Holy Week Resources for Home Prayer & Worship
With our social isolation order in place now would be a great time to bring yourself and your family into harmony with what this week should really be about -- preparing to celebrate the love and mercy of God given to us in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. St. Colette is providing some options for visiting the church this week - you can find out more by looking at the Triduum Schedule HERE. You can also watch livestream or recorded Masses at St. Colette on certain days - for that schedule please click HERE. The below list was provided by the Archdiocese of Detroit Youth Ministry Office with some additions by Theresa and St. Colette staff, and has some great ideas to make each day of Holy Week one that you and your family will remember as it brings you closer in faith. For more resources on spiritual closeness from the Unleash the Gospel movement visit www.spiritualcloseness.org.
Sunday-- Day of the Lord!
Monday-- Formation Day!
Tuesday-- Saint Movie Night, or Family Baking!
Wednesday-- In the Word!
Thursday-- Prayer Challenge!
Friday-- Way of the Cross!
Saturday-- Family Night!
Grab Bag-- an idea for any day!
With our social isolation order in place now would be a great time to bring yourself and your family into harmony with what this week should really be about -- preparing to celebrate the love and mercy of God given to us in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. St. Colette is providing some options for visiting the church this week - you can find out more by looking at the Triduum Schedule HERE. You can also watch livestream or recorded Masses at St. Colette on certain days - for that schedule please click HERE. The below list was provided by the Archdiocese of Detroit Youth Ministry Office with some additions by Theresa and St. Colette staff, and has some great ideas to make each day of Holy Week one that you and your family will remember as it brings you closer in faith. For more resources on spiritual closeness from the Unleash the Gospel movement visit www.spiritualcloseness.org.
Sunday-- Day of the Lord!
- Consider participating as a family in the Palm Sunday Mass with Archbishop Vigneron at noon. You could even go to Mass in your jammies!
- If you are parents or grandparents of middle schoolers or teens consider having them participate in Project YM Live at https://projectymlive.com at 8pm. This in an online Catholic Youth Group event happening each Sunday and week's guest is Fr. Mike Schmitz! You will need to go on line before hand to register your family. This event happens every Sunday night with a different guest speaker so if you missed this week, check it out next week!
- Watch this brief video with your family to learn about the significance of Holy Week and what happened to Jesus in his final days on earth. Watch a livestream of today’s AOD Mass and refer to the schedule of Holy Week livestreams for services throughout the week.
Monday-- Formation Day!
- Take some time to familiarize yourself with Formed.org. It's a subscription-based resource-- some call it "Catholic Netflix"-- that is FREE during this crisis. Consider starting with the Lenten reflection videos here. Please be aware Formed has a wide variety of viewing possibilities for all ages.
- Encounter: The Significance of Anointing. In today’s Gospel we learn of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with very costly perfumed oil. Watch the livestreamed Chrism Mass, learn about the sacred oils and reflect on the significance of the anointing of your family members.
- When have you been anointed? (Ex: Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick)
- What do you remember or what do others remember about these events?
- Share some pictures or items from your baptism or confirmation. Discuss how this anointing empowers you as a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of his Church
Tuesday-- Saint Movie Night, or Family Baking!
- One suggestion is the movie "Mother Teresa of Calcutta" featuring Olivia Hussey. You can rent from Amazon or watch it free with your Amazon Prime subscription. Click here. This movie can be also be found on the Formed website. And if not Mother Teresa, how about Solanus Casey:the Healing Prophet Click here , or any saint that is of interest for your family.
- Grow: Make Homemade Bread for Thursday. Make some homemade bread that will be shared by your family on Holy Thursday, either with yeast or without yeast. As you make the bread, discuss the following questions as a family:
- How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus changed the Passover prayer and told them to eat his body and drink his blood?
- If you’ve received your First Communion, what is it like to receive Jesus in the Eucharist? If you haven’t yet received your First Communion, what do you think it will be like to receive Jesus in this way?
- How can we as a family better appreciate the gift of the Eucharist?
Wednesday-- In the Word!
- Encourage your families to read the Passion of Jesus together in preparation for Good Friday. You can access the readings here
- Afterwards take a few moments to discuss within the family why Jesus dying on the cross had to be.
- Witness: Make a Cross for FridayToday’s activity will help you to prepare for your family’s celebration of Good Friday. Cut a large cross out of cardboard or paper to display in the main room of your home or in your front window. Have each family member trace their hand on a piece of colored paper. Cut out each handprint and ask each family member to write their name on it. Save the handprints for the Good Friday activity later this week. These handprints symbolize each family members’ sins, and they will be attached to the cross on Good Friday to help us remember that Jesus died for our personal sins.
Thursday-- Prayer Challenge!
- This would be a great day to learn and pray the Act of Contrition together as a family!
- Thursday night is when we remember and celebrate the gift of the Mass in the Last Supper. Have a special meal as a family. Possibly have everyone dress up. Read: Luke 22:14-23
- At the meals end have everyone take a moment to write down what they are most sorry for. Together say the Act of Contrition and then, without reading or looking at what has been written burn the papers.
- Encounter: Foot-Washing at HomePrepare a space for this activity. You’ll need towels for drying the feet and for the floor, a chair, a pitcher or large glass of warm water and a basin or large bowl. Prepare the space with a towel on the floor and a chair on top of that. Have the other items nearby. When someone gets their feet washed, have them sit in the chair and place their feet over the bowl. Pour the water on their feet and dry them with a towel. Optionally, you may also kiss the tops of their feet before you help them out of the chair. You may also watch the Mass of the Lord’s Supper here.
Friday-- Way of the Cross!
- It's Good Friday-- time to reflect on the Passion of Jesus Christ. Make it a day of fasting by limiting what and when you eat.
- Consider saying the Stations of the Cross:
- A Video Based Version from Busted Halo!
- Here is an online version from Catholic Online.
- Check out "Hype Up Your Stations of the Cross this Lent" on the Life Teen Blog!
- If you have older children consider watching The Passion of the Christ which can be found on Amazon Prime by clicking HERE
- If you have younger children consider watching, as a family, an animated movie: The Life of Jesus. This also can be found on Amazon Prime by clicking HERE
- Grow: Celebrate Good Friday and Prepare for Easter After the Solemn Remembrance of the Lord’s Passion, families may consider preparing for Easter with activities like making a Paschal candle. Each year at the Easter Vigil, the parish prepares a new Paschal candle. It reminds us of our eternal life in Jesus Christ. The Paschal Candle is lit during Mass on Easter through the feast of the Ascension of our Lord and during baptisms. The Paschal candle in a parish has four decorative features: the cross, the Alpha (A) and Omega (Ω) symbols, the numbers of the current calendar year and the five grains of incense, which symbolize the 5 wounds of Jesus.
You may additionally consider decorating Easter eggs to celebrate Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. We see colored eggs everywhere this time of year! Why eggs? Easter eggs are symbols of the Risen Christ. As a chick breaks the shell when it is hatched and begins life, so our Lord comes forth living from the tomb. Jesus has conquered death!
Saturday-- Family Night!
- Holy Saturday night the Church celebrates the for the first time during the Easter season the Resurrection of our Lord. Consider making it a fun family night with finger friendly food and games. Relish the opportunity to just be together.
- If you have older students consider spending time in reflection and prayer! Here are two resources we suggest you consider:
- Holy Saturday Imaginative Prayer from IgnationSpirituality.com
- Holy Saturday Reflection from MyCatholicLife.net
- Witness: Decorate Your Home for Easter and Bless Easter BasketsJust as parishes prepare the church with beautiful decorations for the celebration of Easter, families are invited to do the same in their home. You can decorate in spring colors, but also consider the liturgical colors of gold and white. Consider creative options for crafting some decorations among your family.
Additionally, Prepare an Easter basket that contains special foods you will serve at your Easter table. Invite the head of the household to pray the following prayer over the basket:
Christ, the Living Bread, you came down from heaven and gave the gift of the Eucharist to the world. Bless our bread that recalls both the manna with which the Father fed the Israelites as they wandered in the desert, and the bread with which you miraculously fed those who followed you in the wilderness. Lamb of God, you who conquered death and redeemed us from our sins, bless the meats, sausages and all the foods that we eat in memory of the Paschal Lamb, who shared the Passover meal with His Apostles at the last Supper. Bless the salt and, as salt keeps food from spoiling, protect us from the corruption of sin. Christ, our life and our hope, bless the eggs, a symbol of new life, that we will share with each other and thus, share with them the joy of your presence among us. Invite us to your eternal feast, the heavenly banquet, where You live and reign forever and ever. All: Amen
You may also gather as a family to watch St. Colette's livestream of the Easter Vigil Mass or Archbishop Vigneron’s celebration of the Easter Vigil
Grab Bag-- an idea for any day!
- The Unleash the Gospel Communications Team is making short videos to help unpack Archbishop Vigneron's Spiritual Guideposts for this time-- check them out here https://www.unleashthegospel.org/videos/