Palm Sunday, which will be celebrated on April 2, 2023, marks the beginning of Holy Week and the celebration of our Lord’s Paschal Mystery. The day gets its name from the palm branches placed at Jesus’ feet as he made his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. During Palm Sunday Masses, parishioners receive palm fronds to take home and keep until the following Lent. The palms are then burned, with the ashes used on Ash Wednesday.
Events
Bishop Robert Deeley will celebrate Palm Sunday Mass at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.
A Palm Sunday potluck lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the hall at Holy Trinity Church, 67 Frost Hill Avenue in Lisbon Falls.
Palm weaving with Fr. Reggie Brissette will teach how to weave the cross, braid, cone and crown of thorns.
An RCIA Lenten Afternoon of Reflection will be held for all elect, candidates, godparents, sponsors, and parish RCIA teams.
Men, women, and children of St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish will reenact Christ’s journey to the cross, from his condemnation at the hands of Pontius Pilate to his crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
The Living Stations of the Cross will be presented by youth ministry members on Palm Sunday, April 2, at 7 p.m. at St. Athanasius & St. John Church, 126 Maine Avenue in Rumford.
A Tenebrae Service will be held on April 3, the Monday of Holy Week, at 7 p.m. at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul, 122 Ash Street in Lewiston.
A Tenebrae Service will be held on April 3, the Monday of Holy Week, at 7 p.m. at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 41 Western Avenue in Augusta.
The service will begin at 7 p.m. at St. Catherine of Sienna Church.
A Tenebrae service will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church at 7:30 p.m.
The event at the Capitol in Augusta will feature speakers at 11 a.m.
Bishop Robert Deeley will celebrate the annual Chrism Mass on Tuesday, April 4, at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland
Celebrated by Bishop Deeley, the Mass of the Holy Oils is for the clergy and parishioners in northern and eastern Maine.
Bishop Robert Deeley will celebrate the Mass of Our Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.
Holy Thursday marks the beginning of the sacred Easter Triduum, which culminates with the celebration of Easter. On this day, we remember the Last Supper, during which "Jesus, loving those who were his own in the world even to the end, offered his Body and Blood to the Father under the appearance of bread and wine, gave them to the apostles to eat and drink, then enjoined the apostles and their successors in the priesthood to offer them in turn."
Catholic school students will offer the presentations in Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Portland, Sanford, and South Portland.
Join Bishop Robert Deeley on Good Friday for the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer at 7:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. It is a prayer and beautiful way to begin with solemn day.
Embracing a Passamaquoddy tradition that goes back more than 100 years, parishioners will gather on Good Friday for the blessing of the waters of Sipuhsis Brook, located at Peter Dana Point.
Bishop Robert Deeley will celebrate the Good Friday Passion of Our Lord at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 307 Congress Street in Portland.
On Good Friday, we recall Christ’s Passion and death. It is the only day of the Church calendar on which Mass is not celebrated. Instead, we gather quietly to pray, both for ourselves and those around us; to listen to Scripture; and to venerate the cross. Good Friday is a time to reflect on our own sinfulness and need for repentance, and it is a day in which, amid the sorrow, we show our appreciation for Christ’s loving sacrifice. Good Friday is a day of both fast and abstinence.
Join Bishop Robert Deeley on Holy Saturday for the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer at 7:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. It is a prayer and beautiful way to begin with solemn day as we wait in anticipation for the resurrection of Our Lord.
St. Bartholomew Church, 8 Two Lights Road in Cape Elizabeth, will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt for children on Saturday, April 8, at 10 a.m. The day will feature food and fun events, including a hunt for 1000+ eggs filled with candy. The parish is requesting a $10 donation per family participating.
One of the most beloved traditions for Polish Catholics, dating back to the early history of Poland, will be renewed with the blessing of Easter baskets at St. Louis Church on 279 Danforth Street in Portland on Holy Saturday, April 8, at noon.