After Notre Dame kicked off Holy Week with the celebration of Palm Sunday, religious events will resume Thursday and continue until Easter Sunday.
In accordance with Notre Dame’s Catholic faith, many campus members are readying for the upcoming holiday weekend. Among these is Chris Mulholland, a third year Holy Cross seminarian.
“I think this is the biggest weekend of the year. Not just Easter Sunday, but the whole Paschal Triduum starting … Thursday, going until Sunday is a really big deal in the Christian tradition,” Mulholland said. “And particularly on campus here, it seems like people get really excited about it.”
On Holy Thursday, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart will hold the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 5 p.m., followed by a Tenebrae prayer service at 11 p.m. The following day, on Good Friday, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion will occur at 3 p.m., with the stations of the cross after that at 7:15 p.m.
Although the Basilica will be closed Saturday from noon until 7 p.m., the Easter Vigil Mass will take place that evening at 9 p.m. On Easter Sunday, the Basilica will hold four masses: at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 3:30 p.m (in Spanish). Additionally, Vespers will occur at 7:15 p.m.
There will be multiple opportunities for confession throughout the weekend.
“At the seminary, we’re definitely all hands on deck helping out with the different liturgies that we have,” Mulholland said. “[On Thursday], all the seminarians will join the campus at the Basilica for the mass of the Lord’s Supper, and then after that, it depends. Some of us go to parishes in town, and some of us help out at the Basilica, but almost everyone is involved in doing something for Good Friday, for the Easter Vigil and Easter.”
South Dining Hall will hold an Easter brunch Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meal will feature a wide variety of food ranging from spring pea salad to lamb pizza to coconut cream pie.
Despite the celebration happening on campus, Mulholland noted Easter is also a special time for people to go home and be with their families. While “home” is not too far for her, freshman Mary Kate Kocovski will be spending Easter with her family in Granger, Indiana.
“It‘s a toss up in South Bend if it will be nice weather, but if it is, it’s really nice,” Kocovski said. “So it’s great to just have a whole day where you can hang out outside and just enjoy the weather.”
Kocovski plans to celebrate the holiday with her immediate family at Sunday morning mass at Saint Pius X Catholic Church. Following mass, Kocovski and her family plan to partake in a day full of family traditions including making an Easter bunny cake, an egg knocking competition and watching the “Peter Cottontail” movie.
“[Easter] means spring is here,” Kocovski said. “It means flowers, sunshine and happiness.”
Besides celebrating Easter, students are taking advantage of the four day break to travel. Senior Rosa Nguyen will be spending the weekend in Chicago.
“I’m going to Chicago to see a friend that graduated last year,” Nguyen said. “I just saw my friend at spring break, so it’s nice to have a break catching up so soon after.”
Students will return to class Tuesday.
