I’ll admit it, I look forward to Holy Week even more than Christmas.
Every year, Palm Sunday feels like the Church is saying, “Come in close. Pay attention.” We start with palms, procession, and Hosanna—remembering the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem—and then, almost immediately, we hear the Passion. That shift isn’t jarring by accident. It’s the Church giving us the full Gospel in one sweep: the praise, the suffering, the Cross, and the promise of the Resurrection. Palm Sunday doesn’t ease us into the week. It points us straight toward it.
There’s so much packed into these days that you can’t absorb it all at once. The readings don’t feel distant. They feel like they’re happening right in front of you. The prayer of the Church is direct and steady, and it asks something of us.
This is the week that changed the world, and if we let it, it will change us, too.
Holy Week isn’t just another stretch on the calendar. These days are different. They’re holy. They’re worth planning around. If you’ve ever felt the closeness of Holy Thursday night, the stark quiet of Good Friday, or the first Alleluia at the Easter Vigil, you already understand.
In this week’s newsletter, we’ve gathered reflections and stories to help you enter more deeply into these sacred days. Father Peter Langevin begins with a look at the Chrism Mass, the Diocese’s clearest sign of unity. Deacon Ben LoCasto then walks us through the Easter Triduum—Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. In “A Question of Faith,” Father Richard Breton explains why the Church does not celebrate Mass on Good Friday. Andrea Hoisl shares a powerful local conversion story through Dayne Rugh’s journey in OCIA, and Andrea DePaola offers a family-centered reflection on experiencing Holy Week through a child’s eyes.
One final note as we enter these sacred days: some of our people can’t be present in person—because of illness, age, mobility challenges, work, travel, or circumstances they simply can’t change. That’s why our Communications Office will be live-streaming the Holy Week liturgies from the Cathedral. Nothing replaces being there, but we hope these broadcasts help bring the Church’s prayer to those who need it. Please see the back cover for the full live-stream schedule.
Have a blessed Holy Week and a joyful Easter.
By Wayne Gignac
Holy Week’s Sign of Unity for the Diocese - Renewing Priestly Promises and Consecrating Chrism
The Easter Triduum - Three Days That Changed the World
A Question of Faith- Father, why is there no Mass on Good Friday?
Conversion on “God’s Time,” Not Our Own
Triduum Through the Eyes of a Child
