Holy Week is being celebrated at Quincy University on March 24-31. Catholics observe Holy Week to remember Jesus’s last week alive when he first rode into Jerusalem to when he died on the cross.

Quincy University is able to celebrate this week to the fullest extent since there is a chapel on campus. Each mass is held in the chapel and has certain themes to it to go along with each day of Holy Week.

“I’m a really big fan of Holy Week it shows our great heritage here at this Catholic university. I mean obviously we have the washing of the feet taking place tonight (3/28/2024), the Last Supper taking place tonight (3/29/2024), then you go into Good Friday, and then Easter Sunday,” Carter Lenzen, said.

The week begins on Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The palms come from the townspeople laying down palm branches as he rode by. In the entrance to the chapel there will be palms that attendees can take into mass where they will be blessed by the priest.

The Thursday, March 28 mass will include the washing of the feet which symbolizes how Jesus washed the feet of his apostles. Holy Thursday is when the Last Supper is said to have taken place. This supper was the last time Jesus got to sit down and eat with his closest friends, but would also be the night where he would he betrayed.

Good Friday is a somber time for Catholics as it is believed to be the day which Jesus was sentenced to death and died on the cross. This mass as well has a theme behind it, that theme being the tradition of venerating. Venerating means to show and pay respect to a cross present.

“The tradition of venerating the cross on Good Friday dates back to the fourth century, when Christians in Jerusalem would gather before a relic of the true cross to bow, kneel, and kiss it. Today, most churches venerate the cross during their Good Friday service,” Grant Wilson, campus ministries, said.

Saturday will be the Easter vigil, which tradition dictates can only start after sundown. Before it starts a fire is lit where everyone takes turns lighting a candle before entering. One thing to note is this mass does go on for an extended amount of time due to the readings. A normal Sunday mass will have three, where the vigil can have up to nine.

After that it is time for the Easter mass on Sunday, when Jesus is said to have risen from the dead. This mass will have two services on Sunday, one at 10 a.m. and another one at 6 p.m. In the Catholic tradition this mass is a holy day of obligation, which are the main masses a Catholic should attend but will never be forced to go to.