While he did not celebrate Mass or wash the feet of inmates, Pope Francis made his customary Holy Thursday visit to a detention facility, arriving at Rome’s Regina Coeli jail at about 3 p.m. April 17.
Easter
‘Waking up to God’: Desire for community, renewed faith interest may explain U.S. boost in numbers of new Catholics
At the April 19 Easter Vigil at parishes across America, the church will welcome many new Catholics.
What happened Holy Thursday night? One Polish nun says she knows
A hidden chapter of Christ’s Passion has come to light through the mystical revelations of Servant of God Sister Leonia Nastal, a Polish nun whose spiritual diary offers harrowing details of Jesus’ imprisonment before the crucifixion.
Passion Project: Icons and holy relic inspire devotion at Western Maryland parish
The amateur artists labored on a Thursday evening in March inside the parish hall at St. Peter the Apostle in Oakland, in Garrett County.
Welcome home
The miracle of Easter shows that anything and everything is possible for God, and that even death does not have the final word.
Archdiocese of Baltimore’s chrism Mass focuses on hope in jubilee year
The chrism Mass is traditionally held in the archdiocese on the Monday of Holy Week. The scheduling allows priests to be with their people in their own parishes for the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper and other liturgies of the Triduum.
Despite improved health, pope picks cardinals to lead Holy Week liturgies
Pope Francis is going without supplemental oxygen for longer periods and is continuing therapy to recover his voice and to recover his physical strength, the Vatican press office said, but he also is increasing the number of private meetings he is holding with the heads of Vatican offices.
Hope in the tomb
This is the pattern, the lesson, Easter’s strange suggestion, that even in the tombs of our lives, even when there’s no reasonable ground to hope, we still do not despair.
Are the crown of thorns, holy nails and other relics of Christ real?
The history of relics — authentic or fake — is an amazing, fascinating chapter of Christian history through the centuries, especially the relics of Jesus Christ, which remain the most venerated and famous.
How did St. John Chrysostom become the Easter saint?
No saint (outside the Bible) is more associated with the festival of Easter than St. John Chrysostom.
Signs and themes of Eastertide
Just the name “Easter” brings thoughts of new life, springtime, of freshness, of the Resurrection. This is not only a day — not only a few weeks on the church calendar — but, for Christians, a way of life.
Simple Holy Week customs transcend cultures, continents
From baking sweet breads to blessing baskets, Holy Week is full of long-standing traditions that transcend cultures and continents. The following list includes a quick overview of family favorites.