Recently, the Campus Ministry team got together to reflect on Holy Week. We are grateful for their input. Thanks, too, to Campus Ministry Coordinator Nicole Ferrante for bringing those thoughts together.
Holy Week is one of the most important periods in the Christian calendar, concluding the forty-day season of Lent, and preparing Christians for the approaching celebration of Easter. At our March 18th meeting, the St. Mike’s Campus Ministry team sat down together and had an open conversation about Holy Week, with the hopes of gathering some thoughts to share with the St. Mike’s community.
Students were asked several questions to get the ideas flowing. Hopefully there will be something in their answers to inspire you as we enter into this important time.
Why is Holy Week important? What makes it special?
“I love Holy Week. I think Holy Week is awesome. I think it’s nicer than Christmas because there is much less capitalist gift buying and stuff.“-Marc-André Veselovsky SJ (Retreats and Faith Formation).
During Holy Week we remember the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord. To re-“member” does not only mean to recall in our mind. It means to relive, to recreate. To place ourselves back into the story, and to live those final days alongside Jesus. We experience the self-giving love of Holy Thursday, the grief of Good Friday, and the emptiness of Holy Saturday, only to be filled with the fullness of joy and life as we enter the resurrection of Easter Sunday.
“I think it is [also] to remind us that in our daily life we carry our own crosses, and to remind us that there is resurrection after death, so whatever suffering we are going through, there is resurrection.” – Semira Abdella (Interfaith and Social Outreach Coordinator).
Placing ourselves in the Easter story also means coming with our reality, with the burdens we carry, with what we are doing, seeing, and experiencing, and letting the life of Christ speak hope and comfort into those places.
Is there a particular part of Holy week that you find most meaningful, or that you are most looking forward to?
“The mass I look forward to in Holy week is Good Friday. For Ethiopian Catholics [like myself] it’s not like a typical mass… it’s a 12-hour service starting from 6 am to 6pm, so it’s very interesting. People fast the whole day.” – Semira.
Holy week is an important time for all Catholics, as well as many other Christian denominations. The way in which it is observed, however, can differ depending on the church or cultural community that one is part of. Glimpses into the Holy Week celebrations that happen worldwide are a beautiful example of the unity and diversity that the Church is fortunate to foster.
“I’m going to see my friend get baptized at the Easter Vigil. So that’s very exciting… I don’t think I’ve ever had someone I know be baptized as an adult” – Justus Croskery (Catholic Faith Formation Coordinator).
Something that not everyone realizes about Lent and Holy Week is that it is an incredibly important time of preparation for those desiring to enter the Catholic Church. The Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday is the time when all adults seeking the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation are welcomed fully into the Catholic community, after having journeyed through many months of spiritual formation.
“The liturgies are the best liturgies of the year.” – Marc-André.
Holy Week liturgies are rich with meaning and emotion. They are extremely embodied, incorporating rituals such as the waving of palms, the washing of the feet, and the veneration of the Cross. The Easter Vigil makes use of powerful symbols like fire and water and plays to the senses of sight and sound as we journey from a somber darkness into a joyous light.
“I think my favourite part would be the Easter Vigil mass. Lent is a good time to recall that we weren’t made for this world, and to see our own brokenness especially. And then with the Easter Vigil comes a really full joy – a joy because Christ satisfies the hunger that we have that none of the things that we are giving up can touch.” – Noah Stong (Catholic Faith Formation Coordinator).
The joy of the Easter Vigil Mass is palpable. As the Mass ends, we as a Church move from a season of fasting and penitence, to a season of joy and celebration.
Are there any encouragements, challenges, or words of inspiration that you would like to offer your St. Mike’s community this Holy Week?
“I guess just that we all have our own sufferings to bear, especially during the close of the semester. And I think it’s the perfect opportunity to take them and to just offer them up to Jesus and see him suffering on the cross especially prominently during Good Friday. I think it’s a good time to take a bigger-picture look at things and be like “yeah I have my own crosses… and Jesus did so much more for me.” I’m just so grateful. He’s going to give me strength.” – Justus.
“I hope that students can try to connect more with their faith by attending the different masses that occur. Just kind of step out of their academics for that one week to reflect upon the sufferings that Jesus went through for us.”. – Anita Rajkumar (Interfaith and Social Outreach Coordinator).
For those interested in participating in Holy Week liturgies here on campus, consider attending some of the following services, all taking place at St. Basil’s:
Saturday March 23rd, 6:30pm – St. Mike’s Campus Ministry Palm Sunday Mass
Wednesday March 27th, 7:00 pm – Tenebrae Service
Thursday March 28th, 7:00pm – Holy Thursday Mass
*Consider registering for our Holy Thursday Travelling Adoration event, from 5pm-Midnight, beginning with dinner and mass, and ending with a pilgrimage to seven churches around the city. Click here to register.
Friday March 29th, 3:00pm – Good Friday Service
Saturday March 30th, 8:00pm – Easter Vigil Mass
Sunday March 31st, 9:00am, 10:30am, and 12:00pm – Easter Sunday Mass
The St. Mike’s Campus Ministry team wishes a blessed and fruitful Holy Week to all!
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