This year Holy Week will be unlike any we’ve experienced before. To help you decide how you would like to keep this holiest week of the year, here are some suggestions. Attached here is a PDF of suggested activities as well as Stations of the Cross for COVID-19. Please click to read.
Unfortunately, no gatherings are permitted at the church during Holy Week. There will be no confessions.
The diocese will be live streaming Bishop Checchio’s Holy Week services on the Cathedral website: https://www.stfranciscathedral.org/
We will be carrying it live here on our website too. Please scroll below:
Here is the schedule for the live stream Holy Week schedule:
Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020 10:30am (blessed Palms are not to be distributed under any circumstance at this time by order of our Bishop, but may be made available for distribution at a later date!)
Monday, Evening Prayer and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, April 06, 2020 4:00pm
Holy Thursday, Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, April 9, 2020 – 7:30pm
Good Friday, Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, April 10, 2020 – 3:00pm
Easter Vigil, April 11, 2020 – 8:00pm – Holy water fonts are to remain empty. RCIA sacraments will be re-scheduled.
Easter Sunday, Holy Mass, 10:00am
Available services from The Church of The Sacred Heart, South Plinfield.
Traditional devotions during this week include the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross. These can be viewed online at churchofthesacredheart.net at your convenience. See also the attached PDF for details on praying the Stations of the Cross at home.
Monday, April 6 – Daily Mass can be viewed online at our website, churchofthesacredheart.net
Tuesday, April 7 – Daily Mass can be viewed online at our website, churchofthesacredheart.net
Wednesday, April 8 – Daily Mass can be viewed online at our website, churchofthesacredheart.net
Holy Thursday, April 9 – Daily Prayer of the Church (Morning, Evening and Night Prayer) is available at our website, churchofthesacredheart.net
Good Friday, April 10 – Morning Prayer of the Church is available at our website, churchofthesacredheart.net
Holy Saturday, April 11 – Morning Prayer of the Church is available at our website, churchofthesacredheart.net
Easter baskets will NOT be blessed this year.
Easter Sunday, April 12 – The Mass of the Resurrection will be live streamed from our church and can be viewed online at churchofthesacredheart.net at 10:00 AM.
The Ecumenical Sunrise Service that normally takes place at Spring Lake Park will move to our own front doors. The brief prayer and more details will be available at the parish website, and in the Observer.
The church doors will actually be locked for the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday) and Easter Sunday to keep people from gathering. Stay home, Stay safe. The Easter Season is fifty days and please God before Pentecost we will be back to celebrate joyfully and properly decorate the church at that time as well.
Fr. John Alvarado