GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Mass of the Lord's Supper will be celebrated Thursday night at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in downtown Grand Rapids.
The address is 215 Sheldon Boulevard SE, just east of Division Avenue and north of Wealthy Street. Other Masses will be taking place at parishes throughout the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids.
Bishop David Walkowiak will be celebrating the liturgies of the Easter tridduum.
"It's important that we have the opportunity to come together as a community to commemorate Christ's Passion, death and resurrection," Diocese of Grand Rapids Communications Director Annalise Laumeyer said. "We can really re-live the experiences he went through in these liturgies."
There will be several Masses in the churches in the diocese through Easter Sunday. There is a lot of grief and sorrow at this time of year for some Christians recalling what Christ endured.
"And yet, it all ends with Easter joy. And it is an especially joyful Easter for us here in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, as we welcome more than 400 new members into the Catholic church here in West Michigan," Laumeyer said. "So, we invite you to join us for one of these special liturgies. The entire schedule can be found at GRdiocese.org .
Here is more information in a Diocese news release:
The public is invited to participate in the liturgies. Please see below for the Cathedral’s schedule. These same Masses will also take place in parishes throughout the diocese.
- Holy Thursday, March 28, at 7 p.m., Bishop Walkowiak will celebrate Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper. During this Mass, the bishop will commemorate Christ’s washing the feet of his twelve apostles at the Last Supper by washing the feet of members of the parish.
- Good Friday, March 29, at 3 p.m., Bishop Walkowiak will begin the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, the time of suffering leading up to and including Christ’s death on the cross. This liturgy includes prayers, the Scriptural proclamation of Christ’s Passion and veneration of the cross. This is the only day in the entire year that the Catholic Church does not celebrate Mass.
- Holy Saturday, March 30, at 9 p.m., Bishop Walkowiak will preside at the Easter Vigil. Parish communities throughout the diocese, including the cathedral, will welcome new members during this Mass. Across the diocese, 176 catechumens and 231 candidates will be welcomed into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. Catechumens will receive baptism, first holy Communion and confirmation at the Easter Vigil. Candidates are already baptized and will receive one or both of the other two sacraments of initiation.
- Easter, March 31, at 10 a.m., Bishop Walkowiak will celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. The Easter celebration is the principal feast of the Catholic Church year; the cornerstone upon which our faith is built and the oldest feast of the Christian Church.
Livestreams of all liturgies, except the Easter Vigil, will be available on the Diocese of Grand Rapids website, grdiocese.org and the diocesan YouTube channel.