The doors to Catholic churches throughout the Diocese of Trenton will open wide to hundreds of thousands of parishioners and newcomers alike as special services and Masses lead believers through the three most holy days of the Church year – the sacred Triduum. Beginning with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday (March 29), and ending with the evening Mass on Easter Sunday (April 1), the Triduum commemorates Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection for Catholics around the world.
During this time that is both solemn and joyful, parishes of the Diocese offer abundant opportunities for believers to witness and participate in moving dramatizations of Christ’s Passion, Confession, prayer services, ritual celebrations and Masses, including a number of sunrise gatherings along the Jersey shore and in other locations. Rituals like the washing of feet by the Bishop and priests on Holy Thursday, to the veneration of the Cross on Good Friday, will lead up to the Blessing of the new Easter fire outside all Catholic churches around the world on Holy Saturday, the Great Vigil of Easter. As the liturgical ministers move to the darkened churches, the newly-lit Paschal Candle is used to light candles held by parishioners, one pew at a time, until the entire interior is bathed in light.
This year, nearly 650 individuals will become fully initiated into the Catholic Church through one or more of the Sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion or Confirmation during the Easter Vigil Masses celebrated around the Diocese March 31. Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., will celebrate this Mass in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Trenton, where he is expected to baptize and confirm the parish’s newest members. The following morning, the Bishop will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass for inmates in a local prison.
Catholic parishes in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties have announced their schedules for these special observances and celebrations. They can be accessed here.
Established in 1881, the Diocese of Trenton comprises 106 parishes in Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties with a Catholic population of more than 700,000. To learn more, visit DioceseofTrenton.org.
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