Holy Week at Mount St. Thomas,2023

 The celebration of the Holy Week here at Mt. St. Thomas was like a time spent in a Retreat Centre as the whole week was spent in prayers and in the celebration of various liturgical ceremonies. Arrangements were made for the participation of more people at the various ceremonies. The Holy Week started with the Palm  Sunday celebration on Sunday,  April 2. I was a concelebrant along with Fr.Thomas Melvettam, the Cardinal being the main celbrant. The pictures of the procession and the mass came in the papers and also on different channels.This well-coordinated conduct of the ceremonies was a harbinger of the later ceremonies that were well-organized at Mt.St.Thomas.I was also asked to be a concelebrant for the Holy Saturday ceremonies and the mass.All the priests participated in the Yama Prarthankal--Liturgy of the Hours.

The Good Friday Way of the Cross was also impressive and highly devotional as the procession went up to the Main Gate and returned to the Chapel. The Easter procession with the statue of the Risen Lord went up to the Cross and returned.When all the ceremonies of the Holy Week were over, it was as if we were moving from a world of high spiritual events to one of mundane matters. Thank God that everything went smoothly well.

The first picture  is the blessing of the water on Holy Saturday, the second , that of sharing the paschal bread and the third , that of the Palm Sunday procession.