Holy Week 2010

Holy Week begins!

This year our Holy Week celebrations begin with Palm Sunday on March 28. At the 7:30 and 11:00 AM services, we begin the Liturgy of the Palms at the back of the Nave and then process into the church. At the 9:00 AM service, we will gather in the courtyard for the Liturgy of the Palms then we will process to the Nave to complete the Liturgy.

On Monday and Tuesday (March 28-29), we will have Evening Prayer at 6:30 PM in the Chapel. Fr. Eric and I will lead these services.

On Wednesday, March 31 at 6:30 PM we will celebrate a service of Holy Communion with Heal¬ing in the Chapel. This service allows those attending the opportunity to pray for healing for themselves or others. Prayer can be for physical, mental or spiritual healing.

Immediately following that service Fr. Eric and I will lead a class on the remainder of Holy Week and the Triduum, the continuous Liturgy that commences on Maundy Thursday. The significance of every service will be explained. The parish youth will have also set up Stations of the Cross in the Education Wing and Parish Hall that can be walked through over the next four days.

On April 1 at 7:00 PM we will celebrate Maundy Thursday. This is a solemn and beautiful re¬membrance of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and the Last Supper. The service is a Holy Communion that concludes with the Stripping of the Altar and the setting aside of an Altar of Repose in the Chapel. The Altar of Repose represents Jesus at Gethsemane where he said to his disciples, “Could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40.) It is traditional for parish members to take one-hour vigil watches with the reserved Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood until the Stations of the Cross at noonday on Friday. A sign-up sheet will be available in the office and in the Narthex to volunteer for this.

Good Friday is April 2 and has two distinct services. First at 12:00 noon there will be a Special Liturgy of the Stations of the Cross led by Fr. Eric. We will meet in the Courtyard outside the Nave and process around our entire church grounds. Immediately following the Stations there will be a time of meditation on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Dr. Richard Benedum will do a brief recital of sacred and solemn music during this time. At 7:00 PM we will have our Good Friday Liturgy, a somber and penitent Liturgy of the Word with the Passion Narrative. We do not have Holy Communion on Good Friday since we are recalling the death and absence of Christ in the world during this time.

Holy Saturday is April 3. It is customary for the parish priest to be available on that morning to hear the Confessions of Penitents. Fr. Eric and I will be available to hear confessions in the Chapel from 9:00 AM until noon. At 12:00 noon, we will have a brief Liturgy of the Word in the Chapel.

On Saturday evening at 8:00 PM we will begin our Easter Vigil. This is the first Communion of Easter. The Vigil itself is a rehearsal of salvation history and ends with the lively celebration of the Res¬urrection of Jesus Christ. This is my favorite service of the entire church year. I encourage you to participate in this ancient custom of the Church.

Easter Sunday morning (April 4), we will have music at all services. Easter Day is a wonderful time of reunion, as many who may not have attended church recently will be present for this service. Let's welcome these visitors graciously in the risen Christ’s Name.