The rites for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil are to be used in the form in which they are presented in the Roman Missal and Lectionary. These are the Church's most sacred rites, and as servants of the Church's liturgy, we owe it to the people of God to celebrate these rites exactly as they have been handed down to us.
These days - from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon - are to be a time apart: "The Easter Triduum of the passion and resurrection of Christ is thus the culmination of the entire liturgical year" (General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, no. 18). As far as possible, all preparation should be made in advance so that for all presiders, liturgical ministers, musicians, and sacristans these may be days of peace, prayer, and vigil. Those responsible for liturgy should see to it that the liturgies of these days are characterized by care and dignity, by simplicity, and by that deep joy which is announced in the entrance antiphon of Holy Thursday: "We should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are saved and delivered" (cf. Gal. 6:14).
The very heart of the Triduum is the Easter Vigil, for there the fasting, prayer, and scripture reading culminate in the celebration of the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Planners should therefore give first attention to the liturgy of the Easter Vigil, then to the liturgical services of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Other devotional services, e.g., Stations of the Cross, rosaries, etc., should in no way detract from the preparation of music and liturgy for the rites of Lent, the Triduum, and Eastertime.
Funerals during Triduum. A funeral Mass may not be celebrated on Holy Thursday (even before the celebration of the Mass of the Lord's Supper), Good Friday, Holy Saturday, or Easter Sunday. If needed on these days, the body of the deceased may be brought to the church for the rite of final commendation, including the incensation and blessing of the body with holy water. Other appropriate prayers may also be added. The funeral Mass for the deceased should be celebrated as soon as convenient after Easter Sunday. At this funeral liturgy, the final commendation would be omitted.
Marriages during Triduum. The Rite of Marriage may not be celebrated on Good Friday or Holy Saturday.
Holy Thursday
Number of Masses. The Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper should be celebrated at the most suitable evening hour. There may be a liturgy on Thursday morning only "for those who are in no way able to take part in the evening Mass." This would discourage school Masses, but it would be appropriate for children to take part in other services marking the end of Lent and the approach of the Triduum. The private celebration of any Mass is strictly forbidden.
Empty Tabernacle. The tabernacle should be empty before the liturgy begins. Enough hosts should be consecrated at
this Mass for Holy Communion today and tomorrow. Consecrated wine is not to be reserved for distribution on Good Friday. Though Holy Communion may be brought to the sick today, Holy Communion may be distributed at the church itself only within the Mass.
Receiving of the Holy Oils. The custom of receiving the newly blessed oils may be incorporated into the Mass of the Lord's Supper. The U.S. Conference of Bishops has provided an appropriate ritual to incorparate the practice into the Mass. To view click here.
The Washing of Feet. This rite should be characterized by its simplicity, allowing the beautiful gesture of service to speak to all of ministry in the church. The number is traditionally twelve, though there is no exact requirement. The priest should wash feet. It has become customary in many places to invite both men and women to be participants in this rite in recognition of the service that should be given by all the faithful to the Church and to the world. Thus, in the United States, a variation in the rite developed in which not only charity is signified but also humble service. The feet of men and women may be washed. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has provided direction on this practice to read more click here.
Other rites and statements of commitment are not appropriate at the liturgy of Holy Thursday, for they would not find support from either the rites or from the scriptures. Rituals for the commissioning of extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, parish officers, or even renewal of priestly vows, are best celebrated on the feast of the patron of the parish, on the parish anniversary, or at some other time.
The Roman Missal instructs that the collection happen differently today: "there may be a procession of the faithful in which gifts for the poor may be presented with the bread and wine."
Holy Communion under both kinds is the norm for the archdiocese. This takes on even greater meaning on this day, and thus some additional care in planning will add greater richness to the meaning of this celebration.
Following the Prayer after Communion, the Holy Eucharist is transferred to the place of reposition. This may be the usual tabernacle if there is a Blessed Sacrament Chapel in an area removed from the sanctuary. The Blessed Sacrament is never to be reserved in a monstrance during this time. The rite for this procession is described in the Roman Missal.
After the transfer of the Holy Eucharist, the altar is stripped privately, and any crosses are removed or covered with a red or purple veil. Lamps should not be lit before images of saints. Holy water is removed from all fonts, to be refilled with water blessed at the Easter Vigil. They should not be filled with sand.
"The faithful are invited to continue adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for a suitable length of time during the night... but after midnight the adoration should take place without solemnity" (Roman Missal).
The nature of the Triduum before the Easter Vigil is that of prayer and watching and anticipation. Fasting is one expression of this. Another is private and communal prayer. Thus, on Thursday night, even after the hours of formal adoration, the faithful might be encouraged to come at any and all hours to the church to watch and pray between Thursday night and the Easter Vigil.
Passover Seder. We must recognize, as Christians, that the Eucharist is our holy ritual meal, and that we should refrain from appropriating the Jewish Passover Seder, which cannot be celebrated by Christians without major and likely inappropriate adaptations. Healthy ecumenical and interfaith relations require respect for the religious heritage of others and the integrity of their rituals. Roman Catholics, traditionally sensitive to any perceived abuse of their own sacred rites and symbols, can readily understand this. Therefore we should not appropriate the Passover Seder and adapt it for our own purposes.
Good Friday
The Good Friday liturgy is a part of the Triduum, which is one great feast celebrated over three days. The Good Friday liturgy may never be abandoned, reordered, or replaced by other rites or services, including ecumenical services. Because Good Friday is part of the one feast called the Triduum, the pastor of the community, or the priest responsible for sacramental care, is the presider. A deacon or layperson may not preside at the liturgy of Good Friday.
Liturgy of the Hours. It is recommended that there be a communal celebration of the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer on both Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
Celebration of the Lord's Passion. The celebration of the Lord's Passion should take place about 3pm, but for pastoral reasons may be at a later hour, or as early as 12 noon. In any case, the celebration should conclude by 9pm. The service may be repeated only when the number wishing to attend would be too large for the church.
Veneration of the cross. A cross or crucifix may be used for the veneration. The Roman Missal directs that only one cross should be used in the veneration. After the veneration, the cross is positioned near the altar and four candles are placed near it. The cross will remain there and the candles will remain lit for a period of time following the service to allow the faithful to spend some additional time in prayer before the cross. The Roman Missal offers two forms for veneration.
Communion. Holy Communion is distributed only within the liturgy of the Lord's Passion, but may be taken to the sick at any time this day.
After Communion. After the Blessed Sacrament has been returned to its place of reservation, the presider says the Prayer Over The People from the Roman Missal. Then, all depart in silence. The cross (with lighted candles) remains available for private prayer for a period of time. The altar is stripped at a convenient time.
Holy Saturday
Holy Communion may be given on this day only as Viaticum. Ordinary Communion visits to the sick should be made earlier in the week and on Easter. Masses, even funeral Masses, are not permitted on this day. The absence of these liturgical celebrations is in keeping with the nature and mood of this day.
Rites for the preparation of the elect for initiation are celebrated this day, as described in the RCIA. Since these rites are the prayer of the Church, and not private celebrations, they may be included in the published Holy Week schedules, with everyone in the parish community invited.
The Easter Vigil
The tabernacle is empty at the beginning of the Easter Vigil. All hosts that will be used for Holy Communion are to be consecrated at the Vigil, offering us the model of what should happen at every celebration of the Eucharist throughout the year.
Time of celebration. "The entire celebration of the Easter Vigil must take place during the night, so that it begins after 
nightfall and ends before daybreak on the Sunday" (Roman Missal). This rule is to be taken according to its strictest sense. The Easter Vigil may not be celebrated at the time of day that it is customary to celebrate anticipated Sunday Masses.
The Bishops' Committee on Liturgy (BCL) Newsletter, March 2001, states the Easter Vigil "is to take place in darkness... that is, after the time in the evening when daylight is last visible. This time is roughly equivalent to [the end of] astronomical twilight as defined by the Naval Observatory. The time after which 'the sun does not contribute to sky illumination.'" However, it has been observed locally that true darkness seems to come much earlier than this computation provides, particularly at inland locations where the Olympic Mountains provide an earlier "sunset" and "end of twilight" than indicated by the astronomical tables. Specifically, at such inland locations, total darkness seems to occur as early as an hour after sunset. Thus, each pastor needs to make the appropriate determination for his parish. Pastors may wish to give consideration to establishing a fixed time for the Easter Vigil to be used every year, in which case an appropriate starting time would reflect an Easter Vigil occurring in mid-April. Thus, an appropriate "perennial" starting time would be 9pm for the Seattle area and 9:45pm for coastal and southern areas of the archdiocese.
Order of celebration. The rites of the Vigil are to be celebrated in the order in which they appear in the Roman Missal and RCIA. Parts of the Easter Vigil liturgy are never to be celebrated at other times on Holy Saturday, nor are they to be repeated at the Masses of Easter Sunday.
New paschal candle. Each year a new paschal candle is to be used. It should be made of wax and worthy in size and in beauty, befitting its role in the liturgy of this night, throughout the Easter season, and at the celebrations of baptism and burial throughout the year. Candles that are metal or plastic forms "refilled" by smaller candles are inconsistent with the candle's symbolic role, and so are not allowed.
Liturgy of the Word. The reading of the word of God is, in the words of the Roman Missal, "a fundamental part of this Easter Vigil." Though the number of readings from the Hebrew Scriptures may be reduced from seven to three, this is not to be done lightly. No one should look at this night's liturgy as simply a "long Mass." It is a Vigil, and should be conducted as such (with appropriate catechesis through the bulletin, etc., beforehand). The readings and psalms should be given the greatest care in preparation and celebration.
The parts unique to the Vigil which should be sung are:
the acclamations during the procession with the paschal candle;
the Easter Proclamation (Exsultet);
the alleluia;
the Litany of the Saints; and
the acclamation after the blessing of water.
Sacraments of initiation. The planning for the baptismal liturgy should provide for its beauty and for the full preparation and participation of the assembly. Planners and ministers will have to work with both the Roman Missal and the RCIA ritual books.
When adults are baptized at the Vigil, the liturgy attains its fullness, for there is the paschal mystery of the Lord's dying and rising in our midst. When there are no adults to be baptized, the parish is encouraged to celebrate the baptism of infants at the Vigil, if possible. The fullness of the rite of baptism comes when immersion is possible. Parishes should work toward the fullness of this sign.
Those who are baptized at the Easter Vigil are to be confirmed immediately afterwards by the presiding priest at the Easter Vigil liturgy. These confirmations may not be
postponed to a later time. Baptism and confirmation are proper to the presiding priest's ministry, and may not be delegated to another priest or to a deacon.
Priests appointed by the Archbishop to parish ministry have the faculty to confirm baptized Catholics, but only in two categories:
1. Baptized Catholic seeking readmission who has been an apostate from the faith.
2. Baptized Catholic who has been formed in a non-Catholic religion.
Where priests do have the faculty to confirm, it is encouraged that they do so at the Easter Vigil or on one of the Sundays of the Easter season.
It is important that adults who are received into full communion at the Vigil Mass have the opportunity to celebrate the sacrament of penance at an earlier time. Appropriate catechesis on the sacrament of reconciliation should be an integral part of their catechetical formation. Such catechesis should emphasize the realities of sin and grace, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Easter Sunday
Sequence. The Easter Sequence is sung or said on Easter Sunday after the second reading and before the Alleluia. The Sequence is also optional throughout the octave of Easter.
Renewal of Baptismal Promises. In the United States, the renewal of baptismal promises replaces the Creed on Easter Sunday. This is followed by a sprinkling of the people with the water that was blessed at the Easter Vigil.
Dismissal. At the conclusion of the Mass, the deacon should dismiss the people with a dismissal form that includes a double alleluia. The double alleluia is also to be used for the dismissal at all Masses throughout the octave of Easter.
the Liturgical Year. The days leading up to Holy Week can be so hectic! Tending to the important details such as ministry schedules and thinking through how the Elect will be nurtured through these liturgies can be a daunting task. In the midst of tending to these important preparations it's easy to pass up the opportunity Holy Week provides to recall the immense love that God expresses though the celebration of the Paschal Mystery.