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How Do the Various Papal Masses Held During Easter Week at the Vatican Differ?

My sis and I are trying to plan our stay in Rome during Easter Week. We think it would be very meaningful and special to attend some of the Papal Masses held during Easter Week, but we are not sure which ones? Has anyone attended any of these who could explain how they differ and tell us which ones you enjoyed attending the most? I thought I read there is a special choir that performs at one of them, but now I can't find the link to that info, and I can't remember which Mass and/or service it was. Do they drape all the statues in St. Peter's Basilica, starting on Good Friday, and do they not remove the drapes until Easter Sunday morning? I've seen conflicting info about this. If you had to omit attending some of the masses, where would you start? I love attending religious services, but I don't think we can work them ALL in, so I'm wondering which ones would be the best to cut, if we don't have time for them all? We are going to the Good Friday Procession at the Colosseum and Easter Sunday Mass (we have confirmed tickets) for sure, and we have confirmed tickets to the Papal Audience the Wednesday before Easter. Would you cut Palm Sunday Mass, Maundy Thursday Chrism Mass, Good Friday Passion of Our Lord (Mass is not actually offered at this one, I think?), and/or Easter Vigil Mass, if you had to make a choice as to which ones to attend or not attend? Are there lots of flowers on display inside St. Peter's Basilica, for the Easter Vigil Mass, or is it as austere as the Good Friday Passion of Our Lord service? Thanks for your help. I appreciate it very much.

Posted by
915 posts

I will say that traditional Easter vigil masses (at least here in the U.S.) are long. It’s a beautiful service and the darkness into light is very moving, but be prepared for numerous readings and a much longer than typical mass. Not for the faint of heart or those lacking patience.

There are other churches to experience. I attended Holy Thursday mass at Santa Prassede (my spelling may be off) one year and it was lovely. It’s a small church and to me it was more meaningful than big ol’ St. Peter’s.

Posted by
365 posts

Interesting, Rachel. I enjoyed visiting Santa Prassede over Christmas, but I want to go back at Easter. Do you recall whether the churches in Rome have floral Easter displays PRIOR to Easter Sunday? Are they in place as early as Maundy Thursday? Or do they not bring them out until Easter Sunday, proper? We can't wait to see all the flowers everywhere! I do recall attending an Easter Vigil Service years ago, here in the U.S., and you are right; it was long. But it was so gorgeous. There were Easter Lilies everywhere! Soooo fragrant, and the altar in that particular church is white and gold and just beautiful! But I'm not sure St. Peter's Basilica will be decorated with flowers for the Easter Vigil? Do you know?

Posted by
32523 posts

I am not a Catholic nor do i have an answer for you on this one.

But it seems to me highly unlikely there would be a dramatic floral display while Christ is still dead. The Resurrection is on Easter Sunday. Then the flowers, the candles, the music, the statues will all come out, surely.

Posted by
60 posts

Holy Week masses and services are somber affairs. There is no celebration until Easter - the feast of the resurrection. Hence, no flowers or decorations in any church prior.

In Catholic vernacular, it is Holy - not Maundy- Thursday.

FYI. The Easter vigil is the equivalent of Easter Mass (with a lot of other stuff included) on the night before Easter. If I were to attend the many-hours-long vigil, I would not also attend Easter morning Mass as it is not required (and I'd be exhausted from the night before).

Posted by
15682 posts

Holy Week is a different sort of observance than the Christmas season. It may also be worth noting that, according to the Papal schedule, the 28th (Wed, March 28th) is a general audience, not a mass? You did say "audience" in your first post above but wanted to make sure you knew what you had tickets for

http://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/en/udienze_en.html

If you're already attending the Wed. audience, Friday procession and Sunday Mass, that's already a lot, considering your sister is not as interested as you are, and has some issues standing/walking for longer periods of time? Or maybe she can choose to do something different if you want to attend another observance?

Posted by
15682 posts

My sis can tour the Vatican Museums while I'm at the Palm Sunday Mass,
if she wishes. Can anyone tell me how late the Vatican Museums are
open that day? It's Free Day for the Vatican Museums on Palm Sunday.

The Museums are free on the last Sunday of every month unless otherwise scheduled. They are only open on those days from 9:00 - 2:00, with last entry at 12:30, and clearing of galleries at 1:30. There are no formal tours on free Sundays, and I would expect the queue to be long.

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/info/tutti-gli-orari.html

Posted by
15682 posts

Check the hours of the cafes/restaurants inside the Vatican as they all look to close by 1:30 or so on free Sundays, and they may be hustling you out before you could link up. Due to the size of the place, it may also be more confusing for her to try and find you somewhere inside the museums than to have a pre-set meeting place outside. Same goes for all the interior bookshops.

Maybe someone can suggest a visible outside meeting point- like a cafe - closeby the exit?

Posted by
915 posts

What Zeeba and Nigel said. I’ve never seen flowers until Sunday morning, and as a Gen X cradle Catholic I’ve only ever heard the term Holy Thursday not Maundy (I think Protestants say Maundy and eat pancakes...or do I have that wrong?)

Posted by
365 posts

Thanks for the info, Rachel. I'm Protestant, but I've never heard of eating pancakes on Maundy Thursday, and my church doesn't use the term "Maundy Thursday." I found it when searching for Papal Masses. It said there were 2 on Maundy Thursday-- the early morning Chrism Mass, where oil is blessed, and an evening one which involves washing the feet of servants. It's the early morning one we hope to attend, as it is said to be the least crowded of all the Easter Week Papal Masses. Interesting how people use different terminologies. Kind of like "Fat Tuesday" and "Shrove Tuesday?"

Posted by
22 posts

For a good source of information, try the Catholic American Community in Rome and the Paulist Fathers, St Patrick's in Rome (formerly located at Santa Susanna)

Posted by
129 posts

Easter Vigil Mass is very long because that is when new converts are often baptized into the Church.

The Pope specifically addresses young people on Palm Sunday because Palm Sunday has been designated as World Youth Day. Many people will bring their own palm fronds or olive branches with them on Palm Sunday for the blessing. You can purchase them all around Rome, often they are woven. You may be anle to find a cross.

Washing of the feet at the late Holy Thursday Mass is to indicate humility. Traditionally twelve priests were chosen, but the Pope has in the past selected persons who are struggling in their lives (poverty, etc).
For Catholics, all of Holy Week until Easter Sunday is very solemn . Easter Sunday is the most important day in the Catholic Church.

Posted by
129 posts

I wanted to add that there is a Papal Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Good Friday at 5 pm.

Posted by
15682 posts

Some very kindly advice here?

I'm starting to be really concerned about how your sister - whom you've said suffers from chronic fatigue, can't walk far or stand for long periods of time - is going to manage. Of the 10 or 11 days you will be Rome, you have potentially scheduled attendance at Holy Week observations on 6 of those, and five of those observances are all in row (Wed - Easter Sunday) with two on Friday night. These events will involve heavy crowds and hours of standing and sitting. Additionally, you're looking at exhausting day trips to Capri and Venice, plus some very long journeys via Flixbus (e.g. Paris to Rome or Amsterdam to Rome) unless you've talked her out of that.

This itinerary would exhaust ME and I don't have fatigue or mobility issues. I would highly recommend rethinking some of this?

It's so exciting that we'll be in Rome the whole of Holy Week! Easter
Monday, too. We are trying to decide what to do that day. I think we
are going to head to Venice and have a picnic.

Regarding your (and her) ongoing interest in saving money, spur-of-moment day trips to Venice and Capri may very well involve buying base-priced fast train tickets, and those won't be cheap for round-trip fares. Right now, I'm not seeing Trenitalia tickets to Venice on Easter Monday morning for under 59.90 euro one way, and higher than that for return trip. So, that picnic in Venice would be a very expensive endeavor, not to mention 8 hours on trains. Italo tickets are running a little less but I expect the remaining economy seats to sell out soon.