Preparing for Holy Week: A Day-by-Day Guide Through the Church’s Most Sacred Days

Holy Week is one of the most beautiful and solemn weeks of the entire Church year. It’s a time to enter in slowly and intentionally, to enter into the final days of Jesus’ earthly life, and to allow the rhythm of the Church and its liturgy to shape our homes, our habits, and our hearts.

After the long path of Lent, Holy Week invites us to walk with Christ through His Passion, death, and resurrection, not just by remembering what happened long ago, but by participating in it now, in real time. The Church gives us this week as a gift: not to rush through, but to dwell in.

Below is a brief overview of each day, giving you a sense of the movement and meaning of the week. You’ll find links to more detailed reflections and family ideas for each day so you can prepare ahead and walk this journey well.

An Overview of the Week

April 13th - Palm Sunday

April 14th - Holy Monday

April 15th - Fig Tuesday

April 16th - Spy Wednesday

The Triduum

April 17th - Mandy Thursday

April 18th - Good Friday

April 19th - Holy Saturday till sundown

April 19th - The Great Easter Vigil begins at sundown

April 20th - Easter!

Palm Sunday

Holy Week begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We join the crowds in welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem with palms and hosannas but we know that by week’s end, those cheers turn to jeers. There’s such a stark contrast in this day, the joy of His welcome, and the shadow of the cross already beginning to fall.

Read more about Palm Sunday here.

Holy Monday

After entering Jerusalem, Jesus goes to the Temple and drives out the money changers. It’s a day of cleansing and confrontation, He is making space for true worship. In the Church’s tradition, Holy Monday also became a day for practical preparation, as households began their cleaning and cooking for Easter.

Read more about Holy Monday here.

Fig Tuesday

Jesus teaches boldly on this day. He curses the fig tree and speaks in parables, confronting hypocrisy and calling His followers to bear fruit. Known in some places as Fig Tuesday, this day invites reflection on the state of our hearts: are we living lives rooted in real faith?

Read more about Holy Tuesday here.

Spy Wednesday

This day marks Judas’ betrayal, his secret agreement with the chief priests to hand Jesus over for thirty pieces of silver. It’s a hard, sobering day, one that invites us to reflect on the ways we, too, can turn from Christ in small or subtle ways.

Read more about Spy Wednesday here.

Entering the Triduum

The Triduum (pronounced TRIH-doo-um) means the Three Days and is the sacred three day journey at the heart of Holy Week. It begins at sundown on Maundy Thursday, continues through Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and culminates in the joyful celebration of the Easter Vigil. These days are not separate events, but one continuous liturgy that invites us to walk with Jesus through His Passion, death, and resurrection.

These last Three Days, more than any other days during the year, we take special care to remember all Christ has done for us and what it means to be called his friends.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday draws us into the Upper Room. Jesus washes His disciples’ feet, shares the Last Supper, and gives us the gift of the Eucharist. The name “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning commandment, “A new command I give you: love one another.” The night ends in sorrow, as Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane.

Read more about Maundy Thursday here.

Good Friday

The most solemn day of the Church year. We remember Christ’s Passion, His trial, crucifixion, death, and burial. The Church is stripped bare. The altar is empty. We meditate on the cross and the price of our redemption. And yet, even here, we call it “Good,” because through the cross, salvation has come.

Read more about Good Friday here.

Holy Saturday

A day of waiting and quiet. Jesus lies in the tomb. The disciples are scattered, grieving. And yet, even now, God is at work. Christ descends to the dead, and the world holds its breath. This is the in-between space, before the resurrection, after the cross.

Read more about Holy Saturday here.

The Great Easter Vigil

As night falls on Holy Saturday, we move into the liturgy of the Great Vigil of Easter, the most glorious and meaningful liturgy of the entire Church year. Celebrated after sunset on Holy Saturday, it begins in darkness, reminding us of the stillness of the tomb. Then, a flame is kindled, the Paschal candle is lit, and the light of Christ spreads through the Church.

Through Scripture, we journey from creation to resurrection, hearing the great story of salvation unfold. The Alleluia returns, bells ring out, and we proclaim that Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!

This service moves from silence to song, from darkness to blazing light, from mourning to joy. It is the Church’s great turning point, the moment when everything changes and Easter truly begins.

Read more about The Great Easter Vigil here.

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is the most joyful and triumphant day of the Christian year. Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! After the sorrow of the cross and the silence of the tomb, we rejoice in the victory of the resurrection. Death has been defeated, and new life has begun.

The Church is filled with light, flowers, and song. The Alleluia returns, and we proclaim the Good News: Jesus lives, and because of Him, we have the hope of eternal life.

Easter is not just a day, it’s the beginning of a new season. For fifty days, the Church celebrates the resurrection, remembering that the story doesn’t end at the empty tomb. It continues in us, as we live as people of the risen King.

Read more about Easter Sunday here.

Let the Sacred Shape Your Days

This is the week when everything changes. When we let ourselves slow down, enter in, and walk each day with Jesus, we find that Holy Week isn’t just something to observe, it’s something to live.

Whether you’re able to participate in every service or you’re guiding your family through it at home, trust that the Lord will meet you there. Let the days unfold with reverence. Let your home be shaped by the sacred. And prepare your heart, because Easter is coming!