Our covered home crucifix.
Walking into our petite parish on Passion Sunday I did a subtle double take and felt a half smile come to my lips as I saw the purple cloth enshrouding our altar’s large crucifix and also over the statues of St. Joseph and Mother Mary. This annual “veiling,” as it is called, makes the space feel foreign, cold, and “off.” Yet, it’s also just right because it happens every year, perfectly on time, two weeks prior to Easter. While cheerful chocolate bunnies continue hopping down every grocery aisle, the Church, ever countercultural, goes into a slow, intense, mournful time. Its proper name is Passiontide.
It’s a special time with its own tradition of veiling, and it prompted me to veil in our hallowed home this year. But first, I wanted to learn more.
Altar with veiled crucifix and statues. (Credit: public domain)
What is Passiontide?
Passiontide is the traditional name for the final two weeks of Lent in the Roman Rite. It begins on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, known as Passion Sunday, and extends until the Easter Vigil. This sacred period is set apart for deep meditation on the Passion of Our Lord — His suffering, death, and burial.
During these weeks, the Church intensifies her penance. The “Gloria” is omitted during Mass (as it is for the whole of Lent), the liturgical tone grows more sorrowful, and the readings focus intently on Christ’s approaching sacrifice. As Dom Prosper Guéranger explains in The Liturgical Year, the Church wants her children to reach Easter “having prepared for it by compassionating with Him in the sufferings He endured in their stead.”
This division of Lent has ancient roots. Early Church Fathers, such as St. John Chrysostom, already called Holy Week the “Great Week.” By medieval times, this final fortnight had become a period of heightened mourning and solemnity. Passiontide sharpens the discipline of Lent, reminding us how sin separates us from God and how Christ veiled His divine glory in human weakness to redeem us.
St. John Chrysostom. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons.)
Why is the Crucifix Covered?
The veiling of sacred images during Passiontide traces back to medieval practices. Starting in the ninth century and through the 14th, altars and sometimes entire sanctuaries were veiled throughout the entirety of Lent to symbolize sorrow over sin and the exclusion of public penitents. The German Hungertuch or “hunger cloth” was a large veil extended before the altar at the start of Lent and often removed during the Passion reading on Holy Wednesday at the words “the veil of the temple was rent in two” (referencing Matthew 27:51).
A “hungertuch,” also called a “fastentuch” (meaning Lenten cloth) would cover the altar in ancient Germany. (Credit: public domain)
Over time, this practice narrowed to the final two weeks and was formalized in the 17th-century Caeremoniale Episcoporum (a book of Church rites). In churches, all crosses, statues, and images except Stations of the Cross and stained-glass windows are covered with plain, opaque purple or violet cloths from before First Vespers of Passion Sunday until after the “Gloria” at the Easter Vigil. Crucifixes are unveiled during the Good Friday Adoration of the Cross.
Caeremoniale Episcoporum. (Credit: free download from archive.org)
Symbology of Passiontide Veiling Traditions
Clearly, veiling is full of meaning:
- Time of Year (Passiontide)—The timing symbolizes the Church’s final, intensified preparation for Christ’s Passion. It marks the shift from general Lenten penance to a concentrated focus on His suffering and death, creating a deliberate period of spiritual mourning and longing before the joy of the Resurrection.
- The Color (Purple)—The plain purple or violet cloths symbolize penance, mourning, and royal dignity. Purple stands for the sorrow of the Church and the faithful as they accompany Christ to Calvary. At the same time, it signifies Christ the King in His humiliation — royalty hidden beneath suffering — reminding us that the Savior willingly embraced weakness and death for our redemption.
- The Veiling Itself—The act of covering the statues and crucifixes symbolizes Christ’s hidden divinity. It directly recalls the Gospel of Passion Sunday (John 8:59), when Jesus “hid Himself” from those who sought to stone Him. By veiling sacred images, the Church expresses how Christ concealed His divine glory during the Passion so He could freely suffer as a man. It also represents the “fast of the eyes,” the separation caused by sin, and the deep longing for the unveiled glory of the Resurrection.
Modern church with both a “hungertuch” and violet-veiled altar crucifix. (Credit: public domain)
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder at Home, Too
The current Roman Missal notes that veiling in churches while optional is encouraged, and full veiling is a standard liturgical practice in many traditional parishes. Yet, bringing veiling into the home is far less common.
In those pious homes where the custom has been preserved, its manifestation varies. Some families might veil only the main family crucifix while others cover every statue and icon. Regardless, as holy images “disappear” under purple, it can be especially moving for children, prompting opportunities for discussions of Jesus’ sacrifice. You and every member of your family or household can share increased anticipation of Christ’s coming simply by making absent the images that remind us of Him each day.
Thus, veiling remains a beautiful practice waiting to be rediscovered and cherished in your hallowed home.
How to Veil Your Hallowed Home
The heart of this custom is joining the Church in mourning and preparing for Easter. Here’s our humble guide to get started:
- Be Choosy—Start with the most meaningful: your living room crucifix, a statue of Our Lady, patron saints, or icons in your prayer corner or home altar. Even veiling just one or two prominent items creates a noticeable shift—no need to veil everything.
- Find Your Fabric—Use plain purple or violet fabric; keep it opaque, unadorned, and lightweight. Whatever you have on hand can suffice—scarves, tea towels, cloth napkins, a cut up older sweater or blanket. Of course, not everyone has purple items lying about. You might do what I did and hit a craft store. I decided to make some veils with material on sale from Hobby Lobby and add elastic so they would stay in place. (It gave me an excuse to use my nana’s vintage sewing machine.) Whatever you use, drape or pin your veils securely so they stay in place.
- Time It Right—Veil on the Saturday evening before Passion Sunday or before Sunday Mass. (But any time you can do it during Passiontide is fine; your intention is the point.) Leave everything covered and then unveil as follows:
- Crucifixes: Unveil after Good Friday (perhaps quietly at home on Holy Saturday evening, or after attending the liturgy).
- Other images: Unveil before or during the Easter Vigil or first thing Easter morning.
No special ceremony is needed—just a short prayer as you veil and unveil. In our home, we are veiling our living room crucifix, entryway Divine Mercy image and dining table St. Joseph statue. That’s it.
St. Joseph under wraps with veiled crucifix in background. (Sharp-eyed readers will notice the tablecloth is the same one from our St. Joseph Altar.)
Veiling is an easy age-old ritual to take you a little deeper into Lent. Why not try it this year in your hallowed home? Each time you enter and see a violet veil you’ll take a second look as I did at my church. You will recall that though Easter will be here in a short time, the road to the Resurrection was long and filled with longing, heartbreak, sorrow, and suffering. All for you and me.
Jesus carries His cross. (Credit: public domain)
Jesus,
whose power was hidden
in Your passion,
have mercy on us!
Come, Lord Jesus!