NEW YORK — Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in the Bronx prepares to support its community of about 1,800 primarily Latino parishioner families during Holy Week and Easter. Catholic parishes throughout the New York area are also preparing for similar moments.
Father José Cruz has led this parish, located near Yankee Stadium, for more than two years and boasts a vibrant community with a particular growth in African Catholics recently. According to Father Cruz, the parish has been incorporating programs to welcome new members into the community, and for several months some of them have been training to participate in the live processions that will be dramatized on Good Friday.
The priest expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming events, noting that parishioners have been actively involved in organizing and running them. “Our community has shown great creativity and devotion in preparing for Holy Week,” he added. These same preparations are underway in parishes that serve all kinds of communities and people.
As an example of other Catholic communities, the Parroquia del Padre Cruz will be the center of numerous post-pandemic family gatherings, showing the creativity and devotion of parishioners in organizing live dramatized processions, vigils, visits to monuments until midnight and concerts. with religious and sacred music.
A list of special religious observance days, masses and events at Father Cruz Parish in the Bronx and other locations from April 2-9, includes:
- Palm Sunday, April 2While times may vary from parish to parish, at Sacred Heart of Jesus del Padre Cruz Parish, a Mass in Spanish will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. In observance of Palm Sunday, attendees They will receive blessed palms to commemorate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. For more information on your local parish activities, visit
- On Monday April 3, The Dioceses of New York, Brooklyn and Rockville Center will offer the Sacrament of Confession in all their parishes from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm No appointment is required to receive this sacrament During the holy week.
- Tuesday April 4At 4:00 pm, the Chrism Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Among those in attendance at the ceremony will be auxiliary bishops and all clergy serving in the Archdiocese, as well as delegations. This mass is a special occasion during Holy Week in which the oils used to anoint the sick, the newly baptized, and newly ordained priests are blessed.
- On Wednesday, April 5, at 7:00 pm, the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located at 1253 Shakespeare Avenue in The Bronx, NY, will host a conference on “Family Lent” that will be open to the public. The conference will be directed by Father Rafael Villa, dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara in Mexico. Please check the hours of the nearest parish in your county or neighborhood in the following link
- On Thursday, April 6, at 7:00 pm, the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located at 1253 Shakespeare Avenue in The Bronx, NY, will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper and the Washing of the Feet. This religious tradition, which involves preparing the altar of repose, is deeply rooted in Latin America. In addition to this tradition, the faithful are invited to visit the monuments installed in various religious centers, reviving a Latin American cultural tradition in which they plan to visit seven churches until midnight on Holy Thursday. Please check the hours of the nearest parish in your county or neighborhood in the following link
- Friday April 7Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish will offer a silent prayer for the faithful from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm Please check the hours of the nearest parish in your county or neighborhood in the following link
- At 12:00 pm On the same day, members of the community will dramatize the Passion of the Christ on the streets of the Bronx in a procession that is expected to attract nearly 1,000 worshippers. The procession will depart from the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1253 Shakespeare Avenue and it will pass through several streets of this county.
See the procession route below.
Meeting Point: Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (1253 Shakespeare Avenue, The Bronx, NY) at 11:30 am • Towards 168th Street to Nelson Avenue • From Nelson Avenue to 164th Street • Woodycrest and St. 164 • From 164th street to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
- Friday April 7 at 6:30 pm, the reading of the Passion of Christ and the Veneration of the Holy Cross will take place at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (1253 Shakespeare Avenue, The Bronx, NY).
- On Saturday April 8, from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm, the Easter Vigil will be held at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish (1253 Shakespeare Avenue, The Bronx, NY). During this ceremony, the fire will be blessed and the psalms will be sung. Twelve adults will receive the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation. The Easter Proclamation, a song of salvation, will be performed by a large choir with Spanish guitars.
- Also on Saturday April 8, The Old Basilica of Saint Patrick, located in Soho, will welcome forty young adults who will receive the sacraments of Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation.
- On Easter Sunday, April 9, Masses will return to their regular schedule.
