Oblate News

7 Ways to make Holy Week at home

Seven ways you can bring Holy Week and the Easter Triduum to your home

For many of us, we are facing a Holy Week and Easter where we cannot attend the Holy Week and Easter Ceremonies in person. It is a strange and sad time to not be able to celebrate our usual Easter liturgies during the Triduum together in person, and we hope and pray that we will be able to celebrate together in person very soon. However we are very thankful for the opportunities that have came from using our online platforms as a way to remain connected with one another and to pray together throughout this past year. With this in mind, we have compiled this list that we hope you find useful for you at home this Holy Week and Easter. 

1. Start your day with a short reflection from Partners in Mission – sign up here

2. Join the Oblate family for a short Morning Prayer at 10.00am – sign up here

3. Join in the Easter Triduum ceremonies live online with us from the Oblate Parishes in Dublin – and for those of us who do not have access to the internet, RTÉ broadcasting live on TV. Click here for a full schedule and how you can watch live.

Here are some suggestions for participating in the Easter Triduum at home in a practical way:

Holy Thursday: Instead of the Washing of the Feet ceremony, why not do something kind for a member of your household that you are living with, or if you are alone, you could send a thoughtful message to a friend or family member, or say a prayer for someone in particular.

Good Friday: Place a crucifix in a prominent place in your house and spend a few moments contemplating Christ’s passion and great love for each one of us.

Holy Saturday / Easter Vigil: 
We invite you to (safely) light a candle in your home in honour of the Paschal fire, and in thanksgiving the light of the Christ coming into our world at the Resurrection. 
You could also place a bowl of water (or holy water if you have some) in a prominent place while tuning into an Easter Vigil Mass – during the blessing of the Easter Water bless yourself as a reminder of your baptism. 

4. Pray the Way of the Cross in your home –

The Way of the Cross is one of the most sacred and well-loved Christian prayers. Praying the Way of the Cross has been part of Christian tradition for centuries for us to meditate on, so it can become part of our lives. Doesn’t each of our lives have suffering, falls, hurts, condemnations, death, and moments of resurrection?

A short, meditative Way of the Cross with reflective illustrations created by Br Michael Moore and Mary Tyrell of Oblate Partners in Mission, can be read by clicking here. 

You can also download the Oblates Stations of the Cross booklet here and pray them in your own time or you can use the booklet to pray along in with these videos prepared by our brother Oblates in Australia. The Parish of Saint Joseph’s, Colwyn Bay, has also prepared some reflections on the Stations of the Cross which you can find on our youtube channel.

Click here to pray the Stations of the cross.

5. Join a daily mass online – there are so many to choose from! It is really incredible to see how we have adapted and embraced taking part in church from home. Many of us find it difficult to be separated from our faith communities at this time so it’s really wonderful to be able to join together in prayer online. 

6. Read Br Michael Moore’s reflection for Easter Sunday. Br Michael publishes a Sunday reflection each week – if you’d like to receive these by email, you can sign up here.

7. Make an act of spiritual communion – while we are temporally unable to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, we are reminded that we can make a spiritual communion at least once a day or as often as we think to make one. Here’s one you could save to your phone or computer and pray while you are watching mass online – (right-click or hold down the image on your phone to save, or take a screenshot).

However you mark Easter this year, we would like to wish you every blessing upon you and your loved once at this time. May the Risen Christ come into your lives and bless you abundantly.