebrates the mysteries of salvation accomplished by Christ in the last days of His life on earth, beginning with His messianic entrance into Jerusalem. The Lenten season lasts until the beginning of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. The Easter Triduum begins at that point.
A special Holy Week and Easter web feature is now available on www.catholicbishops.ie to assist the faithful in their celebration of the most sacred week of the liturgical calendar. This feature will be updated to include information on events and ceremonies involving congregations for the first time since the lifting of Covid-19 related public health restrictions.
The online feature includes an overview of Pope Francis’ schedule for Holy Week and Easter which includes the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday and the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum in Rome on Good Friday; Scripture readings for Holy Week and Easter; Some of the liturgies taking place in dioceses around Ireland during Holy Week including Chrism Masses, Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday solemn liturgies, Easter Vigil Masses, and Easter Sunday Masses of the Resurrection; Messages and homilies of Irish bishops for Holy Week and Easter; and, Broadcasts by RTÉ and BBC to mark Holy Week and Easter – details below.
Broadcasting of ceremonies
The web feature also includes information on some of the special Easter programming that will be output on radio and television.
Some of the RTÉ highlights include the Mass of the Lord’s Supper celebrated by Father Paul O’Driscoll, and with members of the Parish of the Travelling People, on RTÉ One Television and RTÉ Radio One Extra; From the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow, Father Thomas O’Byrne will lead The Passion on Good Friday from 3.00pm, and Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin, will celebrate the Easter Vigil Mass at 10.45pm on Saturday night, both ceremonies will be broadcast on RTÉ One Television and on RTÉ Radio One Extra.
On RTÉ Player at 4.30pm on Good Friday, followed by an edited version at 10.30pm on Easter Sunday on RTÉ One, Walled City Passion which reimagines the events of Easter, transposing the 1st century narrative into a modern-day context will be broadcast. The performance features professional actors, supported by a cross-community cast of hundreds, including 700 schoolchildren from 11 local schools.
Professor Siobhán Garrigan will host a special Good Friday edition of RTÉ Radio 1’s flagship religious series The Leap of Faith.
On BBC during Holy Week and Easter BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle, will air from Darkness To Dawn – a meditation in words and music reflecting the journey of Holy Week. The reflections will be broadcast each night at 11.50pm starting on Palm Sunday and ending on Holy Saturday, 16 April.
On Easter Sunday, Sunday Sequence on BBC Radio Ulster/Foyle from 8.30am to 10.00am will be presented by Audrey Carville with guests discussing and reflecting on the meaning and relevance of the Easter story in general and the theme of resurrection in particular, during times of global crisis and upheaval.
On BBC One and the BBC Player a new five part series will begin entitled A Believer’s Guide which will follow people as they navigate major life moments and explore what faith has to offer during significant times of change.
There will be further content on the BBC’s flagship religious strands on TV and radio including Songs of Praise on BBC One, Lent Talks and Thought For The Day on BBC Radio 4, Good Morning Sunday on BBC Radio 2 and Heart And Soul on the World Service, as well as special features and items on BBC news and on popular shows including BBC Breakfast, The One Show and Newsround.
Updates on Holy Week are available on the @CatholicBishops Twitter and Instagram accounts and by using the hashtag #LivingHolyWeek
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