Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 14, 2022 / 10:22 am
The Thursday before Easter, Catholics around the world practice an ancient Lenten tradition — a Holy Thursday devotion — known as the “Seven Churches Visitation.”
What is the Seven Churches Visitation?
During Holy Week, Catholics are invited to map out seven local churches to visit after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday. These seven visits represent the final seven places or “stations” Jesus journeyed, from his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane on Holy Thursday to his crucifixion and death on Good Friday.
In each church, pilgrims kneel before a temporary “altar of repose” — or the altar where the Eucharist, consecrated on Holy Thursday, is placed until the Mass of the Presanctified, a Christian liturgy that takes place on Good Friday (where there is no consecration.) Kneeling before the altar, Catholics make the sign of the cross, meditate on the appropriate Scripture, offer prayers, and spend time with Jesus in adoration.