Now that we are officially in Holy Week, The Great Week of the Church, and a week and time period I doubt that any of us will ever forget, I wanted to […]
Holy Week: The Greatest Week in the Church Year
“Mondays with Mary” – Holy Week with the Mater Dolorosa
Yesterday, beginning with Palm Sunday, the Catholic Church entered Holy Week also known as the Great Week. In my personal opinion, these are the best days in the entire liturgical cycle because […]
The High Holy Days of Catholicism
Traditionally, in the Jewish faith, the high holy days are known as Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). As one website put it, these are the heavy hitters of the […]
“Mondays with Mary” – Reflecting on the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Cross
Since we have now entered the holiest weeks of all weeks in the Church’s liturgical year, also known as the Great Week in the East, I want to focus as I have […]
Was Jesus’ Last Supper Actually a Passover Meal or was it Something Completely New?
This year for Lent I decided to take it upon myself to read the second part of Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth, which is subtitled – Holy Week: From the Entrance […]
The Chrism Mass and Sacramental Oils Explained
Last night, I traveled across the city of Phoenix to SS. Simon and Jude Cathedral for the annual Chrism Mass celebrated by the Bishop of Phoenix, Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted. This […]
The Four Cups, the Last Supper, and the Cup of Consummation
When I taught theology at St. Dominic Savio Catholic High School in Austin, Texas, one of my most favorite lessons of the entire school year was when I taught the students about […]
Quick Lessons from the Catechism: The Last Supper and the agony at Gethsemani
As we get closer to the Great Triduum, the three days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, which anticipate the Great Sunday, I found it fitting to briefly share with […]
An Explanation of the Sacramental Oils
Last night, along with other staff members and parishioners from Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church, I traveled across the city of Phoenix to the Cathedral of Saints Simon and Jude for the […]
No “Mondays with Mary” and Holy Week
Since I was out of town all weekend with my girlfriend and her family, I did not have much time to write for this week’s “Mondays with Mary.” My flight last night […]
“The Great Week”, Part III
As Jesus lies in the tomb, we come to my favorite part of the Sacred Triduum – The Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil is the Mass where the new Catholic converts are […]
The Crucifixion of Our Lord
Hymns Adapted from Great Friday Morning – Eastern Catholic and Antiochian Orthodox Christian. Source: Eastern Holy Card. When You were led to the Cross, O Lord, You asked, “For what act do […]
“The Great Week”, Part II
The Sacred Triduum begins with Holy Thursday (Thursday of the Lord’s Supper), the day Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Priesthood while he celebrated the Passover Meal with the Apostles […]
“The Great Week”, Part I
We are now officially into the week that I think is by far the best week in the entire liturgical cycle – Holy Week or “Great Week” as the Eastern Churches name […]
TOM PERNA 