As countries are living in fear of coronavirus outbreak, festival celebrations have been cut short across the world. With Good Friday and the following Easter coming up, Christians have cut down the festivities. Hence, congregations have been cancelled and Pope Francis has begun Easter week celebrations in St Peter's Basilica with the company of a few priests. Pope Francis led the Palm Sunday Mass along with some priests. Holy Week 2020 began on April 5, Sunday and will end on April 11, Sunday. As people are confined to their homes, we have listed down Holy Week rites led by Pope Francis and Full Holy Week rites schedule and live streaming online details in IST. Palm Sunday 2020: Pope Francis Celebrates Mass Without Public in St Peter's Square Amid Coronavirus Pandemic.

The service, kicking off Holy Week events leading to Easter usually attracts thousands of people to St Peter's Square with olive and palm leaves with long processions. But this time it was held from an altar behind the main one Pope Francis uses. It was attended by only two dozen people including a few aides and nuns by practising social distancing. Coronavirus in Italy: Pope Francis to Deliver Sunday Prayers Via Livestream Instead of Papal Window Amid COVID-19 Scare.

Holy Week Rites led by Pope Francis

Where: Vatican News English on YouTube (with English translations) or EWTN.com where the Pope has daily Masses at

10:30 am, including Sundays.

April 5, Palm Sunday: Mass at 2:30 pm p.m.

April 9, Maundy Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 9:29 p.m.

April 11, Black Saturday: The Lord’s Passion—Stations of the Cross in Rome, St. Peter’s Square, 12:30 am.

April 12, Easter Sunday: Easter Vigil at Vatican Basilica, 12:30 am

Easter Sunday Mass: The Holy Father will celebrate Easter Sunday Mass in the Basilica and will conclude with the “Urbi et Orbi” message and blessing, 2:30 pm.

Dominican Lenten retreats and other observances in the Philippines will be live-streamed on Facebook: Dominican Province of the Philippines Official or Facebook page La Naval de Manila.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan is holding “Paghilom (Healing): An Online Holy Week Retreat for the Youth” (www.facebook.com/paghilomretreat). Villegas, a Dominican clerical fraternity member, said the retreat was for “millennial Catholics.”

Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner, OP, the Philippine master general of the Dominicans, recommends programs online by English-speaking Dominican missions abroad, such as “Torch” (weekly homilies of the Dominican friars of England) and “Godzdogz” (blog of the Dominican student brothers of Blackfriars, Oxford), from the website of the Dominicans of England and Scotland (www.english.op.org).

Filipinos can also tune in to the Dominican podcast, “Godsplaining” (www.opeast.org/godsplaining).

“Quarantine” lectures for Lent are being held by the Thomistic Institute of the Pontifical Faculty of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington: www.thomisticinstitute.org.

Among the seminars, one watched majorly during Lent is “The Medicine of Immortality: An Intellectual Retreat” (with several speakers tackling Lent-relevant subjects as “The Last Supper and the Fulfillment of the Covenant” and “The Antidote to Death: The Eucharist and Re-creation” (both by Fr. Dominic Legge, OP) and “The Presence of Christ: Aquinas on Eucharistic Transubstantiation” (both by lay theologian Reinhard Huetter).

Also getting a lot of hits is the talk of Fr. Anthony Giambrone, OP on “Plagues: What We Can Learn from the Bible.”

Another Dominican online initiative is Spiritual Resources by the Dominican friars of Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island. Among other programs, it has the “Virtual Veritas” podcast, which offers daily reflections this Lent.

Manila Cathedral

Where: Manila Cathedral’s Facebook page: facebook.com/themanilacathedral

April 5, Palm Sunday Masses: 3:00 am, 5:00 am and 1:00 pm.

April 9, Maundy Thursday, Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 12:00 pm.

April 10, Good Friday, Celebration of the Passion of the Lord: 10:00 am.

April 11, Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil: 12:00 pm.

April 12, Easter Sunday Masses: 5:30 am, 7:30 am and 3:30 pm

Daily Masses: Sunday at 5:30 am, 7:30 am. and 3:30 pm; Monday to Friday, 5:00 am. and 9:40 am; Saturday, 5:00 am

Quiapo Church

Where: Quiapo Church’s Facebook page: facebook.com/quiapochurch

April 4, Anticipated Palm Sunday Mass: 1:30 pm

April 5, Palm Sunday Masses: 2:30 am, 3:30 am, 9:45 am, 12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm.

April 6 to April 8, Holy Monday to Holy Wednesday Masses: 2:30 am, 3:30 am ., 9:45 am, 12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm.

April 9, Holy Thursday, Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 2:30 pm.

April 10, Good Friday, morning prayers and novena to the Black Nazarene, 4:30 am. Seven Last Words, 9:30 am. Passion of Christ, 12:30 pm.

April 11, Black Saturday, morning prayers, 5:30 am, Easter Vigil 4:30 pm.

Daily Masses: 2:30 am, 3:30 am, 9:45 am,12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm.

Holy Eucharist Parish Parañaque

Where: Holy Eucharist Parish—Paranaque Facebook page

Best of the Best Manila member Jazel Calvo Carino suggests checking out the online Masses at her parish. “Fr. Jeff gives simple but meaningful reflections, and the familiarity of his voice is a calming force for us. We hear Mass everyday with him.”

April 5, Palm Sunday Masses: 4:30 am and 7:30 am.

April 9, Maundy Thursday: Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 2:30 pm.

April 10, Good Friday: Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, 12:30 pm.

April 11, Black Saturday: Easter Vigil, 3:30 pm.

April 12, Easter Sunday Masses: 4:30 am and 7:30 am.

Diocese of Kalookan (San Roque Cathedral)

Where: Diocese of Kalookan’s Facebook page: facebook.com/dioceseofkalookan

April 5, Palm Sunday: 4:00 am, 6:30 am, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm. The blessing of the palms will be live-streamed before each Mass. Attendees can use any kind of branch or leaf for the blessing.

April 6, Holy Monday: 3:30 am, 9:30 am, 3:30 pm

April 7, Holy Tuesday: 3:30 am, 9:30 am, 3:30 pm. Online Lenten reflection with Fr. Wilfredo M. Samson, SJ at 5:00 pm.

April 8, Holy Wednesday: 3:30 am, 9:30 am, 3:30 pm. Online Lenten reflection with Bishop Pablo Virgilio S. David, DD at 8 a.m.

April 9, Maundy Thursday: Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 12:00 pm. This will be followed by the procession of the Holy Eucharist but people are asked to stay indoors and watch from their windows. When the Holy Eucharist passes by, please kneel to acknowledge the presence of Jesus Christ. Online Eucharistic adoration will be held until midnight.

Procession route: San Roque Cathedral—A. Mabini to Sangandaan-Samson Road, Heroes del ’96—10th Avenue—A. Mabini to C3-C3-Tamban Street—Libis Espina-Sabalo Street—Gen. San Miguel towards Samson Road—Torres Bugallon—P.Zamora—A. Mabini—back to San Roque Cathedral.

April 10, Good Friday: Way of the Cross, 4:30 am, Siete Palabras, 9:30 am. to 12:30 pm. Passion of Christ, 12:30 pm. Procession of the Santo Intierro and Mater Dolorosa follows. Public are asked to watch the procession from indoors but requested again to kneel when the image of Christ passes by to give respect for his ultimate sacrifice. Same procession route.

April 11, Black Saturday: Easter Vigil, 3:30 pm followed by the Salubong.

April 12, Easter Sunday Masses: 4:00 am, 6:30 am, 2:30 pm, 4:30 pm.

Procession of the Risen Christ via the same route starting 3:00 am  All are asked to stay indoors, wear white, and wave a white handkerchief when the procession passes by to welcome the Risen Christ. Same procession route.

Daily Masses: Sunday, 4:00 am, 5:15 am, 6:30 am, 7:45 am, 12:30 pm, 1:45 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:15 pm, 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday, 3:30 am, 9:30 am, 3:30 pm.

Diocese of Cubao

Where: Diocese of Cubao’s Facebook page: facebook.com/CubaoDiocesePH

April 5, Palm Sunday: Mass and blessing of the palms at 5:30 am, 8:30 am and 3:30 pm.

April 8, Holy Wednesday: Online Lenten recollection, 7:30 am.

April 9, Maundy Thursday: Family Lenten retreat by Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, 6:30 am. Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 3:00 pm.

April 10, Good Friday: Family Lenten retreat by Fr. Luciano Felloni, 9 a.m. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, 12:30 pm.

April 11, Black Saturday: Family Lenten retreat by Fr. Anton Pascual, 6:30 am. Easter Vigil, 3:00 pm.

April 12, Easter Sunday Masses: 5:30 am, 8:30 am, 3:30 pm.

Daily Mass Schedule: Sunday, 5:30 am., 8:30 am, and 3:30 pm; Monday to Saturday, 5:30 am.

The Vatican has been in its own lockdown due to which the celebrations have been cut short. More than 15,500 people have died since the outbreak in northern Italy on February 21. There are nearly 125,000 cases of the virus in Italy and seven in the Vatican. Pope Francis and his closest aides have tested negative.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 06, 2020 02:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).