Holy Week, Easter services scheduled at St. Thomas the Apostle Church

Everyone is welcome to attend Holy Week and Easter services beginning with the Palm Sunday Masses April 1, and culminating with the glorious celebration of Easter, Sunday April 9, at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 1500 Brookdale Road, Naperville.

The complete Holy Week and Easter schedule follows. Information in italics is included about services that will be livestreamed and those for which Eucharist will be available for distribution in the church parking lot.

Saturday, April 1

4:30 p.m. Mass of Anticipation. Mass will be livestreamed and Holy Communion will be distributed in the church parking lot.

Palm Sunday, April 2

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

Monday, April 3 – Wednesday, April 5

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

Monday, April 3

7:00 p.m. Holy Week Taize prayer. The liturgy will be livestreamed.

Holy Thursday, April 6

No morning Mass.

7:00 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Mass will be livestreamed and Holy Communion will be distributed in the church parking lot.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will follow Mass, ending with Night Prayer at 10:00 p.m.

Good Friday, April 7

No morning Mass.

12:00 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.

3:00 p.m. Celebration of the Passion of the Lord. This liturgy includes communal adoration of the Holy Cross and distribution of the Eucharist. The liturgy will be livestreamed and Holy Communion will be distributed in the church parking lot.

Holy Saturday, April 8

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 from the main entrance to the parking lot.)

7:30 p.m. The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night. Mass will be livestreamed and Holy Communion will be distributed in the church parking lot.

Easter Sunday, April 9

Masses at 7:00, 8:45 and 10:30 a.m.; and 12:15 p.m. Mass at 8:45 a.m. will be livestreamed and Holy Communion will be distributed in the church parking lot.

St. Thomas will return to its usual schedule of Masses on Monday, April 10. 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. in the church where Sunday Masses are scheduled at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. The Saturday Mass of Anticipation is livestreamed and includes an outdoor Communion option.

For more information, check the church website at www.stapostle.org or contact the church office at (630) 355-8980.

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 3,400 households of more than 10,750 people. 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.