Cardinal Joseph Tobin to celebrate Holy Week via livestream

Newark, N.J., March 24, 2021– As the faithful in the Archdiocese of Newark prepare to celebrate their second Holy Week during the coronavirus pandemic, this year, there is an opportunity to celebrate together and in-person with precautions in place. To continue to reach all the faithful throughout northern New Jersey, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, will celebrate Holy Week 2021 with live-streamed liturgies during the High Holy Days. 

The full schedule for live-streams is as follows:   

• Palm Sunday: Sunday, March 28 at 10 a.m.
• Chrism Mass: Monday, March 29 at 8 p.m.
• Holy Thursday*: Thursday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m.
• Good Friday: Friday, April 2 at 3 p.m.
• Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil*: Saturday, April 3 at 8:30 p.m.

*Bilingual (English & Spanish) liturgies

Liturgies will be broadcast via multiple social media channels, as follows:  

www.youtube.com/NwkArchdiocese

www.facebook.com/NwkArchdiocese

www.youtube.com/SacredHeartCathedralBasilica

www.facebook.com/SacredHeartCathedralBasilica

Local parishes within the Archdiocese also will offer live-streamed liturgies in celebration of Holy Week. Local parish live-stream links are available on individual parish websites or at www.rcan.org/parish-mass-livestreams-and-more. 

The Archdiocese faithful will be permitted to attend in-person parish liturgies during Holy Week in limited numbers and following COVID-19 guidelines for mask-wearing, social distancing, and sanitizing. Parishioners are encouraged to contact their local parish or visit the parish’s website for details.

As a reminder, the dispensation from the obligation to attend Mass in person on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation continues for the faithful of the Archdiocese of Newark. Parishioners are encouraged to avail themselves of technology to participate in the live-streaming of Mass and to remain united in prayer for our communities and beyond.

Priests of the Archdiocese will gather with Cardinal Tobin on March 29 to celebrate the Chrism Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart; however, the Mass will not be open to the public. A livestream of the 8 p.m. Mass will be available online.  

On Passion (Palm) Sunday, the Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem will be celebrated. Parish priests will adopt the Third Form or Simple Entrance. The blessing and distribution of palms will be permitted, and members of the assembly may take a palm as they arrive for Mass. Care will be taken to ensure that palm distribution follows safety precautions. 

On Holy Thursday, the Mandatum, or Washing of Feet, is omitted. The procession with the Eucharist to the place of reposition is not to take place, and the Blessed Sacrament is to be reposed in the tabernacle as at Sunday Mass.

On Good Friday, the Adoration of the Holy Cross will take place, and the assembly will be invited to adore the Cross together while in place, as the celebrant holds the Cross elevated for a brief time.

On Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil rites have been simplified in accord with the principles mentioned above and are to take place in a church. Only the Easter Candle will be lighted in the darkened church to prevent the assembly from extinguishing or blowing out individual candles.

Easter Sunday commemorates the Resurrection of the Lord. Masses are to be celebrated as indicated in the Roman Missal and according to previously established COVID-19 protocols. The faithful of the Archdiocese are encouraged to participate in the celebration of Easter Mass with their local parish – either virtually or in-person – and to pray for their communities and the world at large. The observance of the Easter season lasts for 50 days until the Feast of Pentecost.