Live-stream celebrations, outdoor cross, parish creativity mark another Holy Week during COVID-19

Posted By: Kiply Lukan Yaworski April 1, 2021

By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

As the Christian Church celebrates the most holy days of the year — Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter — parishes in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon are among the local churches dealing with celebrating in a time of pandemic.

Catholic parishes are complying with public health orders to keep worship gatherings at 30 per cent of building capacity or 150 persons, whichever is less, along with implementing all other policies related to contact tracing, cleaning procedures, distancing, masks, etc.

Chrism Mass celebrated in the diocese of Saskatoon – ARTICLE

Easter Message from Bishop Mark Hagemoen (PDF)

The faithful are asked to check with individual Catholic parishes about registering to attend any celebration in person — at this point, most of the in-person opportunities for worship are filling up quickly (find contact information for parishes at rcdos.ca ).

Even with additional services added, many thousands of Catholics will NOT be able to attend in person, therefore celebrations are also being live-streamed and shared via social media and websites, including the diocesan live-streaming website saskatoonmass.com.

The live-stream schedule includes celebrations with Bishop Hagemoen presiding will include:

  • Holy Thursday Mass of Our Lord’s Supper – April 1 at 7:00 p.m.
  • Good Friday Solemn Liturgy – April 2 at 3:00 p.m.
  • Easter Vigil Mass – April 3 at 9:00 p.m.
  • Easter Morning Mass – April 4 at 10:00 a.m.

Outdoor cross raised:

To prepare to enter into the Passion of Christ, a cross made and donated by Laverne Ducherer was erected in the church parking lot of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parrish in Martensville, SK, on Holy Thursday.  There will be drive-through veneration of the cross on Good Friday after the 2:00 pm service, which will also be live-streamed.
The cross built and raised last year by Bishop Mark Hagemoen and a group of volunteers on the grounds of the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon for outdoor and drive-by prayer and veneration was also raised again during Holy Week 2021, as COVID-19 precautions continue to limit how many can gather for worship.
The cross will stand in place until Easter Monday.
Working on the Saskatoon cathedral cross project on Holy Wednesday, March 31 were Curtis, Graeme and Matt Mann, Ben Lukash, Jon Neufeld and Daniel Joosten.

Gallery of photos:

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