Thomas Aquinas College Celebrates Paschal Triduum

After the conclusion of classes for Easter Break, Thomas Aquinas College students began their preparations for the year’s Paschal Triduum, the three-day commemoration of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

Holy Thursday morning, a cloak of silence covered both campuses as annual silent retreats began, an opportunity for deep spiritual reflection in the final days of the Lenten season. In the evening, students packed into Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel in California, or Our Mother of Perpetual Help Chapel in New England, for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Following the homily, 12 men took their seats at each communion rail, where the priests washed their feet as an expression of self-sacrificing love. The Mass concluded with the removal of the Blessed Sacrament from the main altar and its repositioning onto the Altar of Repose, where students visited and kept watch with Our Lord throughout the night.

The next morning brought Good Friday. At three o’clock that afternoon, solemn services took place, where the congregations entered into the Gospel narrative of Christ’s passion, crucifixion, and death. The Passion was followed by the Solemn Intercessions, invoking Christ’s infinite mercy for all of humanity, as well as the Veneration of the Cross; each in attendance processed to the communion rails to kiss the wounds of their crucified Lord.

At last, the Triduum culminated in the Easter Vigil mass on Saturday night. The celebration began with the lighting of the Paschal candles, followed by the altar parties’ procession as they bore the light of Christ into the darkened chapel. Scripture readings carried the congregations throughout Old Testament Salvation History, until at last, in a thunder of song, the choir erupted into the Gloria while light poured into the Chapels from above, signifying the Savior’s coming into the world. In New England, Luisa Gemaque (’28) received the Sacrament of Confirmation.

With the conclusion of the Mass, attendees flocked to the annual midnight brunches, a well-loved, student-run Easter tradition. Students partied late into the night, feasting, dancing, and reveling in the Easter joy. Festivities continued till dawn, when many ventured to nearby mountaintops and lookout spots to watch the sunrise, reflecting the glory of Christ’s Resurrection.

More Triduum photos from California ...

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... and New England!