During Holy Week, we will celebrate the mystery of Jesus’ resurrection as we observe the most ancient liturgies of the Church.
The three day long observance of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday are actually one long liturgy. We will gather with confession on Maundy Thursday, continue with the Church’s most solemn observance of Good Friday and conclude with the benediction on Holy Saturday. This extended observance of Jesus’ time in Jerusalem is known as the Triduum (literally “three days”).
The ancient church referred to the Triduum as “the three most important days in history”.
Come! Join Jesus on his way of the cross. Journey with Jesus from death to life. Experience the paschal mystery which animates the cosmos.
Maundy Thursday
7.00pm Hand Washing & Eucharist
When the sun sets on Maundy Thursday the forty day season of Lent officially ends. On this night the Church gathers around Jesus’ commandment to love and serve one another. In fact, the word “maundy” is a French derivation of the Latin noun “mandatum” (literally “commandment”).
The Triduum liturgy will begin with confession, and since this night’s observance marks the end of Lent, we will hear words of forgiveness for the first time in forty days and forty nights.
Our Lord commandment us to love and serve one another and he demonstrated this by washing the feet of the disciples. We will observe Maundy Thursday with the washing of the hands at the Baptismal font.
We will then celebrate our Lord’s Supper as we remember when Jesus instituted this meal by celebrating the Passover meal with his disciples on the Thursday night before his crucifixion.
Before departing we will strip the nave and sanctuary of all decoration in anticipation of gathering again to continue this liturgy on Good Friday.
Good Friday
12.00pm & 7.00pm Tenebrae
The Tenebrae, or “shadows”, liturgy originated in medieval monasteries as a way of observing the most somber of the Church’s solemnities in the absence of a priest. It is a continuous reading of Jesus’ passion with the sequential extinguishing of candles. After we hear of Jesus’ death, the Paschal (or Christ) candle is removed from the nave. The gathered faithful sit in silence and darkness until the candle is returned to the baptismal font with the prophet Isaiah’s hopeful words that predict the Messiah to be a suffering servant.
Holy Saturday
7.00pm Kindling of the New Fire & Easter Vigil
Holy Saturday conclude the three day long liturgy of the Triduum. It will begin with the kindling of a fire using flint and steel. The Paschal candle will be lit with the flames of this new fire as it is blessed for the coming year.
The congregation will then process into the nave, at each of the three stations we will sing: The light of Christ! In this way we remember the light of the resurrection that shone through the darkness of the crucifixion.
We will continue with the Easter Proclamation and remember God’s work in history as we hear a series of seven scripture readings.
Following the history of salvation, the nave will explode with singing and as we sing a triumphal Easter hymn and re-vest the altar for the next day’s celebration of Easter. Just as we stripped the altar at the beginning of the Triduum, we will redecorate the nave at the conclusion of these holy three days.
We will continue with a brief celebration of a muted pre-Easter Eucharist following the re-vesting of the altar. Then, for the first time in three days, we will hear the benediction indicating that the liturgy is complete.
Resurrection of Our Lord
7.00am Festival Eucharist
8.15am Easter Egg Hunt
9.00am Festival Eucharist