Rome, Holy Week & Easter 2006

Photos from Holy Week & Easter at Rome. John was deacon for all of the Masses of the triduum and for the Good Friday service. He was also one of the four deacons for the Pope’s Mass in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.

Queue for the Chrism Mass • A queue of people outside St Peter’s Basilica, gradually filtering into the church in order to join the congregation for the Diocese of Rome’s Chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday. The Mass was celebrated by the Pope; we got seats in the nave of the church, but quite far back from the sanctuary.
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Entrance of the Celebrant • His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI processes in to the Chrism Mass in St Peter’s Basilica on Maundy Thursday.
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The Pope blesses the congregation after reverencing the altar upon his arrival on the sanctuary for the Chrism Mass.
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The Pope processes out of St Peter’s Basilica after celebrating the Chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday. The aisle was of course lined with excited members of the Congregation.
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Castel Sant’Angelo • A view down the Tiber towards Castel Sant’Angelo.
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Garibaldi Monument • The statue remembering the conquest of Rome by the freemason and liberal republican Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1862, on top of the Janiculum Hill.
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Roman street
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Reading the Gospel • John reads the Gospel in the church of the Venerable English College at the Mass of the Last Supper on the evening of Maundy Thursday.
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Washing of the Feet • The washing of the feet at the Mass of the Last Supper on the evening of Maundy Thursday.
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Lone traveller • Daddy with his Baedeker in the middle of the square outside the Pantheon.
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The Pantheon
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Outside the Gregorian • John stands outside the Pontifical Gregorian University.
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Directing tourists • Giving directions to some American tourists outside the Gregorian University.
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Paschal fire • The Paschal fire lit before the Service of Light which begins the Easter Vigil in the garden of the Venerable English College.
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Blessing the fire • The Rector of the English College, who was celebrating the Easter Vigil Mass, blesses the new Easter Fire in the garden of the College before lighting the Paschal Candle and then processing into the church.
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Arrival of the Light • John carries the Paschal Candle into the church of the English College.
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Singing the Exsultet • John sings the Exsultet (the Easter Proclamation) at the beginning of the Service of Light in the church.
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Daddy • Daddy reading one of the seven Old Testament at the Easter Vigil.
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Incensing • John incenses the Book of the Gospels before proclaiming the Gospel at the Easter Vigil.
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St Peter’s Square at 9am • We arrived early (at 9am) for the Pope's Easter Mass of the Resurrection, so that we could get into our seats right on the steps to the Basilica, and so that the choir could warm up and rehearse.

Already the square was filling up with people coming to the Mass: it is estimated that there were at least 100,000 members of the congregation in total.
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Preparing the Altar • Nuns prepare the altar for the Papal Mass of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. It's very soon after 9am: the Mass began at 10.30am.
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Guards • Guards inside the cloister of St Peter's Basilica (just behind where we were sitting). A few unrecognisable digniitaries were brought to their seats by this route.
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Swiss Guardsman • A Swiss Guardsman atop the colonnade surrounding St Peter’s Square, watching the crowds long before Mass was due to begin.
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Two seminarians looking out at the crowds amassing in St Peter’s Square for the Pope’s Mass.
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Procession • The front of the procession for the Papal Mass (including John) arrives at the foot of the steps to the sanctuary.
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Swiss Guardsman • Another Swiss Guardsman stands to attention at the beginning of Mass.
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The procession continues • The procession continues to make its way around the sanctuary to the altar. You can see that the Pope has just arrived at the foot of the steps.
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More processing • The entrance procession continues. You can see John at the centre of the frame, accompanied by the MC assigned to take charge of him.
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Papal arrival • The Pope arrives on the sanctuary for the Easter Sunday Mass.
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Opening the icon • The Pope moves to open the icon, held open by John (whose back you can see) and another deacon (on the other side, out of the frame). This is part of the ancient rite of the Resurrexit, newly reinstituted this year.
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Liturgy of the Word • The Pope, flanked always by two MCs, sits for the Liturgy of the Word at the main Mass in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.
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Incense for the Gospel • The Pope fills and blesses the thurible before the Book of the Gospels is incensed, which happens just before the Gospel is sung.
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Blessing • The Pope blesses the Deacon who will sing the Gospel at the main mass in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday morning.
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Receiving the Book of the Gospels • The Pope is handed Book of the Gospels by the Deacon after he proclaimed the Gospel.
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Crowds in St Peter’s Square • A huge crowd filled St Peter’s Square for the Pope’s Mass on Easter Sunday.
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Procession out • John can be seen here processing out from the Pope’s Mass on Easter Sunday.
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The Pope • The procession from the sanctuary after Mass on Easter Sunday went straight past us—we were sitting behind the sanctuary, facing the rest of the enormous congregation. The Pope was about to go up to his balcony over St Peter’s Square to give his Easter message Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world).
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Pointing the way • A Swiss Guardsman points something out to another suited official after the Pope’s Mass in St Peter”s Square on Easter Sunday.
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