Roman Catholics observe today, March 26, the first Friday of Passiontide, which is traditionally observed on the Friday before the observance of Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion on March 28, the first day of the Holy Week.

The observance of Passion Time or Passion Week started last Sunday, March 21, on the fifth and final Sunday of the Lenten season, and will last until evening of Black Saturday, before the start of the Easter Vigil.
With the cancellation of public masses in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) continues to remind the faithful that holy masses and the activities for the Holy Week may be viewed online and on television. Prayers requests may also be made online.
Known as Passion Friday, this day is considered as a deeper and more solemn time of the Lenten season as the Holy Week nears. Readings and prayers of the liturgy will focus on the Passion of Christ and the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Mother.
Traditional devotions include praying the Way of the Cross (Via Crucis), the Holy Rosary, meditating on the five Sorrowful Mysteries, and reciting the five prayers in honor of Christ’s five wounds.
Devotees of the Blessed Mother traditionally offer novena prayers and special devotions before the image of Our Lady of Sorrows. Many will undertake a bread and water fast or abstain from meat as part of their Lenten sacrifice.
The Church continues to encourage the faithful to donate whatever amount was saved from fasting to their local parishes to support Lenten programs for the poor like the Church’s Fast2Feed program and to support initiatives to help families who are most affected by the pandemic.