Easter 2021: Holy Week and Easter Services in Lexington

LEXINGTON, MA — Easter celebrations across the country and in Lexington will look different from ever before in 2021 as traditional events such as egg hunts, religious services and restaurant deals will go on virtually as well as in person.

Lexington has a mix of in-person and remote services. Make sure to check that you've made a reservation is required.

Grace Chapel

• 7 a.m. or 8 a.m., sunrise service, 2 Militia Drive parking lot (these services are at capacity, but you can join the waitlist)

Lexington Catholic Community, Sacred Heart and Saint Brigid Parishes

Congregants are encouraged to make a reservation before attending Mass by calling the parish office at 781-862-0335 and leaving a message with your name and number of attendees, but it is not required. The church also has a livestream of services (scroll down to livestream).

Holy Thursday, April 1

• Morning Prayer, 9 a.m. at St. Brigid Church
• Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, 7:30 p.m. at St. Brigid Church

• Morning Prayer, 9 a.m. at St. Brigid Church
• Good Friday of the Lord's Passion, 3 p.m. at St. Brigid Church
• Good Friday of the Lord's Passion, 7:30 pm at Sacred Heart Church Holy

• Saturday Morning Prayer, 9 a.m. at St. Brigid Church
• Holy Saturday Easter Vigil 7:30 p.m. at St. Brigid Church

• Easter Sunday Mass, 9 a.m. at St. Brigid Church
• Easter Sunday Mass, 10:30 am at Sacred Heart Church

First Baptist Church of Lexington

Holy Thursday, April 1, service at 7 p.m.
Good Friday, April 2, service at 12 p.m.
Easter Sunday, April 4, service at 10:30 a.m.

Follen Community Church

Sign up for the newsletter to get access to in-person registration and the Zoom link (sign up is at the bottom of the church's homepage).

• 6:15 a.m., service, Peeper’s Pond, behind Follen and Waldorf, register in advance
• 10:30 a.m., service on Zoom

First Parish in Lexington

Easter Sunday, April 4, service at 10:30 a.m. on Facebook Live or Livestream

Mostly religious services went virtual during the Easter season last year, when the coronavirus pandemic was still fairly new and most states remained under strict shutdown orders in mid-April. This year, there’s more of a combination of virtual and in-person services taking place with the pandemic having passed the one-year mark.

Many major American archdioceses, such as in Chicago, will continue to hold virtual services that will be streamed throughout Holy Week, which includes the Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday holidays leading up to Easter.

Good Friday, on April 2 this year, marks the death of Jesus Christ. Easter, two days later, celebrates the time when he was resurrected. The Sunday holiday always occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon of spring, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Religious traditions on Good Friday include periods of silence and fasting for many Christians, prominently in the Catholic faith.

Fairfax United Methodist Church in Virginia is also streaming its Holy Week services, with an in-person service offered to a limited number of attendees on Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter.

Many Protestant churches will have their traditional sunrise services with social distancing in mind. The Daytona Beach Drive-In Christian Church is having its services on Easter morning, while the Colorado Council of Churches canceled its service at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre and instead will have Bishop Kym Lucas of the Episcopal Church in Colorado lead a virtual service.

One of the most celebrated Easter traditions outside of church is the Easter egg hunt, many of which were canceled last year but will return in some form in 2021. In La Grange, Kentucky, an egg hunt is planned in conjunction with a drive-in theater and movie; and St. John’s United Methodist Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina, already held its egg hunt over two sessions, with early sign-ups required.