Naperville's St. Thomas the Apostle sets Holy Week, Easter services
Everyone is welcome to attend Holy Week and Easter services beginning with the Palm Sunday Masses on April 1, and culminating with the celebration of Easter, Sunday April 9, at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 1500 Brookdale Road, Naperville.
Several liturgies also will be livestreamed and some of these will include Eucharist available for distribution in the church parking lot.
Holy Week and Easter schedule at St. Thomas the Apostle is:
Holy Week begins on Saturday, April 1, with a 4:30 p.m. Mass of Anticipation. The Mass will be livestreamed and Holy Communion will be distributed in the church parking lot.
On Palm Sunday, April 2, Masses will be at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
On Monday to Wednesday, April 3-5, there will be Mass in the chapel at 8:30 a.m. There will be no morning Mass on Thursday to Saturday, April 6-8.
Also on Monday, April 3, the Holy Week Taize prayer will be at 7 p.m. The liturgy will be livestreamed.
On Holy Thursday, April 6, the Mass of the Lord's Supper will be livestreamed at 7 p.m. 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 p.m.
On Good Friday, April 7, the Living Stations of the Cross will be at noon. 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.
At 3 p.m., there will be the 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.
On Holy Saturday, April 8, the Blessing of Easter food baskets will begin at noon. 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.)
At 7:30 p.m., the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night begins. Mass will be livestreamed and Holy Communion will be distributed in the church parking lot.
On Easter Sunday, April 9, Masses will be at 7, 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.
The 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, 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.