May the Blessed Sacrament Be Exposed on Good Friday?

No. Solemn exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, which entails exposition of the Holy Eucharist, may not take place after midnight on Holy Thursday. Following the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, there is a Eucharistic procession to the place of repose, such as the parish hall. The Roman Missal provides that “the faithful are invited to continue adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for a suitable length of time during the night, according to local circumstances, but after midnight the adoration should take place without solemnity” (The Roman Missal, “Thursday of the Lord’s Supper,” no. 43, emphasis added).

This means that the Blessed Sacrament is then reposed in a safe place outside of the parish church, typically the parish rectory (where the parish priest resides).

Because our attention is focused first on Our Lord’s passion and death on Good Friday, no solemn adoration takes place that day, nor on Holy Saturday until after the Easter Vigil. Some parishes choose to resume perpetual adoration on Easter morning, instead of right after the Easter Vigil, but there is no specific Church legislation on that matter.