Easter 2021: Services In Wellesley

WELLESLEY, MA — Easter celebrations across the country and in Wellesley 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.

In Wellesley, you can celebrate Holy Week and Easter both in-person and virtually. If you do want to attend in-person services, be sure to check if reservations are required.

Wellesley Village Church

2 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02482
781-235-1988
office@wellesleyvillagechurch.org

Maundy Thursday, April 1 at 7 p.m., Zoom

Good Friday, April 2

• 1 to 3 p.m., music director David Carrier plays organ, livestream or in-person
• 5 to 6:30 p.m., associate music director Ed Broms plays piano, livestream or in-person
• 7 p.m., Zoom Service

Easter Sunday, April 4

• 6 a.m., Easter Sunrise Vigil at the cemetery
• 7 a.m., Sunrise Service in the churchyard
• 10 a.m., Easter Service, Video Premiere (pre-recorded)
• 12 p.m., Easter Fellowship, Egg Hunt, and Easter Toast, church lawn

St. John - St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Masses will be celebrated in-person and on livestream — anyone wishing to attend a service in-person must make reservations.

Holy Thursday, April 1
Since reservations closed, you can watch the services on the St. John livestream or the St. Paul livestream.

• 7 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed by Adoration at St. John – RESERVATIONS CLOSED
• 7 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper followed by Adoration at St. Paul – RESERVATIONS CLOSED

Good Friday, April 2

• 1 p.m. Stations of the Cross at St. John — Reserve
• 3 p.m. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at St. Paul — Reserve
• 7 p.m. Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at St. John — Reserve

Holy Saturday, April 3

• 7 p.m., Easter Vigil at St. Paul — Reserve

Easter Sunday, April 4

• 8:00am Mass at St. John Church — Reserve
• 9:00am Mass at St. John Church – RESERVATIONS CLOSED
• 9:00am Mass at St. Paul – RESERVATIONS CLOSED
• 11:00am Mass at St. John Church – RESERVATIONS CLOSED
• 11:00am Mass at St. Paul Church – RESERVATIONS CLOSED
• 12:00pm Mass at St. Paul — Reserve

Hills Church Congregational

207 Washington Street, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481
781-235-4424

Maundy Thursday, April 1

• 7:30 p.m., virtual service

Good Friday, April 2

• 12 p.m., virtual service
• Contemplative Prayer Offering, following service. Sign up here

Easter Sunday, April 4

• 1o a.m., virtual service

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

79 Denton Road Wellesley, MA 02482
781-235-7310
information@StAndrewsWellesley.org

Holy Thursday, April 1

• Passover Story, 5:30 p.m., virtual
• Maundy Thursday service, 7 :30 p.m., virtual
• Maundy Thursday Vigil, 9 p.m., virtual

Good Friday, April 2

• Good Friday service, 12 p.m., virtual
• Children's service, 2 p.m., virtual

Holy Saturday, April 3

• Holy Saturday service, 9 a.m., virtual

Easter Sunday, April 4

• Children's service, 9:30 a.m., virtual
• Easter service, 10:15 a.m., virtual

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.