Welcome to Holy Week 2025

Image by Artist-in-residence Casey VanderStel

Holy Week is the church’s annual experience of the heart of the Christian faith. There ought to be no immersion into suffering without the gift of the resurrection, and there ought to be no Easter without Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. This three-day worship is sometimes called by its Latin name, the Triduum. Whether this is your first or hundredth Holy Week, St. Luke’s warmly welcomes you as we keep these special days together.

Note that Palm Sunday, April 13 — Worship 10:30 a.m. at Humboldt Park UMC (2120 N Mozart). All other Holy Week activities will take place at St. Luke’s, 3325 W Wrightwood Ave, the church with the rainbow doors.

Maundy Thursday, April 17 -- Worship 7:00 p.m.
Good Friday, April 18 -- Worship 7:00 p.m.
Easter Vigil, April 19 -- Worship 7:00 p.m. followed by celebratory reception
Easter Sunday, April 20 -- Worship 11:00 a.m. followed by celebratory reception

More details on all these services can be found below:

Palm Sunday, April 13

Worship with the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance
10:30 a.m. at Humboldt Park UMC (2120 N Mozart)
followed by Palm Sunday Justice Walk: Accompanying Jesus on the Road to Liberation

On Palm Sunday, April 13, worship will be at 10:30 a.m. at Humboldt Park UMC (2120 N Mozart). Join our partners in the Logan Square Ecumenical Alliance for ecumenical bilingual worship celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus in the holy city. Mark your calendars for the Palm Sunday worship time and location! There will be no worship in our normal space and time that morning.

*Note that HPUMC is not fully accessible. Talk to Pastor Erin for more details about accessibility needs and concerns.

After worship at HPUMC we will wave our palm branches on a Palm Sunday Justice Walk through the neighborhood. Stops along the way will highlight places of pain in our community, and opportunities to follow Jesus on the road to liberation. Please join for worship, the justice walk, or both.

Participating congregations include Grace Church, Humboldt Park UMC, Kimball Avenue Church / Nuestra Señora de las Americas, St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square, and Urban Village Church.

Maundy Thursday, April 17

7:00 p.m. Holy Communion with footwashing

With nightfall our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. At the heart of the Maundy Thursday liturgy is Jesus’ commandment to love one another. As Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, we are called to follow Jesus’s example as we humbly care for one another, especially the poor and the unloved. At the Lord’s table we remember Jesus’ sacrifice of life, even as we are called to offer ourselves in love for the life of the world.

Good Friday, April 18

7:00 p.m. Adoration of the Cross

At the heart of this year’s Good Friday liturgy is the passion according to Mark. The ancient title for this day—the triumph of the cross—reminds us that the church gathers not to mourn this day but to celebrate Christ’s life-giving passion and to find strength and hope in the tree of life. In the ancient bidding prayer we offer petitions for all the world for whom Christ died. Today’s liturgy culminates in the Easter Vigil tomorrow evening.

Vigil of Easter, April 19

7:00 p.m. Resurrection of Our Lord

This is the night of salvation! At the Vigil of Easter, we gather around fire, word, water, bread, and wine, proclaiming through story and song that ours is a God who continuously brings life out of death. On this night we experience again the heart of God’s baptismal promise and the center of our faith: we are claimed and cleansed, renewed in the death and resurrection of Christ. We gather with all the saints of every time and place to celebrate the good news: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Worship at the Easter Vigil lasts approximately two hours. Following worship, there will be a celebratory reception in the fellowship hall.

Easter Sunday, April 20

11:00 a.m. Resurrection of Our Lord

This is the day the Lord has made! Christ is risen, and through Christ all creation is made new! Indeed, “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34): Christ’s resurrection truly brings life to everyone. We sing hymns of praise, gather around sacred words, and proclaim God’s faithfulness, power, and love in the feast of holy communion. With the women at the tomb, we are astonished, elated, and grateful. We depart with joy to proclaim the good news of God’s endless love.