Holy Week & Easter Triduum Activities: from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday

It was a very busy Holy Week for Christ the King Parish. Holy Week began, of course, with Palm Sunday. The 7:30 am mass was celebrated by parish priest Fr. Bong Tupino , with the blessing of palms at the parking lot in front of the Divine Mercy Chapel, with palm wavers led by the 12 selected ‘apostles’. All the masses were ‘full house’, given the attraction of Holy Week, blessing of palms, and Gospel dramatization on the Passion of the Lord. Palm Sunday is covered in a separate article in this Herald issue.

Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday saw the annual Recollection for Kasambahays and Drivers, a regular Holy Week feature in the parish, given that there are over 3,000 households in the gated villages, each with several maids and stay-in drivers. The event has always been handled by the Catholic Women’s League (CWL). There was also annual penitential service and confessions, dubbed Kumpisalang Bayan, that ran from Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday, from 6:45 pm, after the 6 pm daily mass, till the crowds Zinished, sometimes till 10 pm. Both Kasambahay Recollection and Kumpisalang Bayan are also covered in separate articles in this Herald.

The general CTK Holy Week Recollection was held over three days, from Holy Thursday to Holy Saturday, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. Facilitator for all three recollection days was Fr. Francis B. Lucas, currently the President and CEO of the Catholic Media Network and also executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines- Episcopal Commission on Social Communications and Mass Media. Last February 4, Fr. Francis gave a Spirituality of Stewardship talk, sponsored by the Stewardship Committee, on the topic of – the parish as a haven for the wounded heart.

On the morning of Holy Thursday, at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Lantana, Cubao, Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, together with the diocese’s other parish priests, celebrated the annual Chrism Mass. Made of olive oil and perfumes, chrism was consecrated by Bishop Ongtioco in the presence of the diocese presbyterium. The oils will be used in the administration of the sacraments – baptism, confirmation, anointing of the sick, holy orders, and church dedications – throughout the diocese for the rest of the year. The Chrism mass also manifests the unity of the priests with their bishop as well as celebrating the institution of priesthood.

The Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 5:30 pm last Holy Thursday inaugurated the Easter Triduum, and commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. Bread from Figaro’s was actually distributed by the 12 apostles to the parishioners, most of whom took them home to eat with some soup or simple viand.

The mass stressed the commandment of brotherly love that Jesus gave after washing the feet of his disciples. The 12 selected apostles, which included John Paul Garcia and Angelito Deuna of Libis, Reno Magadia and Sonny Garcia of Corinthian Gardens, Ramil Chua and Ramnel Santos of Greenmeadows 1, Ole Naval of White Plains, Demsi Mauricio of St. Ignatius, Javi Coromina of Acropolis, Raul Evangelista of Knights of Columbus, Jomel Quiroz of Youth Ministry, and Jayson De Vega of EMHC, took center stage again as Fr. Bong Tupino washed and kissed each disciple’s feet in turn.
Fr. Bong then incensed the Blessed Sacrament and with his humeral veil held and carried i t , in formal accompaniment by the CTK Knights of Columbus and under a canopy, to the beautifully adorned Divine Mercy Chapel below the main church, that served as the Altar of Repose. A simple Eucharistic Vigil followed, from 7 pm to midnight, assigned to the CTK villages. The Visita Iglesia period, literally, ‘Seven Churches Visitation’, officially began at this time. In the Philippines and several other Catholic countries, the faithful will travel from church to church praying at each church’s altar of repose.

Good Friday, the second day of the Paschal Triduum, saw the 2 pm Way of the Cross. Then, at 3 pm, though mass was not celebrated, the Good Friday liturgy began, consisting of the Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion.

The Good Friday service was followed at 4:30 pm by the procession of the Santo Entierro, literally, ‘holy interment’, and the Madre Dolorosa. The procession, which wound through Greenmeadows 1 then back to Christ the King church, started with the Crucifix and Candles, then the Acolytes, then the image of St. Peter, escorted by Christian Family Movement members.

This was followed by the image of St.Veronica, escorted by the LeComs and Apostleship of Prayer, then the image of St. Marta, escorted by the CTK Youth and Couples for Christ.

The image of the Santo Entierro was escorted by the band, the Knights of Columbus Honor Guards, Adoration Nocturna and the Catholic Women’s League, plus four of the 12 apostles. Santo Entierro was followed by Mary Magdalene, escorted by the Mother Butler Mission Guild, then the image of St. John the Beloved, escorted by the Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Communion and Diwanihan Kristiyano. Finally, bringing up the rear of the procession was the image of the Sorrowful Mother, or Madre Dolorosa, escorted by the Legion of Mary, Ladies of Charity, Buklod ng Panginoon, and the CTK priests. Upon returning to CTK, The procession carroza of the dead Christ was blessed by Fr. Bong Tupino before bringing the image inside the main church.

Holy Saturday was another big day for Christ the King parish with the Solemn Easter Vigil that started at 8 pm. This began with the Service of the Light, just outside the main church. This included the Blessing of the Fire and the preparation and lighting of the Paschal Candle. The congregation then trooped in, as Fr. Bong and the other CTK priests went through the Liturgy of the Word, which consisted of multiple readings, even as the church remained in darkness, then followed by the Liturgy of Baptism, and finally, the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Before the Salubong at 11:30 pm, the Libis kids entertained the congregation with a dance number.

The male parishioners marched down Greenmeadows Avenue to the Acropolis gate and then accompanied the image of the Risen Christ in the direction of CTK. At the same time, the female parishioners marched to the corner of Giraffe and Greenmeadows Avenue and accompanied the image of the Blessed Mother. The Salubong happened in front of the CTK Formation Center. An ‘angel, played by a Libis young girl, lifted the veil off the face of the Madre Dolorosa. This was already past midnight. A festive atmosphere was enjoyed by everyone, aided by snacks and music.

Easter Sunday masses followed the usual weekend schedules. Making it unique was the Renewal of Baptismal Promises, with the presiders and EMHCs sprinkling holy water on the crowd.