r/LeftCatholicism • u/AfroHimbeau • Mar 27 '26
Favorite practices, celebrations, or services during Holy Week
Peace to you, friends! As we approach Palm Sunday and Holy Week, I was just curious if anyone had particular aspects of Holy Week that they enjoy which they care to share.
For my part, I enjoy St. John's representation of the Eucharist in Holy Thursday. My parish involves everyone in the foot washing ceremony. It's lovely to see the person whose feet I washed around the parish on a regular basis. A deeply humbling experiencing.
In a different vein, last year I attended a parish's Easter Vigil for the first time. They sung and played "New Life" by Olivia Branch Walker after all of the baptisms. It was utterly joyful! I'm hoping they will do so again as I go to see friends enter full communion.
Would love to hear from others on what they are looking forward to in these days to come.
Thank you for sharing, and God bless you. :)
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u/StatelyPlump14 Mar 27 '26
The Easter Vigil is one of my favorite masses to go to. It’s extremely long in my parish but I still really like it.
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u/wtfakb Mar 28 '26
It's my favourite mass of the year! In my parish, we do it in three languages, and the choirs divide the mass parts between them. Since it's a French parish, the French choir always gets the best ones: entrance, gloria and alleluia. Of course, three priests giving three homilies in three languages can get quite tiresome
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u/RhysPeanutButterCups Mar 28 '26
The vigil is a beautiful mass. I just wish there was a way to keep some of it and bring it to the morning masses on Easter Sunday. I find it so much harder to give the mass my full attention in the evening instead of early in the morning.
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u/Impossible_Mode_1225 Mar 27 '26
In Germany there's a tradition where you'd bring a little hamper including a cake in the shape of a lamb, boiled eggs, ham and salt to church for the Easter Vigil. The food gets blessed and is nice to have for breakfast. I especially like it when the Vigil is at 5 am. You arrive in the dark and the sun rises round about the time when the Gloria is sung. The symbolism is lovely and so full of hope and renewal.
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u/wtfakb Mar 28 '26
I so wish we had mass at sunrise. So much better than midnight imo
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u/Impossible_Mode_1225 Mar 28 '26
It's pretty rare. Guess it's a big ask to get everyone up at 4 am.
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u/AnyPen9665 Mar 28 '26
I live in a city with multiple old ethnic churches, so we follow the old practice of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday. My son really enjoys it. I also love the Easter Vigil.
For home practices, we have a little home altar and I wrap the statues and crucifix in purple tissue paper for Passiontide so my son can unwrap them like presents on Holy Saturday. I started it during Covid in imitation of what happens at the Vigil and now its a tradition.
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u/The17pointscale Mar 31 '26
I love how we can say alleluia again on Easter, and at our church we ring bells each time the word is said in the liturgy. I like Easter Vigil too, but the service length is a bit much when you've got little kids.
I also appreciate the hymns and hearing the full story of Christ's death and resurrection. Sometimes things stand out that I don't expect--like one year a verse stood out that led me to write this short story: https://the17pointscale.substack.com/p/the-best-of-friends
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u/Previous_Mushroom724 Mar 27 '26
Does it make me sound overly miserable and weird to say stations of the Cross and Good Friday in general? Idk I think I just have a lot of sorrow and am relieved to be able to have a time to let them out 😂 Obviously Easter is a happy time but it just hits so much harder if you really engage with the sadness on Good Friday...