Dear Friends, the Beloved of Christ,
The Christian Church has recognized Holy Week for two millennia; in early times faithful Christians observed the week before Easter as a time of special devotion. From this beginning evolved the rites we observe today on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. These services provide a liturgical experience of the last days of Jesus’ earthly life, as well as the time and events leading up to his resurrection.
At St Francis’ Episcopal Church, we continue the traditions. This year, Holy Week occurs in our second year of living virtually. Being virtual will not keep us from remembering Jesus the Christ’s last week, from his arrival in Jerusalem to the Last Supper, The Passion and His Resurrection. Note that the following descriptions are from ‘An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church’.
Palm Sunday, 28 March
The Sunday before Easter remembers Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and is the beginning of Holy Week (Mark 11:1-11). It remembers particularly the laying of palm fronds on Jesus’ path to ease his passage. The liturgy of the day traditionally includes the hymn ‘All glory, laud and honor’, and the blessing and distribution of palms. The procession of palms and hymns was witnessed by the pilgrim Egeria around 381 AD in her pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This Sunday is often known as Passion Sunday, as Jesus’ Trial and Passion on the cross (Mark 15:1-47) are recalled on the same day.
Tenebrae, Wednesday 31 March
Wednesday of Holy Week. Tenebrae, is a form of monastic office adapted for congregational use during Holy Week. The office is structured around psalms, readings, and responsories, often in the form of lamentations. The distinctive ceremonial of Tenebrae includes use of fifteen lighted candles, often set on a special, triangular stand. The fifteenth candle, symbolic of Christ, is left lit at the end of the final psalm.
Holy Thursday/Maundy Thursday, 1 April
The Thursday in Holy Week. It comes from the Latin mandatum novum, “new commandment,” from John 13:34. The ceremony of washing feet was also referred to as “the Maundy.” Maundy Thursday celebrations also commemorate the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus “on the night he was betrayed.” Egeria, a fourth-century pilgrim to Jerusalem, describes elaborate celebrations and observances in that city on Maundy Thursday. Contemporary traditions on this day include ritual foot washing and the agape feast. Following the service, the altar is stripped and all decorative furnishings are removed from the church. Maundy Thursday is part of the Triduum, or three holy days before Easter. The three holy days of the Triduum are considered one service concluding on the Easter Vigil. Note that there is not a dismissal during the Triduum.
Good Friday, 2 April
The Friday before Easter Day, on which the church commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a day of fasting and special acts of discipline and self-denial. In the early church, candidates for baptism, joined by others, fasted for a day or two before the Paschal feast. The liturgy of the day includes John’s account of the Passion gospel, a solemn form of intercession known as the solemn collects (dating from ancient Rome), and optional devotions before the cross (commonly known as the veneration of the cross).
Holy Saturday, 3 April
The Saturday after Good Friday, which recalls the day when the crucified Christ visited among the dead while his body lay in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. In the Episcopal Church, there is no eucharist on Holy Saturday. In the ancient church, those preparing for baptism and perhaps others continued the fast they began on Good Friday. Holy Saturday ends at sunset.
Reconciliation: ‘All May, None Must, Some Should’
At St Francis’, we offer the rite of Reconciliation of a Penitent (Confession) on Holy Saturday. Confession is the acknowledgement of a sin (Psalm 51: “Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight”). Confessions of sin during the liturgy are general, made by all the people. However, the Church also provides for confessions of sin by individual penitents, and for their absolution, pronounced by a bishop or priest. The rite of Reconciliation (Confession) is a chance of a personal reset, heard by the priest under the seal of confession (the only time a conversation is in absolute secrecy), an opportunity to speak fully and honestly with God that which burdens the heart.
Easter Vigil, 3 April
The liturgy intended as the first celebration of Easter and also known as the Great Vigil. The service begins at sunset on Holy Saturday and consists of four parts: The Service of Light (kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal candle, the Exsultet); The Service of Lessons (readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers); Christian Initiation (Holy Baptism) or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows; and the Eucharist.
Easter Day, 4 April
Easter is the annual feast of Christ’s resurrection. It is the pascha or Christian Passover, and the eighth day of cosmic creation. Faith in Jesus’ resurrection on the Sunday or third day following his crucifixion is at the heart of Christian belief. The events that began on Palm Sunday and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem conclude with His resurrection on the third day. It is the day to hear the stories of the resurrection, the empty tomb, the rolling back the stone, and the presence of the Risen Jesus to Mary Magdalene and the disciples in the Upper Room.
Easter is the first Sunday of the Easter season, which is also known as the Great Fifty Days, which ends on Pentecost, or Whitsunday.
