We ask you, humbly, to help.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

Holy Week

Learn More

April 2nd - 8th, 2023

Holy Week is the week before Easter Sunday, beginning seven days before with Palm Sunday. It ends with Holy Saturday. Easter is not part of Holy Week, but rather the beginning of the Easter season of the Liturgical year.

Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. On this day, we celebrate the triumphant entry of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, into Jerusalem, riding a donkey. On that day, the people laid palms before Him, a gesture reserved for triumphant leaders. We celebrate this at Mass by distributing palms to the faithful who may keep them for a time for use as devotional objects. The palms are blessed at Mass. The faithful sometimes craft portions of palm fronds into crosses. Eventually, these palms are returned to the Church where they are burned. Traditionally, their ashes are saved and distributed at next year's Ash Wednesday services.

Later, when Jesus entered the Temple, he angrily drove out the money changers who had turned the Temple court into a place of business instead of devotion. Once the court was cleared, Jesus began teaching the masses. Meanwhile, His enemies drew plans to kill Him.

The next major event in Holy Week is Holy Thursday. On this day, Jesus celebrated the Passover feast with the disciples. We know this feast as the Last Supper. This is the night He was betrayed by Judas and arrested.

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

The Last Supper is celebrated at every Mass, and especially on Holy Thursday.

After supper, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and prayed. From this event comes inspiration for our practice of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, where we are invited to spend one hour in prayer with Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist; Body, Blood, and Divinity.

Jesus was arrested on the night of Holy Thursday.

The next day is Good Friday, and on this day, we commemorate the trial, punishment, and crucifixion of Our Lord.

On that morning, Jesus was brought before Annas, a powerful Jewish cleric who condemned Jesus for blasphemy. From there, Jesus was presented to Pilate for trial. Although Pilate found no guilt in Jesus, he agreed to have him crucified to appease the crowd of people and prevent a riot.

Christ was stripped, flogged, and crowned with thorns. He was then forced to carry His Cross to the place of His execution. There, He was nailed to the Cross between two thieves who were likewise crucified. Late that afternoon, seeking to ensure Christ's death, a Roman guard stabbed him in his side with a spear. When Jesus died, an earthquake is said to have occurred as well as a great darkness which covered the land. Suddenly, many people knew Jesus was the Son of God.

Jesus was taken and laid quickly in a borrowed tomb, in accord with Jewish law, which required the dead be buried by sundown before the Sabbath.

In our churches, the Tabernacle is left empty, to show that Christ is departed.

On Holy Saturday, there is no Mass. Parishes may hold services, but there is no distribution of Communion.

On Holy Saturday, we remember that Jesus was descended into hell where He preached the Gospel to those who died before and opened the way to heaven for all those who were worthy.

This concludes Holy Week. The following day is Easter Sunday, the day on which it was discovered the Tomb was empty, and our Lord was resurrected, triumphing over death once and for all time.

Printable PDF of Holy Week

Prayer Cards 15% off

Catholic PDFs - Print - Free Light a Virtual Prayer Candle

Memorial Day: Honor Those Who Have Given Their Lives in Military Service

We ask you, humbly, to help.

Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2022 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Holy Week

Learn More

April 2nd - 8th, 2023

Printable PDF of Holy Week

More Lent & Easter

Easter 2023 / Lent 2023Begins on February 22, 2023 ends on April 6, 2023

Lent Event

Importance

Stations of the Cross

Living Lent

Mardi Gras / Fat Tuesday

Ash Wednesday

FREE Online Catholic School Enroll Now

Palm Sunday

Holy Week

Holy Thursday / Last Supper

Good Friday

Easter Sunday

Ascension of Our Lord

Pentecost

Fasting and Abstinence

What did you give up for Lent?

Lent FAQ's

Transformed by Easter

Easter Bunny

Appearances

Easter Gifts

Easter / Lent News

We Have Been Raised with Christ. Easter is More Than a Day; it is a Way Watch

5 Beautiful scriptures to remind you what Easter is all about Watch

Join Us in Prayer

Happy Easter: The Tomb is Empty! Love Has Triumphed Watch

The surprising origins of the Easter Bunny -- it's not what you think! Watch

Are Easter eggs pagan? Watch

Prayer Cards 15% off

Join the MovementWhen you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Daily Catholic

FREE Catholic Classes Pick a class, you can learn anything

Easter 2023 / Lent 2023
Begins on February 22, 2023 ends on April 6, 2023

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.