Preparing the Triduum
Jul 11, 2026
Preparing the Triduum
This week we enter the holiest days of the year. The Triduum is not three separate events but one continuous liturgy — from the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday through the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. For our children, these days are the most powerful classroom we will ever have. Let them be present for all of it. Let them watch the altar be stripped bare. Let them venerate the cross. Let them sit in the darkness of Holy Saturday and feel the absence before the light returns. No textbook can do what these three days do. Slow down, set the schoolwork aside, and live the liturgy together. If you haven't already, download our Holy Week guide for Tenebrae services, living Stations of the Cross, relic venerations, and more across the Archdiocese.
"We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world."
CHECH Science Labs @ HMNS — Registration Now Open
The hands-on science and history lab program at the Houston Museum of Natural Science is now part of CHECH for 2026–2027. Students in K–12th grade attend once a month on Thursdays or Fridays, divided by age group. This beloved program has served Catholic homeschool families for over 20 years, and we're proud to bring it under the CHECH umbrella. Registration is open now for CHECH members. Log in to Member Programs to register.
Not yet a member? Join CHECH to get access to excursions, lectures, resources, and community.
Nature Spotlight
What's Blooming Along Your Road?
April in Texas means wildflowers. Bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, evening primrose — they're appearing along highways, in meadows, and maybe your front yard. Take a walk this week and see how many your family can find. Bring a sketchbook or phone camera and start a wildflower journal. For help identifying what you find, check out the Texas State Parks wildflower guide or the free iNaturalist app.
Inspired by what you find? Consider planting a Mary Garden this spring — a small garden created to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and inspire your family to prayer. It can be as simple as a statue of Mary surrounded by a few flowers on your patio. A beautiful way to bring the wildflowers home.
Upcoming in Houston
HTX Bookcrawl — Houston Indie Bookstore Crawl | April 1–30 | Visit 31 independent bookstores across Houston | Pick up a bingo card at any participating store | No purchase necessary to get stamped | Hit 15 stores to enter a prize raffle | A great family adventure for book-loving homeschoolers
Holy House Academy Presents The Taming of the Shrew | April 9–12 | Thu–Sat 7:00 p.m., Sun 3:00 p.m. | Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham | $14/ticket | Homeschool student theater
Transforming the Heart Through Sacred Art — Catholic Literary Arts at UST | Friday, April 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Jones Hall, University of St. Thomas | Oil painter Dan DeLouise on conversion and the revival of sacred art | Wine reception | Free
Nature's Neighborhood — HMNS Sugar Land | Saturdays, April 11 & 25 | 10:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. | Learn how gardens and green spaces become habitats for pollinators | Discover native plants that thrive in our region | Make seed balls to take home
Regina Caeli Family Barn Dance | Saturday, April 18 | 6:00–9:00 p.m. | St. Anthony the Great Church, Spring | Dancing, food, silent auction, photo booth | All families welcome
St. Nicholas League | Weekly printable stories and illustrations from the original 1870s–1940s children's magazine | Pen-pal matchmaking | Free through April, then $5/month | Run by a Catholic homeschool student
Young Ingenuity Program — Galveston Railroad Museum | Mentor-driven hands-on program in mechanics, electrical projects, and technology | Student projects exhibited at the museum | Galveston
Looking for more? Visit our Community Calendar for upcoming events across the Houston Catholic homeschool community.
Spring is the perfect time to plant a Mary Garden with your family. Morning Star Seed Company preserves the Church's floral traditions with hand-painted seed packets rooted in the monastic Mary Gardens of the Middle Ages. Their Mary Garden Bundles make it easy to get started — connect your Catholic faith to the soil, live the liturgical year through flowers, and create a living classroom at home. CHECH members receive 10% off through May 31 — find the code on the Member Discounts page.
