Photos by James A. McBride
Bishop Dennis Sullivan travelled the Diocese of Camden to celebrate the Easter triduum, the three-day period of liturgical observance which begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening and ends on Easter Sunday. Top: the bishop blesses the holy water before baptizing three individuals during the Easter Vigil at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Galloway. Above: the bishop washes the feet of men at St. Teresa Church, Holy Child Parish, Runnemede, on Holy Thursday. Left: seminarians Henry Laigaie and Carlo Santa Teresa hold the cross for veneration at St. Simon Stock Parish, Berlin, on Good Friday.
Last weekend, Catholics around the globe celebrated the Easter triduum, a period of liturgical observance that begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening, and ends on Easter Sunday. During the observance, sometimes called the sacred triduum, Bishop Dennis Sullivan traveled the Camden Diocese, worshipping among, and leading the faithful.
On Thursday, April 17, Bishop Sullivan celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. Teresa Church, Holy Child Parish, in Runnemede. During this liturgy, the Camden leader performed the washing of feet on 12 men, in imitation of Jesus washing the feet of his 12 apostles on the day before his death.
The next day, Good Friday, Bishop Sullivan visited three parishes and commemorated Jesus’ crucifixion with worshippers. At noon, he spoke about immigration reform and participated in the “Way of the Cross” at St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral Parish in Camden. Walking the streets of the city, parishioners acted out Jesus’ walk to Calvary and his death on a cross.
At 3 p.m, Bishop Sullivan led the Good Friday service at St. Simon Stock Parish, Berlin, in the veneration of the cross. That night, at 8 p.m., he watched the Live Stations of the Cross at Christ the Redeemer Parish in Atco.
On the next night, Bishop Sullivan went to Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Galloway for the Easter Vigil. Before the beginning of the nocturnal vigil, the Christian people stand in darkness, awaiting the light of the Resurrection.
At the start of the vigil, Bishop Sullivan blessed the fire outside the church and the Paschal Candle was lit, illuminating the darkness for the Easter proclamation and the Scripture readings retelling the history of salvation through readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament.
During this Easter Vigil, Our Lady of Perpetual Help joined with Catholic churches around the world in confirming and/or baptizing individuals who have affirmed their commitment to joining the faith through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). At the Galloway parish, three received the sacrament of baptism, while five received the sacrament of confirmation.
On Easter morning, Bishop Sullivan celebrated Jesus’ resurrection with the faithful at St. Thomas More Parish in Cherry Hill.
“Bishop Sullivan is our pastor,” remarked Father Philip Johnson, priest-in-charge at St. Thomas More Parish. “The community was joyful to have him here with us.”
The Easter Season lasts until Pentecost Sunday, June 8.
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