From Central Australia, to Thailand and New Zealand, the Divine Word Missionaries of the Australian Province are preparing to celebrate Holy Week and Easter in a variety of places and cultures, and everyone is invited to join them.

“Holy Week and Easter is the biggest and most meaningful celebration of the year on the Christian calendar – when we enter willingly and purposefully into the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” says Provincial, Fr Tim Norton SVD.

The Easter Triduum begins on Holy Thursday with the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Then on Good Friday we prayerfully enter into and reflect on the agonising and tragic death of Jesus. Early on Easter Sunday we joyfully celebrate the reality that Jesus is risen and with us in our lives today.

“As Divine Word Missionaries, we are privileged to share Holy Week and Easter with communities encompassing a variety of cultures, and we are enriched by each and every one of these celebrations,” Fr Tim says.

“In Santa Teresa to the southeast of Alice Springs, the Way of the Cross on Good Friday leads people through the red desert dust (pictured above, 2012), making it a uniquely Australian experience. Our multicultural suburban parishes in Wellington, Brisbane, Wollongong and Melbourne bring equally rich flavours to this ancient ritual, as do the communities in our parishes in Thailand.”

“Through this diversity we experience the unity that can only be found in Jesus Christ. As we gather at the foot of the cross on Friday and then rejoice at the empty tomb on Sunday, our eyes are fixed on the hope we have in Christ.”

Fr Tim says all are welcome to make the Holy Week journey with Divine Word Missionary communities near them, or with their own local Catholic parish.

To find your nearest SVD community, go to www.divineword.org.au and click on “Where we Are”.