Triduum Three-Day Period of Prayer

A triduum is a three-day period of prayer, usually in preparation for an important feast or in celebration of that feast. Triduums recall the three days that Christ spent in the tomb, from Good Friday until Easter Sunday.

The best-known triduum is the Paschal or Easter Triduum, which begins with the Mass of the Lord's Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday and continues until the start of second vespers (evening prayer) on Easter Sunday.

Triduum is also known as (when capped) Paschal Triduum, Holy Triduum, Easter Triduum

The Origin of the Term

Triduum is a Latin word, formed from the Latin prefix tri- (meaning "three") and the Latin word dies ("day"). Like its cousin the novena (from the Latin novem, "nine"), a triduum was originally any prayer recited over the course of multiple days (three for triduums; nine for novenas). As every novena recalls the nine days that the disciples and the Blessed Virgin Mary spent in prayer between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday, in preparation for the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, every triduum recalls the three days of Christ's Passion and Resurrection.

The Paschal Triduum

That is why, when capitalized, Triduum most often refers to the Paschal Triduum (also known as the Holy Triduum or Easter Triduum), the final three days of Lent and Holy Week. This is, as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) notes, the "summit of the Liturgical Year" in the Catholic Church. Formerly considered a part of the liturgical season of Lent, since 1956 the Paschal Triduum has been regarded as its own liturgical season. It is both the shortest and the most liturgically rich of all seasons; as the USCCB declares, "Though chronologically three days, [the Paschal Triduum is] liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ's Paschal Mystery."

While the liturgical season of Lent ends with the start of the Paschal Triduum, the discipline of Lent (prayer, fasting and abstinence, and almsgiving) continues until noon on Holy Saturday, when preparations for the Easter Vigil—the Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord—begin. (In those Protestant churches that observe Lent, such as the Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran, and Reformed churches, the Paschal Triduum is still regarded as part of the liturgical season of Lent.) In other words, the Paschal Triduum is still part of what we commonly call the 40 days of Lent, even though it is its own liturgical season.

When Does the Paschal Triduum Begin and End?

The dates of the Paschal Triduum in any given year are dependent on the date of Easter (which varies from year to year). ​​

The Days of the Paschal Triduum

• Holy Thursday: Celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper
• Good Friday: Commemoration of Christ's Passion and Death
• Holy Saturday: Preparation for the Resurrection of the Lord
• Easter Sunday: The Resurrection of Christ