Passiontide: Why do we cover Crucifixes and other images during the final week of Lent?
Welcome to the week of The Passiontide! Your child may have asked what's going on? I love this tradition of our faith.
In the Catholic tradition, Passiontide calls for a heightened awareness of the Lenten sacrifice by covering the crucifixes, artwork, statues and other beautiful reflections of the faith throughout the church.
Passiontide falls during the last two weeks of Lent and the images are covered in strict preparation for the Triduum, which consists of three days: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil.
By shrouding the sacred images for these couple weeks before Easter, we are encouraged to imagine the bleakness of a world without Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross and focus on the great gift of Life the Passion bestowed on humanity.
At the Easter Vigil, the veils are removed and the sacred images revealed once again. New light and new life is brought into the church to inspire new hope.