By 
Dear Faithful of the Diocese of Tyler,
I pray that you feel the wonder of God’s Love, incarnate in His Son Jesus Christ, as we approach our holiest days.
The Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday
Easter Sunday
I encourage every household to embrace the following themes for each of these days and to consider the suggestions for your domestic church celebrations. I invite you to be creative and to engage the children and teens in your family as you seek ways to experience the Holy Days of the Triduum and Easter Sunday.
Holy Thursday - Jesus Institutes the Eucharist giving us His Body and Blood to be real food for us. Jesus feeds us with His Love Incarnate by giving us His own Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity - the Real Presence.
Suggested Activities:
1) Bake your favorite loaf of bread and make it the center piece of your Holy Thursday family meal.
2) Commit the entire family to prayer, together, for an hour. Jesus asked His disciples if they could spend one hour with Him. As 21st century disciples let’s say, “YES WE CAN!”
Good Friday - Jesus suffers for all of us. He carries His Cross, is nailed to His Cross and then dies on His Cross to save us all.
Suggested Activities:
1) Pray the Stations of the Cross as a family. Ask the kids to set up markers in the yard or in your home for each station.
2) Make a simple cross in your yard with pieces of wood or stones. Let the kids be creative.
Holy Saturday - Jesus lies in the tomb. God’s Son has died and His body is in repose. The world is silent and dark as the Incarnate Word and the Light of the World has died.
Suggested Activities:
1) Designate some time for silence for the whole family. Total silence for as much time as you can manage. As adults let us remember the meaning of silence and help the kids understand.
2) Saturday evening, light your own new fire and gather the family to pray around it. Keep it safe!!!
3) Place a Light in your front yard or window as we wait for the Light of the World to Rise.
Easter Sunday - He is Risen! Light has returned to a Dark World, Sin and Death have been conquered. We celebrate this day as God’s Alleluia people.
Suggested Activities:
- Get up Sunday morning and watch the sunrise together.
- Dress in your Sunday best and participate in a livestreamed or recorded video available at
stphilipinstitute.org
3) Have a family Easter Feast and get everyone involved in the preparations.
4) Go to the Facebook page for the stphilipinstitute.org and join Bishop Strickland on a Virtual Eucharistic Pilgrimage from 3:00 to 5:00 on Easter Sunday afternoon.
CELEBRATE JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD THE ENTIRE EASTER SEASON
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 12 - PENTECOST SUNDAY, MAY 31
HE IS LORD! HE IS RISEN! ALLELUIA!
Joseph Strickland
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland was named the fourth bishop of Tyler in September of 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. Prior to being named bishop, he served a number of roles in the diocese, including vicar general, judicial vicar, and pastor of the Cathedral parish. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1985. 