Latest News Holy Week and Easter 2026 at St Chad’s Cathedral This is Holy Week Thousands of people across the Archdiocese of Birmingham have completed their 2026 Holy Week journey. The ceremonies began with Palm Sunday and continued with the Sacred Three Days (Triduum) of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. These are some of the most beautiful and precious moments of prayer in the whole year as we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We captured the celebrations at St Chad’s Cathedral, the Diocesan Mother Church. We wish you all a blessed Holy Week and Easter. Holy Week and Easter at St Chad's Cathedral Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, 4 April The greatest and most noble of all Solemnities, celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Longley. The service began outside the Crypt at St Chad’s Cathedral with the Blessing of the Fire and Preparation of the Paschal Candle. A procession then followed into the cathedral with lighted candles for the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet). The Easter Vigil consists of four parts: The Service of Light, The Liturgy of the Word, The Blessing of Water (includes the Renewal of Baptismal Promises / The Rite of Reception / The Rite of Confirmation), The Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the Liturgy of the Word, Holy Church meditates on the wonders the Lord God has done for his people from the beginning. In the Baptismal Liturgy we welcomed new members into the Church; and with the Renewal of our Baptismal Promises the Church is called to the table the Lord has prepared for his people, the memorial of his Death and Resurrection until he comes again. Hundreds of people will have been welcomed into the Church at Easter Vigil services across the Archdiocese. In his Homily, Archbishop Bernard opened with: Death no longer has dominion over him. Tonight we keep Vigil, waiting for the coming of the risen Lord. In the liturgy we have ventured into the night so as to encounter the darkness. All the negative influences and forces of evil are symbolised by the void of darkness. Into the darkness we carry the anxieties and cares, the sins and failings that so often shield our eyes from the light of God. In this darkness we have lit the Easter flame to symbolise the coming of the risen Christ dispelling the darkness of the world and leading us into the light of God’s everlasting day. Read Homily in full Mass booklet Photo Gallery by Con McHugh Mass Recording Good Friday Solemn Liturgy, 3 April At the Solemn Liturgy we celebrate the Passion of Christ and the triumph of the Cross. First, the Archbishop and Ministers made a reverence at the altar. We also take time to give Adoration to the Holy Cross. The Passion Gospel proclaimed on Good Friday is always from St John’s Gospel (John 18:1- 19:42). Archbishop Bernard Longley was the principal celebrant and delivered the Homily. He began with: Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. In proclaiming St John’s account of the Passion, we have dared to place ourselves with the holy women, near to Jesus on the cross. We have the advantage of seeing his sacrifice with eyes that are already opened in the light of his resurrection. Through baptism we have joined with our Lord sacramentally in his death and resurrection – so it is as children of the resurrection that we approach the cross, longing for a more profound understanding of what Christ’s sacrifice can mean for us personally as well as for the world. Read Homily in full Mass booklet Photo Gallery by Con McHugh Mass Recording Good Friday Walk of Witness, 3 April The ecumenical Good Friday Walk of Witness marks Christ’s journey to the cross. In Birmingham it began at The Church in Carrs Lane and concluded at our Diocesan Mother Church, St Chad’s Cathedral. During the procession through the city centre the crowds meditated on the Stations of the Cross, reflecting on two at each pause, with the final four at St Chad’s Cathedral. We journeyed the way of the cross with ecumenical friends from the Anglican community, Salvation Army, United Reformed Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, and the Lord Mayor of Birmingham. Photo Gallery by Con McHugh Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” [Jn 13:34]. Maundy Thursday begins the Easter Triduum. During this Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Longley, we recall the Institution of the Eucharist and Priestly Orders. The Homily was delivered by Canon Michal Dolman, Rector of St Mary's College, Oscott. He began by saying: As we begin the Easter Triduum this Holy Thursday evening offers us precious time together with Jesus – both at the Altar, and later at the Altar of repose. Tonight, Jesus gives of himself in a profound and supreme way: the gift of the priesthood, the Most Holy Eucharist, and a new commandment to love one another as he has loved us. This evening sums up all that has gone before in Jesus’s life and ministry and all that lies ahead: “This is my body which will be given up for you; This is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant which will be poured out for you and for many.” Here is our humble God. Read Homily in full After the Homily Archbishop Bernard washed the feet of seminarians from Oscott and congregants in imitation of and representing Christ. The Washing of the Feet reminds us all that we should imitate the Lord who came among us in love to serve and not be served. A procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose took place, for silent prayer and contemplation - watching with Christ on the night before his Crucifixion. The evening concluded with Night Prayer of the Church (Compline). Mass Booklet Photo Gallery by Con McHugh Mass Recording Chrism Mass Chrism Mass celebrated at St Chad’s Cathedral on Wednesday 1 April St Chad’s Cathedral welcomed clergy, religious and lay faithful to the Chrism Mass, a central moment of Holy Week in the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Archbishop Bernard Longley presided, joined by Bishop Timothy Menezes, Bishop David Evans and Bishop Richard Walker. Priests from across the Archdiocese gathered to renew the promises made at their ordination, supported by deacons, seminarians and parish representatives. During the liturgy, the Archbishop blessed the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of Catechumens and consecrated the Sacred Chrism. These oils will be taken back to parishes and chaplaincies for use in the sacraments throughout the coming year. The Chrism will also be used at the forthcoming ordinations of Deacons Jonathan, Tenny and Jithin, whom the Archbishop commended to the prayers of the faithful. “We are called to live within the embrace of the Cross” In his homily, Archbishop Longley reflected on the movement of the Sacred Triduum, from the Upper Room to Gethsemane and from Calvary to the empty tomb. He spoke of the physical and psychological wounds borne by Christ and the repeated handing over described in the Passion narratives. “In the midst of all this Our Lord handed himself over in self-giving to the Father. And it is our privilege as priests to hand him over to the faithful in the Eucharist, where he freely gives himself in Holy Communion.” The Archbishop invited priests to see this handing over as a model for their own ministry, a call to place their lives at the service of others. He encouraged them to support one another, to pray for one another and to resist the isolation that can weaken priestly fraternity. He reminded them that their hands were anointed with Chrism so that they might be inwardly transformed and become instruments of God’s glory. Renewed commitment as the Triduum begins Addressing the lay faithful, Archbishop Longley expressed gratitude for all who serve the Archdiocese and asked for continued prayers for clergy entrusted with the work of teaching, sanctifying and governance. He concluded with the words of St John Henry Newman, urging priests to use their gifts for the glory of God and the good of the Church. As the Archdiocese enters the most solemn days of the Christian year, the Chrism Mass stands as a moment of renewal and unity. The newly blessed and consecrated oils will now be sent out from St Chad’s, ready to bring healing, consecration and new life in the months ahead. Read Homily in full Chrism Mass Booklet Photo Gallery by Con McHugh Chrism Mass Recording Palm Sunday Sunday 29 March marked the start of Holy Week and we followed in the footsteps of Christ with a Palm Sunday procession at St Chad’s Cathedral. Archbishop Bernard Longley was principal celebrant at the 11.30am Mass. It began outside, by the entrance to the crypt, with music from the cathedral choir, prayer, the reading of St Matthew’s Gospel (21:1-11) and the blessing of palms. A procession into the cathedral followed, led by altar servers, staff and seminarians from St Mary’s College, Oscott, clergy and parishioners. Despite the chilly weather this was wonderful sight as the faithful gathered together in their hundreds commemorating our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem. Canon Brian McGinley, Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral, delivered the Homily, remembering particularly our bothers and sisters in the Holy Land: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! ( Mt. 21,9.) Today the Mount of Olives comes to Old Snow Hill! We are entering into Holy Week the Great Week by re-enacting Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. And yet in the very location where this first took place - there is no Solemn Procession this year - Why? I will let Cardinal Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem explain in a statement released a few days ago. Read Homily in full Passion Sunday, or Palm Sunday as many people commonly know it, marks the beginning of Holy Week, a day we commemorate the triumphant arrival of Christ into Jerusalem just days before the crucifixion. The Liturgical colour of the Palm Sunday Mass is red, symbolising the redemption in blood that Christ paid for the world. Palms blessed on Palm Sunday are used in the procession of the day, then taken home by the faithful and used for personal devotion. Link to Mass booklet Photo Gallery Procession into St Chad's Cathedral Palm Sunday Mass Recording Manage Cookie Preferences