5 Activities for Holy Week for Young People

During Holy Week we invite you as a youth leader to engage with the opportunity for daily prayer and reflection.

Invite your youth to participate in the activities of your faith community throughout this week. As we are all following the #StayAtHome guidelines, offer them opportunities to lead in worship online.

To help, we here at Derry Youth Initiative will put up tasks to keep us busy such as arts and crafts, going for walks, writing a letter, sharing your favourite scripture quote, writing in a journal, finding something specific in your home, doing a kind act for another and of course we want you to take some selfies and videos of all this to share and connect with each other.

Follow us here at:
Web: catecheticalcentre.org/youth-resources
Facebook: @DerryDiocesanYouth
Instagram: @derryyouth
Twitter: @derryyouth

For this Holy week remember to use the hashtag #RoadToCalvary. At Easter we will use the hashtag #Arise.

Holy Week #RoadToCalvary – 5 activities to do at home

The Theme for Holy Week is #RoadToCalvary. During this holiest of weeks, as well as encouraging you to tune in to Mass and the ceremonies being broadcast via the webcam in your local parish, we are inviting you to engage in 5 main challenges.

1. Create a sacred space in your home in preparation for Holy Week

This idea has been set out for you on our social media channels Facebook: @DerryDiocesanYouth Instagram: @derryyouth. We will share examples of how you could create a sacred space in your home. This will be a great place where family can gather when watching Mass or praying together.

2. Create and display a symbolic piece of greenery on your door for Palm Sunday

To celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, April 5, this year we are inviting you to either make a Palm Cross or to get outside as far as the restrictions allow to gather greenery of whatever type you can and shape this together for display on your front doors.

This simple act promoted by the entire Irish Church this weekend will help connect us all despite social distancing as we begin Holy Week.

3. Join us ‘Live’ Holy Thursday, April 9 at 9:00pm ‘Watch one hour with me’ Mt26:40

Jesus says in Matthew’s gospel when he finds the disciples asleep in the garden could you not ‘Watch one hour with me’. Based on this scripture we invite you to join us online live for 1 hour of prayer, music and reflection. This will be on Holy Thursday night, April 9 at 9pm via Instagram: @derryyouth when the diocesan youth team with guests will lead this prayer connecting us and helping us come together as a community.

This will be the 1 hour weekly task or activity for Award participants completing their Pope John Paul II Award.

4. Good Friday ‘Live’ Prayer around the Cross

On Good Friday, April 10 we will join with other parish youth ministry teams to come together for a live time of prayer around the cross. Hosted by Steelstown and Culmore parishes this reflection will provide time out to be silent, to reflect and to pray on this solemn day.

To access this time of prayer please join us:

5. Easter Vigil – Easter Light

You are invited to watch and participate in the Saturday night Easter Vigil Mass, April 11 via the webcam and after Mass using your phone light shine the Easter Light as a family.

The Light of the Resurrection gives hope in the darkest of hours and it is that light and hope we cling to as we pray for an end to this pandemic and time of isolation. We believe in faith we will ‘Arise’ out of these dark days changed maybe even transformed.

We ask you to take a short video or selfie of yourselves shining your phone light with your family and share it on Instagram: @derryyouth and Facebook: @DerryDiocesanYouth marking it #Arise.