Resources for Holy Week and Easter

Irish Jesuit ministries are offering online resources to help people reflect and pray through Holy Week and Easter. These include masses, movie nights, a retreat, a school service, and written and video reflections. A highlight will be a liturgy on ‘The Way of the Cross’ this Good Friday in Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare. Musical director Cyril Murphy says it will be in a “different league” from last year, with professional sound quality and visuals and a stunning performance by opera star Celine Byrne. Holy Week takes place from Sunday, 28 March until Saturday, 3 April 2021 with Easter Sunday falling on 4 April 2021.

GARDINER STREET PARISH

Masses for Holy Week and Easter

• • Palm Sunday, 28 March – 11 am mass
  • Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (29 to 31 March) – 11am mass including a reconciliation service
  • Holy Thursday, 1 April – 7.30pm mass, Washing of the Feet
  • Good Friday, 2 April – 3pm mass, Stations of the Cross, 7pm mass including reflections and prayers around the Cross
  • Holy Saturday – 9pm Easter Vigil mass
  • Easter Sunday – 11am mass, 7.30pm Gospel Choir Mass

Masses will be available via webcam on the Parish website »

The Easter Sunday Gospel Choir Mass will be available on Facebook » (or you can visit the Parish website above to register on Zoom).

Jake Martin SJ will facilitate a Lenten Movie Nights programme on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings of Holy Week at 7.30pm via Zoom. Find out more on the Parish website above.

MANRESA JESUIT CENTRE OF SPIRITUALITY

The team of Jesuits, religious and lay staff won’t have a community of retreatants with them to celebrate the Holy Week liturgies this year, but they will continue with their 12.15pm daily mass during Holy Week. It is available audio-visually from the Arrupe Chapel using Zoom, allowing people to join in the prayers, readings and responses. Click here for more information on mass and Zoom registration ».

The Manresa team specially invites people to join them for mass during the Easter Triduum from Thursday, 1 April to Saturday, 3 April. At this time they will focus on the theme of each day with some time of reflection and prayer. The themes will be ‘Serving’ (Friday, 1 April), ‘Suffering’ (Friday, 2 April) and ‘Waiting’ (Saturday, 3 April). Like last year, people are encouraged to connect with their local church, following the diocesan or national celebrations as a sign of unity. The team hopes that what they offer during the Triduum helps each person to enter more fully into the spirit of the liturgy of The Three Days.

The retreat team are running an online 8-day Holy Week Retreat from 26 March until 4 April. It will involve personal prayer, reflection with recorded video material and scripture, silence, daily meetings with a spiritual director, group meetings and Eucharist. If you would prefer not to commit to eight full days, the retreat team invites you to decide on the length of retreat that you think will be of most convenience to you. You can avail of one-to-one direction on between four and eight of those days and your director will be available to meet you on the days you choose. Click here for more information on the Holy Week Retreat ».

CLONGOWES WOOD COLLEGE SJ

This Good Friday the college will stream a ‘virtual’ liturgy, ‘The Way of the Cross’, with Celine Byrne, from the College Chapel in Clongowes at 7 pm. It will include an exploration of the paintings by renowned artist Seán Keating and will be led by college rector Fr Michael Sheil SJ and musical director Cyril Murphy. Click on the ‘The Way of the Cross’ on Clongowes website ».

This year includes professional recording with live content and film. The six senior members of the Clongowes Schola will sing the main chants and hymns, while opera star Celine Byrne has recorded five numbers with them along with the accompaniment of professional cellist Jane Hughes.

Cyril Murphy says that the programme will be visually very different and more engaging than last year. It will include four different camera angles and famous sound engineer Paul Ashe Browne will ensure that the sound quality is in a “different league”. Cyril says, “It will certainly be very contemplative and reflective.”

REFLECTION

Fr Michael Sheil SJ offers a biblical and personal reflection entitled ‘Standing in the Strength of Silence’ on the First Station of the Cross in the College Chapel of Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare. It was painted by Seán Keating (1889 – 1977) who was a young emerging artist at the time without any experience of working in a religious context. Jesus is the central figure in the scene who stands tall and straight before the Roman Governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate. Click here to read Fr Sheil’s reflection ».

VIDEO 

Fr Mike Drennan SJ describes in this video on ‘Being Lifted Up’ how the seeds of the passion were present from early on in the Gospel narratives. Scripture texts are noted though this presentation with some questions and texts for further reflection offered at the end. Click on the link below to watch the video ».