Among the Redemptorists of the Province of St. Clemens, Easter was visibly celebrated in many places as the feast of the Resurrection, sustained by the days of Holy Week and marked by liturgies, prayer, and shared celebration. Here we focus on Wittem Monastery. Naturally, Holy Week and Easter were also fittingly observed at the locations in Bochum, Bonn, Kirchhellen, and Ghent.
At Wittem Monastery, Holy Week followed a clear sequence that made it possible to trace the path from the remembrance of the Last Supper to the Easter Vigil and into Easter Sunday. Holy Thursday was celebrated as the commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper. On the same day, a short Goede-Week- en Paasviering for elderly people was announced, organized in cooperation with In Harmony as day care for people with dementia and open to additional participants.
Good Friday centered on the suffering and death of Jesus; a Way of the Cross was scheduled and concluded with the veneration of the cross. As an additional emphasis during Lent, the Twaalvuurtje voor de Vrede with the Coventry Prayer was mentioned in Wittem as a prayer for reconciliation, with its final gathering taking place on Good Friday. The Easter Vigil in Wittem was described as including the lighting of a new Easter candle from the Easter fire and the blessing of new baptismal water.
For Easter Sunday, a celebration at daybreak and further Eucharistic celebrations throughout the day were announced, including one with choral singing. Easter Sunday was also designated as Amnesty Sunday, connected with the lighting of an Amnesty candle for Umar Khalid from India, who has been imprisoned without trial since 2020, along with information for sending him a message of encouragement.
Easter Monday in Wittem was additionally linked to the 300th birthday of Saint Gerardus Majella; a festive Eucharistic celebration was announced under the presidency of Bishop Ron van den Hout, followed by a time of fellowship. Looking beyond the feast days, recurring times of prayer were also highlighted, including a rosary prayer for peace and a Eucharistic celebration in Indonesian in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
“He has risen, he is not here.”
This year, too, the youth monastery in Kirchellen once again offered an intensive program for children and young people.
At Clemenspoort, the days were marked by many celebrations.