As Lent approaches, Pope Leo XIV is preparing for a season that places pastoral closeness at the center of his ministry, combining parish visits, prayer with the Roman Curia, and the full celebration of the Church’s most sacred liturgies through Easter.
According to Vatican News, the Holy Father will personally visit five parishes across Rome between mid-February and mid-March, a gesture highlighting his role as Bishop of Rome and his desire to remain close to ordinary parish communities, particularly those in the city’s outlying districts.
The parish visits will take place on Sundays, with Eucharistic celebrations generally scheduled for the afternoon. One exception will occur on February 22, when Pope Leo XIV is expected to arrive at the parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Castro Pretorio at 9:00 a.m., near Rome’s Termini Station. His first parish visit of the Lenten season will be on February 15 at Our Lady Queen of Peace in Ostia Lido, followed by stops in Alessandrino, Torrevecchia, and Ponte Mammolo over the succeeding Sundays, according to Vatican News.
The beginning of Lent will be marked in a particularly traditional way. According to Vatican News, Pope Leo XIV will open the season on February 18 with an afternoon Mass at the Basilica of Saint Sabina on the Aventine Hill, preceded by the Statio and a penitential procession from the nearby church of Saint Anselm. Later in the month, from February 22 to 27, he will join members of the Roman Curia for the annual Lenten Spiritual Exercises held in the Apostolic Palace.
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As Holy Week approaches, the Pope’s liturgical schedule shifts to St. Peter’s Square and Rome’s major basilicas. According to Vatican News, he will celebrate Palm Sunday Mass on March 29 in St. Peter’s Square, inaugurating the Church’s observance of the Passion of the Lord.
The Easter Triduum will begin on Holy Thursday, April 2, with the Chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning, followed by the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome. On Good Friday, April 3, Pope Leo XIV will preside at the Celebration of the Passion of the Lord and later take part in the traditional Way of the Cross at the Colosseum, according to Vatican News.
The sacred days will continue with the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night, April 4, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica. Easter Sunday will conclude the season with Mass in St. Peter’s Square, followed by the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing delivered from the central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, according to Vatican News.
Together, these celebrations outline a Lenten and Easter journey that blends public witness, parish presence, and the Church’s most ancient liturgical traditions—signaling a pontificate attentive both to the heart of Rome and to the universal Church.
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