Eastertide
Eastertide is the most celebratory and important liturgical season in the Church’s year. Following the 40 days and nights of preparation in Lent, it is focused on the Resurrection of Jesus, and reflects on the themes of new life, victory over death, and the fulfilment of scriptural prophecies. The season is visually marked by the use of white and gold liturgical colours to signify joy, alongside the paschal candle, which remains lit throughout the 50 days of Eastertide, to represent Christ as the light overcoming darkness. Meaningful symbols such as lilies, eggs, and water are used to illustrate themes of new growth, the empty tomb, and the renewal of baptismal promises. Key observances during this time include Divine Mercy Sunday, Good Shepherd Sunday, and the prayer of the Via Lucis, which reflects on fourteen stations from the Resurrection to Pentecost. Ultimately, the season encourages a spirit of praise and thanksgiving, inviting school communities to share the “Good News” and look upon others with love and mercy.
Pope Leo XIV shared this message on Easter Sunday.
Keep checking back for more resources below!
Divine Mercy Sunday
The 2nd Sunday of Easter is always Divine Mercy Sunday. As part of the Octave of Easter we celebrate the Paschal mystery and reflect on Jesus’ merciful love for us all.
On this day we are encouraged to: receive the sacrament of Reconciliation; to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist and; to participate in acts of mercy. It is a great opportunity to reflect on both the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy and to think about how we incorporate these into the words and actions of our own lives.
Good Shepherd Sunday
On this 4th Sunday of Eastertide we mark the World Day of Prayer for Vocations and pray for priestly, diaconal and religious vocations. For information from the Diocesan Vocations Team, click here.
Ascension of the Lord
On the Thursday of the 6th Week of Eastertide we celebrate the solemnity of The Ascension of the Lord – a holy day of obligation. In our schools (or parishes) we celebrate Mass to mark when Jesus returned to God the Father in Heaven. The readings for this Mass can be found here.
Prayer
Throughout Easter we are asked to pray for the following intentions:
Vocations (especially on the 4th Sunday of Eastertide – Good Shepherd Sunday – the World Day of Prayer for Vocations.)
Human Work (especially on the feast day of St Joseph the Worker, 1st May)
The right use of the Media (especially on the 7th Sunday of Eastertide, World Communications Day)
The Church (especially on Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the church)
Our Seasonal Music Resources have been updated for the Eastertide season, you can visit this page by clicking here.
Via Lucis
The Stations of the Resurrection are the Eastertide equivalent of the stations of the Cross. Focussing on the final chapters of each of the four gospels, the 14 ‘Stations of the Light’ include a series of prayers, scripture and reflections to help us to pray during this joyful season of Eastertide.
An example of these stations can be found here and the tune for the accompanying hymn (the 14 verses that each accompany a station) is found below.
Regina Caeli
We ask for the prayers and intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, throughout the entirety of our liturgical year. As the Mother of Jesus, Mary joins her prayers with ours and prays with us and for us to the Holy Trinity.
From the Easter Vigil until Pentecost, the Regina Caeli is the only Marian anthem that is used. It is prayed instead of the Angelus and is also prayed at the end of Compline (the final night prayer before bed).
Think about how you could incorporate this prayer into the prayer life of your community during this liturgical season.
Check out our Seasonal guide for your prayer focus to see what to include on your Eastertide prayer focus.
For a poster showing the key biblical events between Easter and Pentecost from The God Who Speaks website, click here.
The Season of Eastertide ends on Pentecost Sunday when we celebrate the Holy Spirit coming down upon Jesus’ friends who gathered in the upper room. To see our resources for Pentecost Sunday and Pentecost week in schools, please click here.
