Assistant Principal - Learning and Teaching
This week I have taken an excerpt from a Jesuit Post on how to celebrate Holy Week at home. In the era of remote learning at SJPC, this may be of use:
How to Celebrate the Easter Triduum at Home
The Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter marks the most solemn feast in the Catholic calendar. The rituals in this celebration make present the great mystery of Christ’s Resurrection, which is beyond what words can capture. The washing of the feet, the dramatized retelling of the passion, the pillar of fire, the processions, the silence, the incense, the music, all of it building to a staggering trumpet blast: He is risen!
What are we to do, however, in a time when we cannot go to a parish to celebrate these great and holy days? Many of us are looking for a way to celebrate the Triduum at home. Some will tune into a live-stream from their parishes. Others may wish to celebrate a Liturgy of the Word with their families or to pray the Liturgy of the Hours together. For those who are interested in adapting the Triduum rituals to the home, I have prepared liturgical guides based on the Roman Missal.
The liturgy is not only the realm of the ordained. It is a gift and a responsibility for all the faithful. The Second Vatican Council identified the family as “the domestic Church” in which parents are “the first preachers of the faith to their children.” Likewise, John Paul II called for families to extend the liturgical prayer of the whole Church into the home so that they may celebrate “God’s loving intervention” in their lives and in the life of the world.
Finding some creative ways to celebrate the Triduum in the home can be daunting. It may even seem awkward to lead your family or roommates in ritualized prayer. My hope in creating these guides is to remove some of that pressure and to bolster the life of the domestic Church. Though we mourn the fact that we cannot gather in our parish communities, perhaps these guides will help to make a meaningful and prayerful Triduum at home.
Families can click on the links below to see the guides for each day.
In closing, I would again like to highlight the added importance of our electronic resources our College subscribes to. The following resource will be used as a support for our current HSC students but is available for all students and parents at St John Paul College in regards to remote learning.
Our College’s subscription details to Study Skills Handbook are -
Username: stjohnpaul
Password: 89success
As was the case in 2019, we have access to the Elevate Education Student Portal. This online platform contains resources and useful study tips that all SJPC students will find effective. We encourage them to access this Student Portal and try some of the strategies. Students have the password to this site. The password can also be found on the Curriculum Noticeboard.
Have a Holy Easter and restful holidays.
James Furey
Assistant Principal
Learning and Teaching