Holy Week recalls the final days of Jesus Christ’s life, unfolding through ritual, symbol and communal prayer. From the joyful procession of Palm Sunday to the radiant celebration of Easter Sunday, the week invites believers to move through shifting emotional and spiritual landscapes – what Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., described as a “week of crowds.”
“The crowds welcome Jesus with great enthusiasm,” he reflected in his Palm Sunday homily in St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, recalling Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem. Yet that same crowd changes as the week progresses: “By Holy Thursday, the town seems eerily quiet . . . the crowd becomes ugly on Good Friday . . . and the crowd is reduced.”
His observation highlights one of Holy Week’s essential movements – not only the physical journey of Christ, but the interior journey of the faithful. “Holy Week invites us – not to remain in the shifting crowds – but to draw closer to Christ himself . . . To walk with him. To stay with him. To trust him.”
Holy Week was commemorated across the Diocese with both traditional and special devotions, such as Living Stations of the Cross. This physical reenactment of Christ’s path to Calvary draws participants into the suffering and sacrifice of
the Passion, as experienced in St. Charles Borromeo Parish on Good Friday.
Another powerful observance is Tenebrae, a service marked by the gradual extinguishing of candles, celebrated this year on Palm Sunday in St. Catherine Laboure Parish, Middletown. As light fades into darkness, it symbolizes the abandonment of Christ and the apparent triumph of death, often ending with a sudden noise evoking the chaos of the crucifixion. Cultural traditions, such as the blessing of Easter foods – typically on Holy Saturday morning – also form part of the broader Holy Week experience, linking faith with daily life and anticipation of celebration.
The Sacred Triduum – three evenings but one continuous liturgy – begins with Holy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. The celebration includes the washing of feet, an act rich in meaning.
“Jesus used what was common to create . . . a symbolic moment intended to make the point that we owe each other great respect and care,” Bishop O’Connell explained in his homily in St. Rose Church, Belmar. The gesture of humility is inseparable from the institution of the Eucharist, where “the bread became his Body, the wine, his Blood.”
These actions together reveal what he called “the essence of Continued
A Story of Transformation
A look back at the profound spiritual journey of Holy Week
A shot from Easter Sunday Sunrise Mass celebrated by the commuinity of St. Francis of Assisi, Long Beach Island. Facebook photo
Deacon Jean Lanzoni holds the Easter candle for St. Ann parishioners to light their candles during the Easter Vigil April 4.
Father Jean Felicien and Bishop O’Connell smile while passing St. Ann congregants at the close of the Easter Vigil April 4.
•Easter
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., baptizes a parishioner of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville, during the Easter Vigil. Assisting Bishop are his episcopal secretary, Father Jean Felicien, left, Deacon Jim Scott, and Father Leandro Delacruz, St. Ann pastor, back. Mike Ehrmann photos
Faithful fill St. Ann Church with candles lit at the beginning of the Easter Vigil, awaiting the singing of the Exultet.
•VIGIL
During the Easter Vigil Mass, Father Dean Gaudio, parochial vicar, St. Theresa Parish, Little Egg Harbor, administers the Sacrament of Confirmation. Facebook photo
The elect hold candles, illuminating the darkened Immaculate Conception Church of Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Trenton, at the Easer Vigil Mass, April 4. Facebook photo
Celebrating the Paschal Mystery
what we celebrate … humble and loving service” rooted in Christ’s total self-gift.
On Good Friday, the tone shifts to solemn reflection on the Passion. The Veneration of the Cross becomes a central act, inviting the faithful to encounter both suffering and redemption.
“Good Friday is not merely a day of sorrow,” Bishop O’Connell emphasizes, “it is a day to meditate on the incredible depth of love that led Jesus to the Cross.” In Christ’s final words – “It is finished”
– he sees not defeat, but victory: “the power of sin and death was conquered … not with armies … but with humility and love.”
Holy Week reaches its climax in the Easter Vigil, which begins in darkness and moves toward light. Through Scripture, the liturgy traces salvation history, culminating in the proclamation of the Resurrection.
“The tomb is empty,” Bishop O’Connell proclaimed in his Easter Vigil homily in St. Ann Church, Lawrencev-
Ashley is baptized by Father Michael McClane during the Easter Vigil in Holy Eucharist Parish, Tabernacle, as her proud godfather, Jeff Siedlecki, looks on. Jeff Siedlecki photo
ille. “This is about glory and triumph … a completely different order of existence.”
The lighting of the Paschal candle, Baptisms and Confirmations all point to new life in Christ.
Finally, Easter Sunday bursts forth in joy, marking what Bishop O’Connell called a moment that “changed the world forever.” The journey from palm branches to the empty tomb reveals a unified story of transformation – one that calls believers not only to remember, but to enter fully into its meaning.
On Good Friday April 3 in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, Msgr. Joseph Roldan, Cathedral rector, holds out the Crucifix for Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., to kiss at the Veneration of the Cross. Mike Ehrmann photos Altar servers in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral hold a Crucifix for parishioners to venerate. Congregants listen to the reading of the Passion from St. John during Good Friday service in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral.
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•Friday
Clergy of St. Joan of Arc Parish, lie prostrate on Good Friday as the faithful fill the Marlton church. Facebook photo
Deacon Henry Cugini presents the cross for veneration during Good Friday services in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. Facebook photo
Father Daniel Swift elevates the host during Good Friday services in St. Mary of the Lakes Church, Medford. Courtesy photo
Parishioners present the Holy Oils during Holy Thursday Mass. During the March 30 Chrism Mass, Bishop O’Connell blessed the Oils of the Sick and of the Catechumens and consecrated the Sacred Chrism to be used in parishes throughout the year.
Mike Ehrmann photos
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Msgr. Edward Arnister, pastor of St. Rose Parish, Belmar, carries the monstrance in a Eucharistic procession at the conclusion of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
•HOLY
Bishop O’Connell washes the feet of parishioners during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper he celebrated in St. Rose Parish, Belmar.
•Thursday
A parishioner looks on as Father Alan Bridges, parochial vicar, washes feet during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. Joseph Parish, Toms River. Facebook photo
Taylor Benns holds up the vessel of the Sacred Chrism during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday in Corpus Christi Church, Willingboro. Mary Stadnyk photo
Father Jim Grogan, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, prays before the altar of repose on Holy Thursday after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Courtesy photo
Bishop O’Connell greets parishioners following the Mass he celebrated on Palm Sunday in St. Anthony of Padua Church, Hightstown. Mike Ehrmann photos
Father Oscar Sumanga, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, blesses the palm fronds during Palm Sunday Mass that was celebrated by Bishop O’Connell.
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Bishop O’Connell carries palms during the entrance procession of the Mass he celebrated on Palm Sunday.
•Sunday
Father William Jemada, S.V.D., proclaims the Gospel on Palm Sunday, in St. Anthony Claret Church, Lakewood, part of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. Facebook photo
Father Pierre Claver Lunimbu, SVD, blesses palms before Palm Sunday Mass March 29 outside of St. Ann Parish, Browns Mills. Facebook photo
Children weave palms and learn about Holy Week during Palm Sunday activities March 29 in St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, with the help of Religious Education parent volunteers and parishioners. Facebook photos
Parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson, participate in Outdoor Stations of the Cross on Good Friday April 3. Jan Griswold photo
Deacon Robert Tharp blesses baskets of Easter food on Holy Saturday morning April 4 in St. RaphaelHoly Angels Church, Hamilton. Facebook photo
•HOLY Week
A candle is extinguished after one of the Scripture readings during the March 29 Tenebrae service in St. Catherine Laboure Church, Middletown, recalling the darkness of the tomb on Good Friday. Mike Ehrmann photo
• & EASTER
Early morning sunlight streams through the stained glass windows in Resurrection Parish, Delran, on Easter Sunday April 5. Facebook photo
In St. Mary Church, Middletown, families share Easter Sunday joy in prayer April 5 with their youngest members. Facebook photo
A family from St. Dominic Parish, Brick, checks out the parish’s newly opened Café Domini which opened on Easter Sunday morning. Facebook photo
Representatives of parishes bring forward the sacramental oils to be blessed.
Benedict Quiambao, a seminarian for the Diocese, carries the incense thurible as he leads the entrance procession for the 2026 Chrism Mass. Behind him is seminarian Nicholas Alescio, who is the cross bearer. Both Quiambao and Alescio will be ordained transitional deacons on May 16 in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton.
Breathing over the vessel of Sacred Chrism, Bishop O’Connell signifies the coming of the Holy Spirit to consecrate the oil. Mike Ehrmann photos
Shown are the three Holy Oils to be used in sacramental ministry in parishes. During the Chrism Mass, Bishop O’Connell blessed the Oil of the Sick and Oil of Catechumens and he consecrated the Sacred Chrism.
Chrism Mass attendees pray during the Mass.
Bishop: Chrism Mass is time for all faithful to renew their hope
“Through these sacred oils, the grace of God is poured into his people ...”
Bishop O’Connell
BY MARY STADNYK Associate Editor and ROSE O’CONNOR Digital and Social Media Manager
Looking out at the standing room only congregation of about 1,200 that filled St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, for the annual Chrism Mass, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., described it as a moment of grace and of truth.
“The oils blessed and consecrated this evening will reach every corner of our Diocese in the year ahead,” he said in his homily March 30. “They will anoint the newly baptized, seal our young people in Confirmation, bring strength and healing to the sick, prepare the dying for their journey home to God, and consecrate the hands of those called to the priesthood. Through these sacred oils, the grace of God is poured into his people – and through his people, through you, that grace flows into the world.
“These oils are not merely reminders of God’s presence,” he added. “In the mystery of the Sacraments, they truly become instruments of his action.”
Steeped in rich symbolism and tradition, the Chrism Mass in the Diocese of Trenton is traditionally celebrated on the Monday of Holy Week. During the Presentation of the Gifts, designated representatives carry vessels containing the Oil of the Sick and Oil of the Catechumens to be blessed by the Bishop, along with the Sacred Chrism, which the Bishop consecrates. Those oils are then carried back to parishes for use throughout the year.
RENEWAL OF VOWS
Diocesan officials say this was the best-attended Chrism Mass in recent history – and had a large number of priests in attendance. During the Mass, Diocesan priests stand before the Bishop
Led by Bishop O’Connell, priests of the Diocese stand as they renew their commitment to priestly service.
Chrism Mass marks faith-filled unity
Continued from 21
and renew their vows, recommitting themselves to their priestly service and vocation.
“Know how deeply grateful I am for your fidelity, your sacrifices and your quiet, steadfast love for the people entrusted to your care,” Bishop O’Connell told the priests.
“The faithful see Christ in you, often in ways you may never fully realize. The Christ they encounter in your preaching, in your compassion, in your presence, in your forgiveness, is the Christ you reveal to them,” he said.
He reminded priests to remain close to Christ, “so that those you serve – and your brother priests alongside of you –may remain close to him as well.”
Bishop O’Connell told those in attendance that the Church needed their witness, and the world needed their courage.
“Tonight, as the oils are blessed and consecrated and as our priests renew
their promises, let us all renew our hope,” Bishop O’Connell said. “Christ is the one who anoints us. Christ is the one who heals us. Christ is the one who sends us, and Christ is the one who walks with us every step of the way.”
“It’s not just our little parish. It’s bigger than us.” Georgina Kotz
After the homily, Bishop O’Connell called diocesan seminarians Benedict Quiambao and Nicholas Alescio to receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders May 16, when they will be ordained as transitional deacons. The Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton.
During the Mass, the Bishop also acknowledged Terry Ginther, who will
retire June 30 after some 30 years of service to the Diocese. Ginther currently serves as diocesan chancellor and executive director of the Office of Pastoral Life and Mission. The Bishop said Father Jean Felicien, currently vice chancellor, will succeed Ginther and will continue as the Bishop’s secretary.
FINDING MEANING IN HOLY WEEK
Although it’s been several years since they attended the Chrism Mass, Terry and Cecilia O’Rourke of St. Martha Parish, Point Pleasant, said they found it prayerful and meaningful.
Attending the Chrism Mass “is a good way to begin Holy Week,” said Cecilia O’Rourke, adding she was inspired by all the priests renewing their vows.
Tears welled in the eyes of Christine D’Anzieri of St. Thomas More Parish, Manalapan, as she talked about attending a Chrism Mass for the first time.
“One of my Lenten promises this year was to go to church every day,” she said, adding she heard about the Chrism Mass from Bishop O’Connell, when he spoke of it at a Mass at the beginning of Lent.
“When the Bishop talks, he always speaks about unity, and now looking around and seeing all the people here for the Chrism Mass, you can see and feel the unity,” she said.
“It’s really emotional because with all the turmoil going on in the world, being here in church is the one place we can come together and be Catholic together,” D’Anzieri said.
For Georgina Kotz, parish catechetical leader in St. Martha Parish, it’s become a tradition for her to accompany the parish’s Confirmation class to the Chrism Mass.
“It’s something most Catholics never experience,” she said, “so we thought right before their Confirmation it may be a good thing for the class to come and witness the Diocese as a whole with Bishop consecrating the chrism that they’ll be confirmed with.”
“It gives them a wider perspective of the Church,” she said. “It’s not just our little parish. It’s bigger than us.”
Bishop O’Connell preaches his homily to the estimated 1,200 people who attended the Chrism Mass on Monday of Holy Week.
Mercer County pilgrimage has been a time of prayer, reflection and renewal
Since the beginning of Lent on Feb. 18, a pilgrimage took place in Mercer County where Catholics worked to become spiritually refreshed through visits to different parishes where they gathered for Mass, shared faith, learned some history and built upon a sacred tradition as a community of believers.
This longtime Lenten tradition in the
county is called the Station Churches of Mercer County, an initiative that replicates a longstanding Roman tradition that traces its roots as far back as the late second and early third century by inviting others to visit their churches and participate in celebrating evening Mass during Lent.
Though the weather conditions had
prompted the cancellation of a couple of Masses during the early part of Lent, the pilgrims journeyed their way across the county. As of March 13, the pilgrims had visited seven parishes and anticipated visits to nine more with the culmination of the annual Chrism Mass on the Monday of Holy Week, March 30, in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold.
In reflecting upon the significance of the pilgrims’ endeavor of prayer during the Mass in Sacred Heart Church, Trenton, March 12, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., said “As we move more deeply into this holy season of Lent, the Word of God today invites us to look honestly at the condition of our hearts.
“Lent is not simply a time of external practices; it is a time of interior listening,” he said. “The question placed before us is ‘Are we truly listening to the Lord, or have our hearts grown resistant to his voice?”
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Msgr. Dennis Apoldite, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton, and coordinator of the Station Churches of Mercer County pilgrimage, pictured right, and a group of pilgrims ended their 2026 pilgrimage by attending the March 30 Chrism Mass in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold. Mike Ehrmann photos
Sacred Heart Church served as the site of the March 12 Station Church Mass celebrated by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.
Behold the Man
Shroud
presentations, display
offer insights into Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection
BY EMMALEE ITALIA
Contributing Editor
“Ithinkthis image shows us the core of our salvation,” said Pam McCue, speaking about the Shroud of Turin. “It shows his love for us, and all that he suffered … that he was true God through man, and that crucifixion was not the end.”
During her “Who Is the Man in the Shroud” presentations in several Hamilton parishes March 23-25, Shroud educator McCue described what the Shroud reveals and addressed theories and controversies.
An accompanying display of panels, Shroud replicas and 3D statues of the image were available for viewing in St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, March 20-26, which was attended by people from more than 70 parishes, according to organizer Betsy Solan, as well as students from St. Gregory the Great Academy.
“It’s a presentation of love,” said Josephine Woodward, parishioner of St. Raphael-Holy Angels, Hamilton. “It’s this brutality, but all throughout it was that unconditional, perfect love.”
UNCOVERED THROUGH SCIENCE
The Shroud has been the topic of debate and scientific inquiry ever since the first photograph of the cloth in 1898 revealed the negative image with details of the face and body not previously visible.
“The image is so superficial that you can take a razor blade and scrape it off,” McCue told those in attendance March 25 at St. Raphael-Holy Angels Church. The image is best described, she said, by the Greek word, “acheiropoieta,” meaning “not made by human hands.”
“Many people respected the cloth as the burial
cloth as Jesus,” she said, “but when the scientific community got involved, it really took off.”
Using modern tools, details consistent with Jesus’s Passion and Death are revealed by the image – including water stains and blood type AB consistent with Eucharistic miracles, wound marks in the feet and wrists, more than 370 scourge wounds and head wounds from a cap of thorns.
Although the 1998 study reported that carbon-14 tests dated the cloth between 1260 and 1390, in the last seven years “those tests have been shown to be invalid [and] the worst of science,”
Displayed replicas of the cap-shaped Crown of Thorns and Roman flagrums used in scourging are part of the Shroud exhibit. Mike Ehrmann photo
Students of St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square, witness how the burial cloth might have rested on the body of Jesus after his death, with a student volunteer under a sheet. Mike Ehrmann photo
McCue said. “They misrepresented the test, they hid data [and] inconclusive results.”
“The wounds … make me think how unworthy I am, that he did that for me – and yet, I still sin,” said St. Raphael-Holy Angels parishioner Santa Trombino. “It’s overwhelming.”
ORIGIN AND ENERGY
The cloth itself speaks to a first-century origin, McCue said, because of the way flax fibers were woven then. Pollen particles on the Shroud “come from 58 varieties of plants – 35 from Jerusalem, with 13 unique to that area,” she said.
Dirt particles on the feet, knees and nose of the Shroud hint at a man falling on his face. The dirt – travertine aragonite limestone – has a specific chemical composition that “matches Jerusalem like a fingerprint,” McCue noted.
The prevailing theory is that radiation or energy produced the image, she continued.
“Radiation microwaves our food … X-rays go through our body. But in this case, what provided the energy was the body of Jesus.”
“The wounds ... make me think how unworthy I am.”
Santa Trombino
One scientist, McCue related, said that “‘You can explain the Shroud according to science, but only if you assume that it wrapped a crucified man, to which something supernatural happened.’ And for us, that sounds an awful lot like the Resurrection.”
Students share impressions of Shroud exhibit
For St. Gregory the Great Academy students, attending the Shroud exhibit was transformative.
Seventh-grader Thomas Biele, who saw the exhibit with classmates, remembers his grandfather’s photos from Jerusalem many years ago when he walked the Way of the Cross.
“Those pictures and this exhibit [have] changed the way I think about the Stations of the Cross and the Passion of our Lord,” Biele said.
Details he learned from the exhibit included how Jesus might have carried the cross, and what happened to him during that walk.
“[On] the Shroud of Turin, the cartilage of Jesus’ nose was broken … His arms had to be twisted around the crossbar,” Biele reflected. “Jesus lost 20% of his blood on the way to Golgotha. That amount of blood lost sends the human body into shock, not surviving much longer. Jesus, even with all that blood lost, continued up the hill until he reached his final place.”
Fellow seventh-grader Gianni Trembicki said the Shroud of Turin “has really made me reflect about what happened to Jesus, and the sacrifices he made for all of us.”
The presentation, Trembicki noted, “really helped me understand everything that Jesus went through in those final moments. I found that the replica of Jesus really made me think about my connection to Jesus and how he suffered for us.”
Some new details he observed from the exhibit included the cap-shaped crown of thorns, the evident torture marks on the Shroud, and additional information revealed by X-ray. Trembicki eagerly shared all he learned with his family later that evening.
“While it was a painful suffering time for Our Lord, it really focuses on what he did for us and how he forgave all of these people that hurt him,” he reflected. “This exhibit was truly touching. Learning about this has made me grow closer to Jesus, and I will be forever grateful for the life he has given me.”
Pam McCue, Shroud educator, speaks to St. Gregory the Great Academy students about the Shroud of Turin amid panels detailing what the burial cloth reveals. Mike Ehrmann photo
Shroud exhibit attendees pause to read details comparing the cloth’s image to early paintings depicting Christ. Mike Ehrmann photo
Lenten Spirituality Day for Priests affords time for prayerful reflection, fraternity
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Aday away from the busy pace of parish life allowed 120 priests in the Diocese – including Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. – to spend time in reflection on Lent and their vocation.
Arranged by Msgr. Thomas Mullelly, vicar for clergy and consecrated life, the Annual Lenten Spirituality Day for Priests was held March 17 in St. John the Baptist Parish, Allentown.
The day’s keynoter was Redemptorist Father Anthony E. Michalik of San Alfonso Retreat House, Long Branch, who spoke on “The Beauty and Dignity of the Priesthood” as embodied in the Gospel of John.
Father Michalik opened his reflection by inviting priests into Christ’s own prayer, pointing to John 17:24, where Jesus calls his disciples “your gift to me.” He posed a personal challenge: “Do priests see themselves this way – not only as servants or sinners, but first as a gift given by the Father to the Son?”
He explained that this identity reframes priesthood. Before mission or work, there is relationship. A gift is not earned but received, defined by the love that gives it. So too, priesthood is rooted not primarily in what one does, but in
belonging to Christ.
Father Michalik connected this to the intimacy of the Last Supper, where Jesus gives his Body and Blood and establishes the priesthood as a continuation of his presence.
Finally, Father Michalik pointed to the promise within this identity: communion with Christ in eternity. The intimacy priests experience now is only a foretaste of that union, he said, adding, “Embracing oneself as the Father’s gift can renew priesthood with joy, purpose, and love – strengthening the response to Christ’s enduring question: ‘Do you love me?’
SHARING FELLOWSHIP
After the talk, the priests gathered for an Irish-themed luncheon
Bishop O’Connell was deeply moved by Father Michalik’s talk saying, “He spoke of things that priests really need to hear and keep in mind.”
“Looking around the church as we listened to our presenter and sharing the brotherhood that is ours in the priesthood, fills my heart with such joy, pride, affection and gratitude for these wonderful men who are truly ‘gifts’ to all of us in the Diocese of Trenton. As their bishop, I love them deeply. We are so blessed.”
St. Mary Parish, Colts Neck, served as the site for a Lenten Penance Service March 22 . A number of priests from Monmouth and Ocean Counties joined Father Jeffrey Lee, pastor, in hearing Confessions. After the service the priests gathered in the parish rectory for a meal and camaraderie. Courtesy photo
Bishop O’Connell, shown with Redemptorist Father Anthony Michalik, the day’s keynote speaker.
Bishop O’Connell greets priests of the Diocese during the Lenten Spirituality Day in St. John the Baptist Church, Allentown. Staff photos
