Lent and Holy Week

Lent is a solemn, reflective season of the liturgical year that is the preparation for the mysteries of Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts for forty days, until Easter (forty days do not include the Sundays during Lent). On Ash Wednesday people come to Church to receive ashes on their foreheads, a reminder that without God we are simply dust.

Holy Week begins a week before Easter day, on Palm Sunday. During Holy Week we remember the events of the final days of Jesus' earthly life, beginning with his triumpal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday

Holy Thursday: In the liturgy we remember the Last Supper and Jesus' gift of himself in the Eucharist. A foot washing ritual is part of the liturgy, reminding us that Jesus calls us to serve one another as his followers.

Good Friday: In the liturgy we remember Jesus "Passion and death". The liturgy we remember is somber and starts and ends with a bare altar. During the liturgy we venerate the cross in some way, in appreciation of Christ's sacrifice.

Holy Saturday: The liturgy on Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil, is held at night. It is the greatest celebration of the liturgical year, recalling and reliving the joy of Christ's Resurrection.

Easter Sunday: Easter and the Easter season are the primary focus of the liturgical year. Easter celebrates the wonder and joy of Christ's Resurrection, the central mystery of our faith. The Easter season goes on for fifty days after Easter, until the Feast of Pentecost.