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Easter Resources
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EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
Leave It in the Tomb
Today, on the most important day of the liturgical year, the Apostle Paul is calling us out.
“I see you hiding in that tomb,” he says. “I see you baking with that old, stale yeast, thinking no one will notice.”
He says it a little more elegantly, I’ll grant you. But the message is this: If you want to be raised with Christ, you’d better be ready to step out of the shadows. Seek what is above — not what is on earth.
I can feel myself responding almost reflexively, “Great idea, Paul — but I’m pretty comfy here.” Because sometimes, it’s just easier to stay in the tomb. It’s easier to crouch in the shadows and look outward at everyone else, thinking of the changes they could make or the sins they could overcome.
Today we are called to embrace newness. New hearts, new lives, new futures, new chances. If there’s anything keeping you from that, you need to leave it in the tomb. It’s a little scary, sure — maybe Jesus thought so before he stepped into the light of that first Easter morning. But no loaf of bread worth eating was ever baked using stale yeast that wouldn’t rise. No new life worth having was ever lived through the broken sins of yesterday. No Easter morning ever dawned without the tomb sitting empty.
Step into the light. He is waiting for you.
— Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
©LPi
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Catholic FAQ
Why does the date of Easter change every year, while most other celebrations are celebrated on the same day?
Every feast is celebrated at a certain time for a reason. Saints feast days are commonly the day of their death. While we don’t know Jesus’ exact birthday, we celebrate the “light of the world” around the time of winter solstice, as dark, wintery days begin to lengthen again. We have a historical clue, however, to when the Easter events occurred. We know that Jesus was crucified the day before Passover. The Jews calculated the date for Passover based on both the solar and lunar calendars. It corresponds to the first full moon after the spring equinox. The early Christians maintained this connection in their celebrations of Easter on the first Sunday after the paschal full moon.
We don’t re-calculate the full moon every year. As astronomy developed, so too did the forecasts of when Easter would occur in future years. The Church has created a table of calculated dates, projecting the date of Easter decades in advance. The date of Easter also determines the date of Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent, as well as the feast days following in the Easter season, including Pentecost. So these feasts move, too! This tradition may seem complicated, but it connects our Christian faith now to what has come before — our Jewish roots and the real, historical reality of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection.
©LPi
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Easter Symbols
Easter eggs are said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb to new life. Decorating eggs for Easter dates back to at least the 13th century and may have been a way some communities broke their Lenten fast at Easter. "Pysanky" is an Eastern European method that decorates eggs with traditional folk designs using a wax-resist method. There is even a tradition that attributes this practice to St. Mary Magdalene.
The Easter Bunny may have been introduced to our culture by German immigrants who reportedly brought stories of an egg-laying hare known as “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Rabbits, known to be prolific procreators, are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life. Some sources claim that the symbolism of the rabbit was imagery dates back to the 6th century when monks sent from Rome to England to preach the Gospel used pagan imagery (including rabbits) to make sense of the Christian story.
Other Easter symbols include Easter lilies, shaped like trumpets symbolizing immortality; butterflies, which undergo a metamorphosis and emerge into a new and beautiful form; the Lamb, a symbol associated with Jesus; and lights and candles, including the Paschal Candle or Easter Candle, lit on Easter Sunday.
wordonfire.org
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Download Easter Coloring Pages
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Watch a Video on Easter Traditions
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Lenten Schedules
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Friday, February 20TH
12:00 Noon-Saint Scholastica Church
6:30 pm-Saint Joseph Church
Friday, February 27TH
12:00 Noon-Saint Scholastica Church
6:30 pm-Saint Joseph Church
Friday, March 6TH
12:00 Noon-Saint Scholastica Church
6:30 pm-Madonna Church
Friday, March 13TH
12:00 Noon-Saint Scholastica Church
6:30 pm- Madonna Church
Friday, March 20TH
12:00 Noon-Saint Scholastica Church
6:30 pm-Saint Edward Church
Friday, March 27TH
12:00 Noon-Saint Scholastica Church
6:30 pm-Saint Edward Church
Friday, April 3RD
12:00 Noon-Saint Scholastica Church
Every Thursday 6:30-7:00 pm Saint Scholastica Church
Every Friday 9:30-10:00 am Saint Edward Church
Every Saturday 11:30-Noon Saint Joseph Church
Tuesday of Holy Week 6:00-7:30 pm Saint Joseph Church
Please note that confessions will NOT be heard on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, or Holy Saturday.
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Rediscover . . . Reconnect . . . Recommit to God this Lent!Are you looking for ways to renew your faith? Are you looking for encouragement as you pursue your Lenten practices? The following links and resources are provided to help deepen your Lenten journey. -
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Christ the King Resources
Let the Lenten inspiration come to you!to receive a weekly email through Flocknote containing inspirational messages, videos, and family activities.Lenten Taize Service
The Taizé Service is evening prayer for all Christian faiths. It is a simple, meditative form of worship, calling us to dwell deeply on Christ's presence around and within us. Mantra songs (like “Jesus, Remember Me”), prayerful silence, and short readings guide the focus as God's Word is proclaimed and broken open. This service of prayer is presented in a candle-lit environment.
A Lenten Day of Recollection
for the Ladies of
Christ the King Parish
Theme:
“Do Whatever He Tells You”
Speaker: Maureen Crossen, Ph.D.
Retired Theology Professor
from Carlow University
Saturday, February 28, 2026
11:00 am to 4:00 pm
A box lunch will be served
and the day will conclude with Mass at 4:00 o’clock
Saint Joseph Church
342 Dorseyville Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15215
Make reservations by calling
Christ the King Parish at 412-963-8885
No charge for the day,
but free will offerings will be accepted.
For additional information or questions,
call Nancy Bianculli at 412-818-1719
Or email her at: [email protected]
Return to Me: Lenten Evening Prayer
Join us on Monday, March 9, at 7:00 pm in Saint Joseph Church, 342 Dorseyville Road, 15215. The service will include evening prayer, sacred music from CTK's music ministry, and “Return to Me, the Love of God”, a reflection on the crucified heart of Jesus by Fr. Dan D'Antonio of Holy Family Parish.
Lenten Soup Supper
Join us on Wednesday, March 11, from 6:30-8:00 pm in the Saint Scholastica social hall. We’ll enjoy delicious soups and pray and reflect together on the theme, “Our Lenten Spiritual Pilgrimage in Solidarity with Immigrants.” All are welcome! Sponsored by the Hope for Haiti Committee.
Lenten Tenebrae Service
Start off your Holy Week with a moving service contemplating the meaning of Christ's sacrifice for you. 
Holy Week and Easter Schedule
Monday of Holy Week—March 20
7:00 pm Tenebrae Service in Saint Mary Church
Tuesday of Holy Week—March 32
6:00-7:30 pm Confessions in Saint Joseph Church
Holy Thursday—April 2
7:00 pm in Saint Joseph Church
Mass of the Last Supper and the Washing of Feet
Good Friday—April 3
2:00 pm in Saint Scholastica Church
7:00 pm in Saint Joseph Church
The Service of the Lord’s Passion will be prayed in both churches,
with the proclamation of Christ’s suffering and death,
the veneration of the Cross,
and Distribution of Holy Communion.
Holy Saturday—April 4
8:30 pm in Saint Joseph Church
The Easter Vigil Mass with the Blessing of the new Paschal Candle,
the Easter readings,
the renewal of Baptismal Promises,
and sprinkling with the newly blessed Holy Water.
Easter Sunday—April 20
8:00 am Saint Edward Church
Fr. Dale DeNinno
9:00 am Saint Joseph Church
Fr. Bill Siple
9:30 am Saint Scholastica Church
Fr. Dale DeNinno
11:00 am Saint Joseph Church
Fr. Bill Siple
11:30 am Saint Mary Church
Fr. Dale DeNinno
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Diocese of Pittsburgh Resources
The Diocese of Pittsburgh offers a Lenten Guide that can answer your questions and help you prepare for the season of Lent.
Lenten Guide
Take the Lenten Challenge
Our phones can often distract us from silence and prayer, but this Lent, draw closer to Jesus through a daily text message.
Register for the 2026 Lenten Challenge! Every day in Lent, we'll send you a simple but powerful text message to help guide your prayer and sacrifice.
To join, text LENTDOP26 to 84576
Lenten Fish Fry Guide
Looking for a fish fry? Find information about fish fries in the Diocese at
Fish Fry Guide
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Other Lenten Resources
Living Lent Daily
Living Lent Daily 2026 takes as its inspiration Lisa M. Hendey’s Jesus Every Day, Jesus Every Way. Through excerpts from that book, reflections on the Sunday readings by familiar Loyola Press writers, and more, this Lenten e-mail series provides a framework for a Lent that will lead to a deeper relationship with Christ.Praying Lent
Creighton University's Online Ministries has a rich collection of Lenten resources, including articles to support our journey through the season,
and Daily Prayer with links to the readings of the day.
Praying LentIgnatian Solidarity Network
Lent 2026: Stubborn HopeDuring this Lenten season, let us cultivate a stubborn hope, like the trees in Psalm 1, planted near streams of water, yielding fruit in due season, and never withering.
Throughout Lent, writers from the Ignatian network will nourish our hope. Join us each day to allow your roots—be they abundant, brittle, or somewhere in between—to pull from the waters of faith and bear fruit for a more just world.
Sign up to receive free reflections in your inbox each morning during Lent:
Lent 2026: Stubborn HopeBest Lent Ever
This Lent, join Matthew Kelly at Dynamic Catholic and Catholics across America on a journey to discover how God miraculously intervenes in human history—and your everyday life. Are you ready to see miracles all around you?He speaks: finding Christ in the days of lent
Download weekly reflections on the Sunday Gospel reading:
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A Letter from our Pastor
Dear Parishioners,
We have hardly put away Christmas decorations and already it is time to bring out the ashes. The penitential season of Lent is upon us and on Ash Wednesday we will stand in line and wait our turn to be signed with the mark of ashes on our forehead and hear the words spoken: “Turn away from sin and believe in the Good News” OR “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.”
It is always my hope that Ash Wednesday will usher in a real desire to embrace penance, self-sacrifice, and generous outreach to others. This holy season of Lent is about so much more than just the sign of the cross marked on our forehead with ashes. Lent calls for a conversion of heart, mind, and soul. It means attaching ourselves to the things of God that bring us into a deeper communion with all that is holy.
I do hope that you will consider sharing in the spiritual opportunities that will be available in the churches of Christ the King Parish throughout the entire season of Lent.
May God bless all that we do in His Holy Name.
Father Dale DeNinno
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