Contemplation & Celebration as New England Students Mark Paschal Triduum

As the days of Lent came to a close, the students of Thomas Aquinas College, New England, prepared for the Paschal Triduum with great anticipation, eager to commemorate together the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord.

Making use of this holy time to enrich their spiritual lives, many students participated in a silent retreat directed by Rev. Gary Selin, S.T.D. (’89), an associate professor at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado. The retreat stretched from Thursday morning to Holy Saturday afternoon, consisting of several conferences that guided students and tutors through a profound meditation of the Lord’s Prayer. Throughout the three days, retreatants were encouraged to remain silent and to spend time in prayerful contemplation.

On the evening of Holy Thursday, Head Chaplain Rev. Greg Markey commenced the Triduum with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel. As Our Lord in His humility once washed the feet of the Apostles, so did Fr. Markey wash the feet of the acolytes.

A procession then translated the Blessed Sacrament to the Chapel’s altar of repose, where the faithful could accompany Our Lord in prayer late into the night.

The next afternoon, students and staff returned to a somber chapel, with its empty tabernacle, for the Liturgy of the Presanctified on Good Friday, wherein both the clergy and congregation venerated the Cross. After the Liturgy, there was veneration of a relic of the True Cross, as well as Stations of the Cross. The atmosphere was mournful, and yet also full of hope for what was to come.