Houston-Galveston area Catholic Parishes have a variety of services for Holy Week and Easter

March 25, 2013

Catherine Rogan

WHEN: Thursday, March 28 through Sunday, March 31, 2013

Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral, 1111 St. Joseph Parkway, Houston 77002
Good Friday: 12 p.m. (English) and 5 p.m. (Spanish) – Stations of the Cross
3 p.m. (English) and 7 p.m. (Vietnamese) – Liturgy of Good Friday
Easter Sunday: 7 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. (English); 1 p.m. (Vietnamese); and 7:30 p.m. (Spanish)

St. Francis de Sales Church, 8200 Roos Rd., Houston 77036
A diverse community with worshipers representing 64 nations attending Masses at St. Francis de Sales each week.
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m., Mass of the Lord's Supper (English)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. (English); 5 p.m. (Vietnamese); 7 p.m. (Spanish)
Saturday Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. (English)
Easter Sunday: 8 a.m., 10 a.m. (most populated Mass – 50 nations represented – English); 12 p.m. (Spanish); 2 p.m. (Spanish); 5 p.m. (Vietnamese)

St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6800 Buffalo Speedway, Houston 77025
Located near the Med Center, St. Vincent de Paul has a thriving community of 3,700 families.
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. (English – Note: Washing of Feet, 7:45 – 8:15 p.m.; Procession, 8:30 p.m.)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. (English); 5 p.m. (Spanish)
Saturday Easter Vigil: 8:30 p.m. (English)
Easter Sunday: 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (English); 3 p.m. (Spanish)

Assumption, 901 Rose Lane, Houston, TX 77037
Holy Thursday: 6:30 p.m., Mass of the last supper, reenactment of the last supper with washing of the feet, followed by veneration of Holy Sepulcher. (Bilingual)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. Liturgy of the Word; 5 p.m. live Stations of the Cross (Spanish – details below)
Saturday Easter Vigil: 8 p.m. (Bilingual)
Easter Sunday: 7:30 a.m. (Spanish), 9 a.m. (English), 10:30 a.m. (English), Noon (Spanish), 1:30 p.m. (Spanish). *After the reading of the Gospel at each Mass, a small group of parishioners will act out the Gospel.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 2405 Navigation Blvd., Houston 77003
Holy Thursday: 7 p.m. (Bilingual)
Good Friday: 3 p.m. "7 Last Words of Jesus on the Cross" and live Stations of the Cross (details below)
Saturday Easter Vigil: 8:30 p.m. (Bilingual)
Easter Sunday: 9 a.m. (English); 7:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. (Spanish)

GOOD FRIDAY
The following churches are staging live re-enactments of Jesus' Passion on the Cross on Good Friday, March 29. Each of these observances vividly brings to life the last hours of Our Lord, with costumes, props and dramatic acting of the events along the Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross).

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 7539 Ave. K, Houston 77012
5 p.m. – Organized by the parish's young adult group, 25-30 people will re-enact the Passion on the Cross. Hundreds will follow the reenactment through 10 city blocks ending at a neighboring parish, Immaculate Conception Church at 7250 Harrisburg.
When asked about the significance of this tradition for his parishioners, Father Ramiro Cortez, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church said, "For participants, the re-enactment enables them to relate to the suffering and pain of Jesus."

Assumption, 901 Rose Lane, Houston, TX 77037
6 p.m. – 30 parishioners will lead hundreds through their re-enactment of the Way of the Cross. Additionally, they have skits at every Mass on Easter Sunday.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 2405 Navigation Blvd., Houston 77003
3 p.m. – Organized by the Parish's young adult group, approximately 500 parishioners will hear and see the "7 Last Words of Jesus on the Cross" and then follow a re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross located at different points in the streets surrounding the church.

All Saints Church, 215 East 10th Street in the Heights, Houston 77008
5:30 p.m. – For more than a decade, people have come to All Saints for the re-enactment of Jesus' crucifixion and death, the "Way of the Cross".

Holy Ghost Church, 6921 Chetwood Drive, Houston, TX 77081
11 a.m. – Parishioners create a dramatic image using 25 carpets they make and, using colored salt, decorate with religious designs. At 11:30 a.m., more than 500 people will process over the carpets and follow a live re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross. In a symbolic gesture, the carpets are destroyed in the procession. This primarily Central-American tradition was introduced to Holy Ghost by parishioners.

Our Lady of St. John, 7500 Hirsch Road, Houston, 77016
3 p.m., Stations of the Cross; 7:30 p.m., "Holy Burial of Jesus" – Approximately 500 parishioners will take part in a "Procession of Silence and Flowers" followed by a live re-enactment of the Stations of the Cross. This includes parishioners carrying the "coffin" of Christ, and men, women and children carrying three different crosses. Now in its fifth year, Pastor, Father Edwin Coreas, re-introduced this Hispanic tradition because "New generations had never been taught this important tradition. It has now become a significant tradition for them."

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 6646 Addicks Satsuma Road, Houston, 77084
2:30 p.m. – In probably the largest procession in the Archdiocese, approximately 2,000 people will follow a live re-enactment of Christ's Stations to the Cross.

St. Charles Borromeo, 501 Tidwell, Houston, 77022
3 p.m. – The Spanish speaking young adult group will lead a live open air dramatization of the Passion of Christ. Approximately one thousand people are expected to attend.