Holy Week, a time of journeying together in Hope

Holy Week, the final week of Lent and the period leading up to Easter, commemorates the last days of Jesus Christ’s life on earth, including his death and Resurrection. It’s a time of solemn reflection, remembrance of his suffering, and anticipation for the joy of his Resurrection. 

We enter Holy Week through the gate of Palm Sunday moving toward Easter during a time, says Pope Francis, which serves as an experience of grace and opportunity to open our hearts to others and the Lord. 

Pope Francis encourages Catholics to focus on the cross and rediscover the amazement of Christ’s saving Passion. This is a time of journeying together in hope and reflecting on the promises of God.

Holy Week allows Christians to embrace the significance of Jesus’ sacrifice for humanity, his death on the cross, and his victory over death. It’s a time to deepen faith, renew covenants with God, and reaffirm devotion to Jesus Christ. 

The faithful in the Diocese of Metuchen, members of 90 different parishes, journeyed through Holy Week with members of their unique parish families and the broader Church that is our shared home.

What follows are small vignettes of Holy Week and Easter with our Bishop James F. Checchio, representing our many and varied moments of worship during this blessed season.