For the second year in a row, millions of Filipino Catholics are forced to spend Holy Week at home as the Philippine government restricts mass gatherings, including religious services, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But we’ve got you covered.
Bookmark this page for livestreams of Masses, Bible verses, reflections, and observances of Holy Week traditions on Palm Sunday, Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Black Saturday, and Easter Sunday.
We are also posting here news updates, including mall schedules, for this week that is traditionally also a vacation for many Filipinos, Catholic and non-Catholic alike.
Have a blessed Holy Week!
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LOOK: Pope Francis celebrates the Eucharist during Easter Sunday Mass
IN PHOTOS: Easter Vigil 2021, the victory of light over darkness
The lighting of the Paschal candle, symbolizing the victory of light over darkness, begins the annual ritual called the Easter Vigil in Catholic parishes worldwide.
The Easter Vigil, usually two hours long, is the longest and also most special liturgy in the Catholic Church each year.
At the Manila Cathedral, Bishop Broderick Pabillo led the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 3, while Metro Manila and 4 nearby provinces remain under lockdown due to COVID-19. Read it here.
Pabillo on Easter Vigil: ‘Sickness, stupidity won’t have the final say’
Bishop Broderick Pabillo, temporary head of the Archdiocese of Manila, urged pandemic-weary Christians during Easter Vigil Mass Saturday, April 3, to let the risen Christ move them to hope and action, even as he hit the government’s COVID-19 response.
“Pero kahit nandito tayo sa kalagayang ito, huwag tayong mawalan ng pag-asa. Kumikilos ang Diyos. He will not allow sickness and stupidity to have the last say (Even if we are in this condition, let us not lose hope. God is moving. He will not allow sickness and stupidity to have the last say),” said Pabillo in his homily during the Easter Vigil Mass
For the second year in a row, churches in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces were empty during Holy Week because of a government-imposed lockdown. The quarantine was aimed to curb the runaway surge in COVID-19 infections. Read the full story here.