Holy Week

Find Catholic Courier coverage of Holy Week services and events in this collection.

The most sacred week of the liturgical year, Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday. It includes Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Because of its importance in the church calendar, numerous special services and events are held during during the week, including Easter vigils and the Chrism Mass. In November 1955, Pope Pius XII’s decree Maxima Redemptionis brought increased lay participation in Holy Week by shifting the timing of the week’s ceremonies to better align with their timing in Scripture and allow lay people to enter more deeply into the experience of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.

The season of Lent precedes Holy Week, and additional articles can be found in the Courier website’s Lent and Easter section.