The holiest week of the Christian calendar begins Sunday, April 1, with Palm Sunday. Churches around Maplewood and South Orange are celebrating with an array of services. The full list from Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in South Orange provides a taste of what the week signifies. Click on the links to the other churches for a full listing for each congregation.

Holy Week at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, South Orange

Passion Palm Sunday, April 1st

• Sunday Masses 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am and 12:30 pm

Holy Thursday,  April 5

• 9:00 am Morning prayers
• 7:30 pm Solemn Liturgy of the Lords’s Supper
• 9:30 pm – 11:00 pm Vigil of Prayer

Good Friday, April 6

• 9:00 am Morning prayers
• 3:00 pm Liturgy of the Passion of Christ
• 7:30 pm Stations of the Cross presented by our Youth Group

Holy Saturday, April 7

• 9:00 am Morning prayers
• 7:30 pm Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday, April 8

• Masses at 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:00 am and 12:30 pm

Holy Week at St. George's Episcopal Church, 550 Ridgewood Rd, Maplewood

A notable Holy Week happening at St. George's is its annual all night vigil at the altar of repose, beginning immediately after the Maundy Thursday service and ending with morning prayer on Good Friday at 7:00 a.m. The church asks for volunteers to come and spend an hour in vigil. Martha Gardner writes, "Anyone who has participated can attest to the beauty of being in the church in the middle of the night and having time for prayer and meditation as we enter the last days of Holy Week." Enter through the red door in the parking lot — the front door will be locked. 

Palm Sunday at St. George's feature a "four-legged" visitor at the 9:15 a.m. service.

Holy Week at Morrow Memorial Church, 600 Ridgewood Rd, Maplewood

Holy Week at Prospect Presbyterian Church, 646 Prospect St, Maplewood, NJ

Holy Week at Saint Joseph's Church, 767 Prospect St, Maplewood

The Episcopal Church of Saint Andrew & Holy Communion, 160 W South Orange Ave, South Orange.

Saint Andrew and the Holy Communion holds a Wednesday evening candlelight "Tenebrae" service on April 4, and also features a donkey at Palm Sunday's 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services on April 1.

Candlelight service on Wednesday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m.