Following Holy Thursday Mass on April 6, 2023, the altar is stripped and the lights are dimmed. 

On this holy night, we invite you to join Fr. T.J. and other parishioners in the Holy Thursday tradition of a pilgrimage to seven churches.

Below our mapped route, you'll learn more about this Holy Thursday Tradition and we why pilgrimage to seven "stations" or churches. At the end of Holy Thursday Mass, please pick up a booklet at the Information Center with our route and the Gospel reflection for each station. 

The Pilgrimage will be in silent prayer. Individuals and families are to drive themselves. Try to spend 3-5 minutes at each altar of repose, although you may desire to linger longer. We will begin at St. Pius X and make a loop in this order, returning to St. Pius X by 10:00 PM for the praying of Night Prayer. 

1. St. Jude of the Lake | Mahtomedi
2. St. Mary of the Lake | White Bear Lake
3. St John the Evangelist | Little Canada
4. St Jerome | Maplewood
5. Presentation of Mary | Maplewood
6. Saint Peter | North St. Paul
7. St. Pius X | Return to our parish home for Night Prayer

Our Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament is placed on a temporary altar away from the sanctuary called, "the altar of repose." We, the people of God, enter into a time of quiet prayer and vigil. In the Roman Missal, it states: “The faithful are invited to continue adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for a suitable length of time during the night, according to circumstance.”

The Seven Churches Visitation is a tradition that grew out of this time of prayer and adoration. Catholics remember when Jesus asked his disciples to stay and watch with Him while they were in the garden. This tradition of mindful watching is a sort of pilgrimage to various altars of repose, in different churches that correspond to each of the seven places, or “stations,” that were made by Jesus between the Last Supper in the Upper Room to His crucifixion on the cross.

The Seven Stations of Jesus between the Last Supper and the Crucifixion:
 

1. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22: 39-46)
2. Jesus bound and taken before Annas (John 18: 19-22)
3. Jesus taken before the High Priest, Caiaphas (Matthew 26: 63-65)
4. Jesus taken before Pilate (John 18, 35-37)
5. Jesus taken before Herod (Luke 23: 8-9; 11)
6. Jesus taken before Pilate again (Matthew 27: 22-26)
7. Jesus given the crown of thorns and led to his crucifixion (Matthew 27: 27-31).