Holy Week

[Bluegoat]

What do people do for Holy Week? i am home sick, so I may not be doing much.

[spero]

Mass tomorrow night with foot washing, Service on Good Friday (no Masses allowed on GF) with Veneration of the Cross, and we're attending the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday night.

[NicaG]

I'm taking the kids to stations of the cross, special service for children and families on Good Friday. I may try to go back for the adult service later, but it's at the kids' bedtime. No hope for Tenebrae or Maundy Thursday services this year. Maybe when the kids are older. I miss my old church in NYC (and the expanses of time I had before I had kids). They do a very powerful three-hour service for Good Friday with confession afterwards. When I used to go to that service, it was like time ceased to exist, like entering some eternal time of Holy Week.

[Bluegoat]

The church I've been at the last year is strange, they have their Vigil at 7. I find it add, because it isn't Easter.

[spero]

Originally Posted by Bluegoat

The church I've been at the last year is strange, they have their Vigil at 7. I find it add, because it isn't Easter.

It's not dark by 7PM in NS?

ETA - nm, I see that the sun will set at 7:49 PM today in NS.

I'd speak to the priest ... RC churches are not supposed to begin the Easter Vigil until sundown!

[lilyka]

Our holy week isn't until next week but . . .
Saturday: Orthos and Liturgy in the morning, vespers in the evening
Sunday: Palm SundayOrthos and Liturgy in the morning, Lunch, Orthos of the Bridegroom at night
Monday: Bridegroom Orthos at night (Orthos is a prayer and reading service)
Tuesday: Bridegroom Orthos at night
Wednesday: Sacrement of Holy Unction (for healing)
Thursday: morning Vesperal Divine Liturgy evening service of the 12 passion gospels
Friday: morning - Royal Hours followed by decorating the Epitaphios (great fun) and lunch for those decorating. afternoon, the service of the "taking down from the cross" and evening laminations at the Epitaphios (tomb).
Saturday: morning vesperal Liturgy, 11:30 PM the Ressurection Sevice starts woot woot
Sunday morning: Agape vespers



and it is not dark here at 7:00 PM bvut even if it were it just wouldn't be the same as a midnight service with that anticipation of the first moment of the new day,

[Tradd]

Originally Posted by lilyka

Our holy week isn't until next week but . . .
Saturday: Orthos and Liturgy in the morning, vespers in the evening
Sunday: Palm SundayOrthos and Liturgy in the morning, Lunch, Orthos of the Bridegroom at night
Monday: Bridegroom Orthos at night (Orthos is a prayer and reading service)
Tuesday: Bridegroom Orthos at night
Wednesday: Sacrement of Holy Unction (for healing)
Thursday: morning Vesperal Divine Liturgy evening service of the 12 passion gospels
Friday: morning - Royal Hours followed by decorating the Epitaphios (great fun) and lunch for those decorating. afternoon, the service of the "taking down from the cross" and evening laminations at the Epitaphios (tomb).
Saturday: morning vesperal Liturgy, 11:30 PM the Ressurection Sevice starts woot woot
Sunday morning: Agape vespers



and it is not dark here at 7:00 PM bvut even if it were it just wouldn't be the same as a midnight service with that anticipation of the first moment of the new day,

I'm Orthodox, as Lilyka is. I'm a member of my parish's choir, so Holy Week/Pascha is even more demanding.

Friday, 7 pm, Great Vespers, eve of Lazarus Saturday
Saturday, 9 am, Lazarus Saturday Divine Liturgy
Saturday, 5 pm, Great Vespers for Palm Sunday
Sunday, 10 am, Divine Liturgy for Palm Sunday
Sunday, 3 pm, choir rehearsal at cathedral for first Bridegroom Matins (held at our cathedral)
Sunday, 6 pm, Bridegroom Matins at cathedral with Archbishop Job- I'll sing if my voice holds out
Monday AND Tuesday, 7 pm, Bridegroom Matins
Wednesday, 7 pm, Matins for Holy Thursday
Thursday, 7 am, Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great for Holy Thursday
Thursday, 7 pm, Matins for Great & Holy Friday - aka the 12 Gospels Service (3 hours)
Friday, 9 am, Great & Holy Friday Royal Hours (1:45)
Friday, 3 pm, Vespers for Great & Holy Friday (aka the Burial Service)
Friday, 7 pm, Matins for Holy Saturday (procession). There is a vigil (reading of the Psalms and the Acts of the Apostles) at the tomb all night Friday from the end of the 3 pm service, through the Saturday morning Divine Liturgy.
Saturday, 10:30 am, Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great for Holy Saturday
Saturday, 11:30 pm, Noctures (Midnight Office), Procession, Paschal Matins & Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (3 hours). We're done at 2:30 am, followed by Pascha basket blessing, and a huge party, complete with Russian vodka (I'm in a parish of Russian heritage)
Pascha Sunday, noon, Agape Vespers, followed by an all-parish party at the home of my choir directors
Bright Monday, 9:30 am, Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral with Archbishop Job, followed by a very nice meal (Pascha leftovers)
Bright Wednesday, 7 am, Divine Liturgy at my parish

Yes, that is an enormous amount of church. And I go to every.single.service. And SING at each one! And also "chant" - we don't do readings, prayers, etc., in a regular conversational voice, they're "read" in a sort of monotone (not quite singing) with "flourishes" at the end of a phrase or reading. I don't have much of a voice left after Holy Week/Pascha. I love church and Holy Week/Pascha in the Orthodox Church is unlike what you'll see elsewhere. And I truly mean that. We progress with Christ day by day to the Cross.

Our Great Lent actually ends on Friday. Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday constitute the "Feast of Palms" - a short, joyful two days between the contrition of Great Lent and Holy Week.

It's a marathon. I take Thursday, Friday, Monday off from work, and will go in late on Bright Wednesday (we call the week of Pascha, Bright Week).

ETA: Vespers (evening prayer) & Matins (morning prayer) are reversed during Holy Week. We do Matins in the evening, and Vespers in the morning. Been like this for centuries.

[Bluegoat]

Originally Posted by spero

It's not dark by 7PM in NS?

ETA - nm, I see that the sun will set at 7:49 PM today in NS.

I'd speak to the priest ... RC churches are not supposed to begin the Easter Vigil until sundown!

Before I was at this church, I was in a small rural parish with only a part time priest, so we didn't have a Vigil at all. But at the church before that, we always started at 11pm, so we could celebrate the first Mass of Easter at the end, it was quite a long service. Then we went to the Resurrection party, which wrapped up about 6am, just in time to clean up for breakfast and get changed for Easter Morning mass.

Here we are having Tenebrae tonight, with some rather bad modern songs. Personally, I like plainchant for Tenebrae, but maybe it is hard? I am not very musically talented so I don't know. We have Maundy Thursday service with the stripping of the Altar, but they don't stay up and pray all night at this church. Friday they are having a children's service, a Cross Walk, and then the main Good Friday service. I'm not sure if they have reserved sacrament or are doing ante-communion.

Then the Vigil Saturday and regular service on Sunday.

Tradd, when I was younger I used to sub-deacon and I had to learn to sing the Epistle. It was one of the more nerve-wracking experiences I have had, but I love it when everything is sung, it's so beautiful.

[NicaG]

Do you bring your kids to Vigil? Our parish specifically asks us not to

[xekomaya]

Originally Posted by NicaG

Do you bring your kids to Vigil? Our parish specifically asks us not to

What? I've never heard of that. I always used to go to Vigil as a kid. I couldn't imagine basically saying no families, since I can't imagine going without. Is that an RC Church?

[NicaG]

Originally Posted by xekomaya

What? I've never heard of that. I always used to go to Vigil as a kid. I couldn't imagine basically saying no families, since I can't imagine going without. Is that an RC Church?

It's an Episcopal church. It's odd, beacause I know the're baptizing babies at Easter Vigil. I love that service, but I think we're going to skip it if we can't go as a family.

[mamabadger]

We have roughly the same "marathon" as Ilyka and Tradd. After the midnight Paschal service, we go home and break the fast. Then collapse from exhaustion.

[spero]

Originally Posted by NicaG

Do you bring your kids to Vigil? Our parish specifically asks us not to

That's horribly unaccomodating. Let me guess ... somebody complained about fussy kids getting antsy during such a long service?

[EnviroBecca]

Palm Sunday with procession and Passion Play with 4 readers. (The congregation did not portray the mob this year. I kind of miss that part. I don't LIKE yelling, "Crucify him!" but it forces me to relate to the fear and peer pressure that condemned our Lord.)

Maundy Thursday meal and footwashing. It's going to be done differently this year, all in the parish hall, and I'm wondering what that's going to be like. (I've always liked the way we did Maundy Thursday, so I'm struggling to squelch my fear that anything different will be not as good!)

I was planning to do the Watch at the Altar of Repose tomorrow night; I've never done it before and feel that it could be a very powerful experience. But I had a cold this past weekend that I was afraid was going to turn into a sinus infection, so I didn't want to over-commit to things.... I need to decide about that tonight.

Good Friday seder at Jewish great-grandpa's house. It sounds so weird, but I love the way the seder ties in both with the Last Supper (Jesus was celebrating Passover with the disciples) and the Easter Vigil (story of the Exodus and theme of God saving the faithful).

Saturday, come home from great-grandpa's and attend Easter Vigil at 8pm. Yes, it is a long service, but EnviroKid is looking forward to the outdoor fire, big candle, and ringing bells. I am in charge of coordinating the reception afterward, so we'll be there late.

After getting kid to bed, set up all his toy rabbits on living room floor, spell out an Easter message with blocks, and set out his Easter gifts (gardening gloves and Thomas the Tank Engine Bandaids because that's what I happened to see on the rare occasion when I got to go shopping without him!). He loves discovering block messages and mysterious animal activity!

Sunday, my main priority is letting EnviroKid enjoy the egg hunts--we're invited to one at a friend's house before church, and then there's one at church. We'll catch as much of the service as is convenient, but the Vigil service is the one that's more important to me.

[xekomaya]

Oh I forgot to post our Holy Week plans..

Holy Thursday - 7pm Mass of the Lord's Supper
Good Friday - 3pm - Liturgy of the Passion - Trying to decide between my Church or going next door to the Latin service at the same time.

Anyone know what you do with babies during Communion at the rail? Hold them? Just don't receive Communion?

Holy Saturday - Blessing of the Easter food!!! This is my first year as a member of a Polish parish that does this. I'm very excited :-D

We have a 7pm Vigil also which is a little early but I'm glad to be able to put ds to bed at a reasonable time.
Easter - 10am Tridentine Mass.

Then I'm going to see my family - DH may or may not come with us, possibly go for dinner with his parents separately. They do secular Easter which just doesn't sit right for me so we're not going.

[spero]

Originally Posted by xekomaya

We have a 7pm Vigil also which is a little early but I'm glad to be able to put ds to bed at a reasonable time.

Too early, actually! The sun won't set until 7:33 PM on the East coast that night.

Reading this thread makes me wonder just how many churches are ignoring this mandate?

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by NicaG

Do you bring your kids to Vigil? Our parish specifically asks us not to

that's crap!! Ours is full of kids! they even gave out Easter baskets to all the kids at the end.

[lilyka]

Originally Posted by mamabadger

We have roughly the same "marathon" as Ilyka and Tradd. After the midnight Paschal service, we go home and break the fast. Then collapse from exhaustion.

we don't even wait to go home. we just head to basement the party on for another hour or two.

"what?! he don't eat no meat?! its ok . . I make lamb"

my kids actually forced me to go to Agape vespers the next morning. I'm thinking seriously? how are you even breathing?

[cappuccinosmom]

We only have two things, really. Our church does an Easter cantata on Friday-Saturday nights. Then church service on Easter morning. I actually with there were more. I would love to find a sunrise service around here, if dh were willing to go.

[Tradd]

Originally Posted by lilyka

we don't even wait to go home. we just head to basement the party on for another hour or two.

"what?! he don't eat no meat?! its ok . . I make lamb"

my kids actually forced me to go to Agape vespers the next morning. I'm thinking seriously? how are you even breathing?

Yeah, our Pascha baskets are left on the tables in the parish hall, our priest blesses them, and then we chow down. YUM!