Holy Week and Easter 2023

Palm Sunday, April 2

8am Spoken Eucharist (in person); 10am with Choir (in person and livestreamed here)

Palm Sunday recalls Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem when the crowds stripped palms from the trees to pave his way, in the fulfillment of a messianic expectation that Jesus would free Israel from earthly oppression.

Our celebration includes the blessing of palms and the dramatic reading of the Passion according to Matthew.

Tuesday,

April 4

8am Open Chapel

9am Morning Prayer

In-person and Zoom – click here

5:30pm Choral Evensong with livestream click here.

Wednesday,

April 5

7am Holy Eucharist (in-person only)

9am Morning Prayer

In-person and Zoom – click here

The Triduum or Great Three Days 

Maundy Thursday, April 6

8am Open Chapel

9am Morning Prayer, In-person and via Zoom – click here

7pm, Commemoration of the Last Supper (in person and livestreamed here) with the St. Martin’s Chapel Consort.

At his final Passover Meal with his disciples, Jesus gave them the commandment “Love one another.” To demonstrate the meaning of this commandment (Latin mandatum – maundy in Middle English) he washed his disciples’ feet.

This service concludes with the ritual stripping of the altars in preparation for the starkness of Good Friday.

The Gethsemane Watch bridges the liturgies of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. We observe the watch from 8:30pm until 11:30pm in person, recommencing on Good Friday in person 6am to 9am. The Watch commemorates Jesus lonely night in the garden during which he asked his disciples, “Could you not watch one hour with me?” We undertake to watch an hour with Jesus. To keep the one hour of the Watch via the Gethsemane Watch, you can live stream –  click here

Good Friday, April 7

6 – 9am Gethsemane Watch continues

9am Morning Prayer, in-person and Zoom concludes the Gethsemane Watch.

11:30am – 1pm Independent Walking the Way of the Cross (Stations of the Cross), a self-guided audio with your personal phone and ear buds.

7pm The Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday in-person and livestreamed here. 

 This is one of the ancient services dating from the 4th-century comprising beautiful vocal music supported by guest strings and oboe quartet. A choral setting of the Passion according to St. John’s Gospel leads the congregation into the Veneration of the Cross. The Solemn Collects for Good Friday then follow and the Liturgy concludes with the distribution of the consecrated bread and wine reserved from Maundy Thursday evening.

Holy Saturday, April 8

7pm

In-person only

Blessing of the New Fire and the Paschal Candle, the telling of our ancient story of salvation, and the renewal of baptismal promises in the Great Hall.

We have adapted the traditional Easter Vigil service to emphasis the telling and remembering of the ancient story of salvation. Hearing this story against the background of the new fire of Easter is reminiscent of a more intimate campfire experience where familiar stories are told to celebrate shared memory and affirm identity among those gathered round the fire.

The renewal of baptismal promises concludes the telling of our ancient story of salvation.

Our adaptation of the traditional Easter Vigil means that instead of immediately celebrating the 1st Eucharist of Easter – having rehearsed our salvation story and renewed our baptismal promises – we wait until finally concluding with the 1st Eucharist of Easter at 8am on Easter morn.

Easter Day, April 9

Solemn Celebration of the Resurrection

8am (in-person) and

10am in person and livestreamed here

featuring guest instrumentalists,

Cheryl Bishkoff, oboe

Matthew Vezey, trombone

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