St. John Bosco Parish Celebrates Holy Week

St. John Bosco Parish Celebrates Holy Week

By Fr. Eddie Chincha, SDB

                     

(Salesian News – Port Chester, N.Y. – April 8, 2026) – Holy Week was a major event at St. John Bosco Parish in Port Chester, beginning on Palm Sunday and continuing over the following days.

On Palm Sunday the parish offered 2 extra Masses to accommodate the large number of people who attended Mass. During Reconciliation Monday, the Salesians heard confessions from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; we stopped only for Evening Prayer and dinner together.

Additionally, the community had a two-day parish mission. Each day after Mass, our new confrere in community, Fr. Felix Levin, preached to hundreds of people who attended this Tuesday and Wednesday mission.

St. John Bosco Parish’s pastor, Fr. Franco Pinto, SDB, and I attended the Chrism Mass in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Tuesday, March 31, in midtown Manhattan.

Holy Thursday featured a packed liturgy, at which all St. John Bosco Parish’s altar servers and eucharistic ministers processed in together. We had 12 apostles represented by men from different groups of the parish.

On Good Friday the parish welcomed a large crowd of the faithful to the 3:00 p.m. liturgy. After the service, we processed through the main streets of Port Chester, acting out the way of the cross. Our young adult group prepared these live stations of the cross for months. They practiced every Wednesday and recruited parishioners as actors and support crew. 

The procession lasted for 4 hours and ended with the Veneration of the Cross. Thousands of people of all ages came out of their homes to walk with us, witnessing publicly to the strong faith in the village of Port Chester in a dynamic way.

Fr. Felix Levin and Deacon Ivan Gemio lead the Way of the Cross

Our actors gave a very realistic performance. The whips were very real and the sincerity and devotion of the actor who played Jesus was extraordinary.

The Easter Vigil was majestic. We had 13 adult baptisms that night in a multilingual liturgy. One of the most moving moments of that service was the renewal of baptismal vows. Our people shouted “I do” with loud voices that shook the building.

Finally, on Easter Sunday, many gathered for Mass and to witness the Baptism of 20 children. Afterwards, a fun Easter egg hunt was organized for the little ones. In conclusion, it was an intense week, filled with devotion and love for the Lord.

This was indeed a packed week filled with devotion and love for our Lord. We hope that next year our Holy Week celebrations will be even bigger!