Area Catholics to observe Holy Week online
By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com
The Greensburg and Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Dioceses are offering virtual options for parishioners to participate in Holy Week services.
Bishop Edward Malesic announced the Greensburg Diocese, which includes nearly 140,000 Catholics in Westmoreland, Fayette, Armstrong and Indiana counties, will offer virtual ways to stay connected.
“Do not be afraid. As we come out of the darkness of Lent and come out of the darkness of a global pandemic, be ready to go back into the world to take care of our brothers and sisters who are most in need, the people who are the face of Christ,” Malesic said. “Be ready to go back into the world to proclaim our Savior, to proclaim that he is risen and truly alive and wants all of us to be with him for eternity.”
The following Virtual Holy Week services will be celebrated by Malesic and streamed on the Diocese website, Facebook Page and YouTube Channel:
• Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord – April 5 at 9 a.m.
• Thursday of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday) – April 9 at 8 p.m.
• Friday of the Passion of the Lord (Good Friday) – April 10 at 7 p.m.
• Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord – April 12 at 10 a.m.
In addition, the Greensburg Diocese will offer the Easter Vigil April 11, celebrated by Archbishop Nelson J. Perez of Philadelphia, with details to be announced, and Easter Sunday Mass will be broadcast on WAOB FM 106.7 at noon.
Other resources being offered by the Greensburg Diocese include a special edition of The Catholic Accent newspaper that will be mailed to 41,000 subscribers during Holy Week. It will include a guide to preparing and worshiping at home, daily prayers, how to make a spiritual communion and Easter traditions.
That special edition will be available for viewing online at TheAccentOnline.org.
Malesic offers reflections on the daily readings during Lent on his own Facebook page as well as on the Diocese of Greensburg Facebook page and will continue to do so every Sunday.
The diocese now has a link on its website under the “giving tab” where contributions to parish offertory can be made.
In addition, individuals may virtually pray the Rosary with the Steele family of St. Barbara Parish and Queen of Angels Catholic School at 7 p.m. March 30, take part in the home prayer service with the Smith family of St. Barbara Parish and Mother of Sorrows Catholic School at 6:30 p.m. April 1 and join Father Tyler Bandura in a blessing of Easter baskets at noon April 11.
Those three videos will premier as events on the Diocese of Greensburg Facebook Page and will be available after the events at TheAccentOnline.org and dioceseofgreensburg.org.
Nearly 20 parishes through the Diocese have added virtual Masses and Stations of the Cross, and dozens of others are holding faith formation classes virtually.
Malesic reminds parishioners that there is a COVID-19 Resources page on the Diocese website with a complete streaming Mass list and reading materials about spiritual communion and home prayer services along with daily prayers.
To receive alerts and reminders from the Diocese of Greensburg, text “Faith” to 724-305-3057.
There will also be virtual services presented in the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese, which includes Allegheny and Washington counties and others.
“Although we will observe Holy Week in a different way, the heart of the sacred week remains intact. Jesus is bringing people together in new ways to honor the great sacrifice of Jesus in His Passion and Death,” said Bishop David Zubik.
Liturgies leading up to and including the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday mark the most important week in the Catholic Church. The holiest three days of the year, known as the Triduum, are celebrated from the evening of Holy Thursday through the Easter Vigil.
• Palm Sunday, April 5: Bishop Zubik will celebrate a Mass that will be livestreamed at 10 a.m. Priests throughout the diocese will celebrate private Palm Sunday Masses and bless palms that will be made available for people to pick up at a later date when restrictions are lifted.
• Holy Thursday, April 9: Bishop Zubik will celebrate the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, live streamed at 7 p.m. The Washing of the Feet, which is optional, will be omitted from observances this year.
• Good Friday, April 10: Bishop Zubik will celebrate Friday of the Passion of the Lord, live streamed at 3 p.m.
• Holy Saturday, April 11: The traditional ecumenical blessing over the City of Pittsburgh is postponed and will be rescheduled once the restrictions are lifted. There will be no blessing of Easter baskets.
Bishop Zubik will celebrate the Easter Vigil, livestreamed at 8:30 p.m. April 11, and Easter Sunday Mass, April 12, livestreamed at 10 a.m. The annual Blessing of Families at St. Paul Cathedral is canceled.
“Our commemoration of Holy Week is always meant to reawaken in our hearts the great sacrifice of the Passion and Death of Jesus leading to the exhilarating experience of His Resurrection,” Zubik said. “This year, and in light of the unusual sacrifices we have had to make because of COVID-19, it is my hope that we can more deeply cherish the sacrifices Jesus has made for us as we hope to share in His Resurrection when we breathe our last.”
A list of parishes with livestream schedules will also be shared at www.diopitt.org. All previous directives will remain in effect to adhere to the current government recommendation of no more than 10 people gathered. For this reason, there will be no public celebration of liturgies. Churches will not be open during scheduled Masses/liturgies, but may remain open at other times for individuals who wish to make a short visit. People should contact their parishes to confirm times.
