Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation

It is important to enter into Holy Week and the Easter season with a clean heart. Many parishes offer extra confession/reconciliation times in the final weeks of Lent. The additional access provides great opportunities to prepare our souls for the holiest week of the year.

To find a Lenten penance service time near you, visit www.dosp.org/penanceservices.

Plan Which Holy Week Masses You Will Attend

Attend the Chrism Mass

The Chrism Mass is a special liturgy on Tuesday, April 15. At this Mass, Bishop Parkes consecrates the Oil of Chrism which is used in every parish in our diocese  for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and holy orders. He also blesses the Oil of Catechumens and Oil of the Sick which are used in those preparing to enter the Church before baptism and those who receive Anointing of the Sick, respectively.  

Priests present at the Chrism Mass renew their personal dedication to Jesus Christ, promise to unite themselves closer to Christ and renew their commitment to priestly service. In addition, any priests celebrating a jubilee anniversary (25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 65th) are recognized. In 2025, 25 jubilarian priests will be recognized.

Find a Mass time for Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday is a special opportunity to attend Mass the evening before Christ’s Passion just as Jesus celebrated the Passover meal as the Last Supper. Check with your parish to find their Holy Week Mass times.  

Some parishes also have Tenebrae services at night during Holy Week (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday), which focus on the darkness of Jesus’ last days before his crucifixion.

Attend the Passion of the Lord/Veneration of the Cross Service

On Good Friday, the one day of the year that Mass is not celebrated, parishes have a service for the Passion of the Lord. This is similar to a Mass, except that the usual Eucharistic sacrifice does not occur, focusing on and mourning Christ’s Passion and death. Instead, Hosts that were consecrated at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper the evening before are used.  

This service also includes veneration of the cross in which the faithful approach a crucifix and make a gesture of reverence, recognizing and honoring the profound sacrifice that Christ made for us.

Check with your parish for times for this service.

Attend an Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday Mass

The Easter Vigil is the first Easter Mass that is offered to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. This Mass takes place that Saturday night and is also a time in which new Catholics are baptized, confirmed, and receive their First Holy Communion. You may attend Easter Vigil Mass or a Mass on Easter Sunday.

Click here to view Easter Mass times.

And, if Holy Week and Easter celebration times at your parish doesn’t work with your schedule, another option is to join Bishop Gregory Parkes at one of the following Masses at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle:

Palm Sunday (April 13): 9:30am

Chrism Mass (April 15): 11:00am

Mass of the Lord’s Supper (April 17): 7:00pm

Passion of the Lord Service (April 18): 3:00pm

Easter Vigil (April 19): 8:00pm