Holy Week, which is observed throughout the Catholic Church is celebrated the week preceding Easter and begins with Palm Sunday. Listen as Fr Paul shares some information about Holy Week and its significance; the purpose of Palm Sunday celebrations; and how the Palm Sunday mass differs from our usual mass. i

The celebration of the Holy Week Masses (Palm Sunday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, and Easter Sunday) is always special and, often, deeply moving for those who attend. Wherever you find yourself at Easter, Fr Paul hopes this adds to our understanding of what and why we celebrate during Holy Week. He invites you to come along and be a part of the Easter celebrations.
The various traditional rites of the week probably began to develop at Jerusalem in the 4th Century when pilgrimages became easily possible, and Christians could indulge a natural desire to re-enact the last scenes of the life of Christ in liturgical drama. The Pilgrimage of Etheria, a document variously dated in the 4th to 6th Century, gives a detailed account of the contemporary observance of Holy Week in Jerusalem.
The ceremonies of Holy Week consist of:
• Palm Sunday – Celebrates the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem to accomplish his mission on earth
• Holy Thursday – celebrates the institution of the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood
• Good Friday – Celebrates the death of Christ
• Easter Vigil – Celebrates the waiting for & the resurrection of Christ
• Easter Sunday– Celebrates the resurrection