Holy Week, Easter services begin March 23 at St. Thomas the Apostle

All are welcome to attend Holy Week and Easter services beginning with the Palm Sunday Masses March 23-24, and culminating with the glorious celebration of Easter, Sunday March 31, at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 1500 Brookdale Road, Naperville.

Several liturgies also will be livestreamed. Please consult the following schedule for those services.

The Holy Week and Easter schedule at St. Thomas the Apostle is:

Saturday, March 23

4:30 p.m. Mass of Anticipation. Mass will be livestreamed.

Palm Sunday, March 24

Masses at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., and 6:00 p.m.

Monday, March 25 – Wednesday, March 27

8:30 a.m. Mass in the chapel.

Holy Thursday, March 28

No morning Mass.

7:00 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Mass will be livestreamed.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will follow Mass, ending with Night Prayer at midnight.

Good Friday, March 29

No morning Mass.

3:00 p.m. Living Stations of the Cross. The middle school-aged youth of St. Thomas the Apostle will prayerfully depict the stations in tableaux format in a service that will help appreciate a deeper understanding of the gift of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice for humanity. The liturgy will be livestreamed.

7:00 p.m. Celebration of the Passion of the Lord. This liturgy includes communal adoration of the Holy Cross and distribution of the Eucharist in the church. The liturgy will be livestreamed.

Holy Saturday, March 30

No morning Mass.

12:00 p.m. Blessing of Easter food baskets. In a custom native to several European countries, foods that will be enjoyed Easter morning are blessed on Holy Saturday. This blessing will be held outdoors at the entrance to the Gathering Area. (This entrance is the second one to the church on the right when using the main entrance to the parking lot.)

7:00 p.m. The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night. Mass will be livestreamed.

Easter Sunday, March 31

Masses at 7:30, 9:30 (in both the church and the gym in the church building), and 11:30 a.m. The 9:30 a.m. Mass will be livestreamed.

St. Thomas will resume its usual schedule of Masses on Monday, April 1. Daily Mass is celebrated at 8:30 a.m. in the chapel where a Communion service also is held at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesdays. Saturday’s Mass of Anticipation is celebrated at 4:30 p.m. Mass is livestreamed. Sunday Masses are scheduled at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m., and 6:00 p.m.

For more information, consult the St. Thomas website at www.stapostle.org, contact the church office at (630) 355-8980, or contact Scott Knisley, director of liturgy and music, at (630) 355-8980, ext. 111 or sknisley@stapostle.org.

St. Thomas the Apostle, a parish of the Diocese of Joliet, strives to bear the Good News of God’s unconditional love to all generations through worship, faith formation, witness, and service. Organized in 1984, the St. Thomas faith community numbers more than 3,000 households and over 9,000 registered members. Complete news and information on parish events, guest speakers and special programs is available at www.stapostle.org. For general parish information, please call (630) 355-8980.