This Thursday, Catholics around the world begin the celebration of the Easter Triduum, that is, the period of time that goes from the afternoon of Holy Thursday until the morning of Easter Sunday. But what is the meaning of this period? The president of the Episcopal Pastoral Commission for Liturgy of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB), Bishop Armando Bucciol, explains that the Easter Triduum involves three moments in a single celebration.

Holy Thursday

“We begin with the celebration of the Passover Meal on Thursday evening, in which we commemorate the great farewell supper, which, according to the evangelist John, begins with the gesture of the washing of the feet. Christ manifests his willingness to love to the end; he considers himself the servant of humanity.”.

Good Friday

“After the Passover meal, with the celebration of the Eucharist, a living memory of the greatest mystery of God's love, of Christ's sacrifice to the very end, on Good Friday we celebrate this sober rite of intense spirituality of the Lord's death. On that day, the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist, but invites its faithful to look upon, to contemplate the crucified Christ, who dies on the Cross. He loved us to the point of giving the last drop of his blood.”.

Holy Saturday

“After the silence of Holy Saturday, in which the Church meditates and reflects on the dead Christ, we arrive at the night of the Easter Vigil, in which we celebrate Christ's victory over death. Death has been conquered, and the Church vibrates and renews its faith, its hope in a lived fullness of fulfillment that Christ has already sown, planted on earth, and which will be fully realized at the end of time. The Easter Vigil concludes the Triduum.”.

Plan ahead and participate!

At the Church of Father Eustáquio, devotees will be able to intensely experience these moments. Those who cannot participate in person will still have the opportunity to follow along on the Padre Eustáquio Channel, which will broadcast all the celebrations. Check the schedule:

On Thursday at 7 PM at the Sanctuary, there will be a Mass of the Washing of the Feet and Institution of the Eucharist. Following this, a small procession will carry the Blessed Sacrament to the Community Center where the congregation will participate in Adoration until midnight. The Adoration will be broadcast on the Padre Eustáquio Channel until 10 PM.

The day begins early on Good Friday (the 15th), at 7 am the traditional Stations of the Cross will be held through the streets of the neighborhood. It will begin at the corner of Vila Rica and Pará de Minas streets. At noon there will be the Sermon of the Seven Last Words at the Padre Eustáquio Church. At 3 pm there will be a Solemn Liturgical Action with the celebration of the Passion and Death of Jesus, and at 7 pm, the youth will reenact the Passion of Christ, also inside the Church; afterwards there will be the burial procession with the image of the Dead Christ.

On Saturday the 16th, a community tradition will be revived. The Washing of the Church is scheduled for 8:30 am so that all parishioners and devotees can participate and prepare the temple for a new moment. The Easter Vigil will be held at 7 pm, beginning in the courtyard of the Padre Eustáquio Marist School. Following this, the procession with the Paschal Candle will proceed to the Church where the celebration will conclude. And, on Easter Sunday, the Sanctuary will hold all its usual celebrations: at 7 am, 8:30 am, 10 am, 5 pm and 7 pm.

Come celebrate with us and experience this moment intensely, the greatest in the liturgy of the Catholic faith, and may your Easter truly be the resurrection of Christ in your life.