Holy Week and Easter Worship

Click here to download The Holy Week Schedule for 2010.

Sunday—March 28, 2010
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
8:00 am Holy Eucharist Rite I
10:30 am Holy Eucharist
Rite II with Music and the Choir
The Sunday of the Passion. Weather permitting, we begin outside the church in order that we remember the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. After processing into the church, we read the Passion Gospel according to Luke. The reading of the Passion will be done in parts. We share the Holy Eucharist on this day. No Sunday School, but each child will be presented with an Activity Book on their way into church. Childcare available in the nursery.

Wednesday—March 31, 2010
Tenebrae at 7:00 pm in the Church
We begin with 15 lit candles and slowly extinguish them as we read scripture, psalms and offer prayer in this very ancient form of worship. There is no communion at this liturgy.

The name Tenebrae (The Latin word for "darkness" or "shadows") has for centuries applied to the ancient monastic night and early morning services of the last three days of Holy Week. This service, from the Book of Occasional Services, is held on Wednesday evening only in order that the proper liturgies of Manudy Thursday and Good Friday may find their place as the principal services of those days.

Maundy Thursday, April 1, 2010
4:00pm Holy Week Faith & Fun with Fr. Bill
A special Holy Week session for our children. Through crafts and fun activities, they will remember the events of Holy Week.

7:00 pm Holy Eucharist
followed by the Stripping of the Altar
On Maundy Thursday we read the Johannine account of the Washing of the Feet by Jesus and also celebrate the Last Supper. The priests will wash the feet of persons who choose to come forward. Opportunity is also given for participants to wash the feet of those who come forward. This liturgy includes a public viewing of the work of the Altar Guild when they Strip the Altar after the consecrated Body and Blood of Christ is removed and placed on the Altar of Repose in the Chapel in Mathes Hall.

The Nightwatch
from 8:15 pm on Maundy Thursday
to 8:00 am on Good Friday in the Chapel in Mathes Hall
The Watch at the Altar of Repose is another opportunity for profound reflection on what it meant for the human Christ to be ready to encounter the pain of death. Jesus asked his disciples to stay awake with him yet they fell asleep to which Jesus said "could you not stay awake with me one hour?".A sign up sheet will be in the Narthex for you to choose the hour you wish to spend with Jesus during Thursday night into Friday morning.

Good Friday, April 2, 2010
Mass of the Pre-Sanctified on Good Friday
8:00 am in the Chapel in Mathes Hall
The Nightwatch ends with the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified as the Rector and those present consume the Holy Communion consecrated during the Maundy Thursday liturgy. The Good Friday liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer, featuring the Passion of Our Lord according to John, will be prayed. A powerful series of solemn collects is a major part of this time of prayer and reflection.

The Way of the Cross at 7:00 pm in the Church
The Way of the Cross, also known as the Stations of the Cross, is found in the Book of Occasional Services. We will stop at fourteen stations in the Church and recall Jesus' passion from the time he is condemned to death until he is laid in the tomb. There is no communion at this liturgy.

April 3, 2010
Holy Saturday
9:00 am Prayerbook liturgy in the Church
9:30 am - 11:00 am Confessions in the Church
Holy Saturday in the Chapel is a time of intentional mourning for the Christ who has died on the Cross. There is no communion at this liturgy. Father Bill will be available until 11:00 AM for those who seek the Reconciliation of a Penitent.

Easter Day - April 4, 2010
The Sunday of the Resurrection:
Sunrise Service at 6:15 am - Garden or Church
The Great Vigil of Easter - Holy Eucharist - Rite II
Experience the movement from darkness into light as the lighted cross on the church roof recedes as the dawn breaks over the stained glass window in the Payne Memorial Garden during this simple outdoor liturgy.

8:00 am Easter Morning Holy Eucharist Rite I with Music
10:30 am Easter Morning Holy Eucharist
Rite II with Music and the Choir
While Easter Day itself might seem the same, with our traditional 8:00 AM and 10:30 AM Holy Eucharists, it will be different. We bring a different experience of our faith into the enactment of the Paschal Mystery because of what God has done in our lives during the past year. Our lives have been enriched and challenged because we have invited each other to share in our spiritual journeys in Christ. Praise God for the opportunity to celebrate who we are and who we are becoming. No Sunday School, but children will be presented with Easter Activities as they enter church. Childcare available in the nursery.
Don't forget to bring bells to ring every time we proclaim!

11:45 am The Great Easter Egg Hunt
on the Parish Grounds