Be a part of Holy Week at St. Laurence
HOLY WEEK
What a week! Begun in triumph as Jesus enters Jerusalem. Continued in gathering sadness, pain, and horror as Jesus moves into death. Fulfilled in glorious victory as He rises from the grave. And all of this for us! May we walk it well, to the honor and glory of Him who walked it well for us.
Palm Sunday
April 13 at 8:30 and 10:45am
The Mass begins remembering Jesus’ “triumphant” entry into Jerusalem with the Liturgy of the Palms. This mini-liturgy will begin on our back lawn. There, the palms will be blessed and distributed to the congregation. We will then sing the traditional hymn, All Glory, Laud, and Honor and go all together in procession into the Church just as the people would have done that day in Jerusalem.
Maundy Thursday
April 17 at 7:00pm
This is the night Jesus gathered with His disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem for one last supper.
This is the night Jesus took a towel and washed His disciples’ feet, manifesting the life of service to which He calls His followers.
This is the night Jesus instituted the Eucharist. On this night Jesus intended for every generation of His followers, through this meal, to enter into the sacrifice He was about to make and be nourished by Him on our journey to heaven.
All these elements of the first Maundy Thursday are part of the liturgy of every Maundy Thursday. It is one of the most beautiful and deeply moving of the Church’s liturgies. During the service, our priests will wash the feet of those parishioners who wish to participate.
Good Friday
April 18 at 7:00pm
On this day, Jesus was murdered, for us and for our salvation. Good Friday is a day of fasting. The faithful are asked to fast as a way of sharing with Jesus in His suffering.
The Good Friday Liturgy is austere and stark:
Its Gospel is St. John’s account of Our Lord’s Passion. It is sung in three parts to the solemn Holy Week tone.
Prayer is offered for the Church, the world, and especially those in need, so that as we proceed to gaze upon the instrument of our redemption: the Cross, we will carry to it the needs of people everywhere.
A large wooden cross is brought into the Church as the priest proclaims, “Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the Savior of the world” and the people respond, “Come let us worship.” The cross is placed before the people and ancient anthems in praise of the Holy Cross are offered as the faithful look upon it and venerate our crucified Lord.
Communion is given from the Sacrament reserved from Maundy Thursday, as no Mass may be celebrated this day. The abrupt ending to the Liturgy leaves us with one clear focus – the saving grace of the cross.
The Great Vigil of Easter
April 19 at 8:00pm
The Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday night is the most important of all Christian feasts and liturgies. It is the Church’s most ancient way of celebrating our Lord’s resurrection and is celebrated during the night which begins Easter Day.
On this most holy night our Lord Jesus Christ passed over from death to life. Thus the Church calls her children throughout the world to come together in vigil, prayer and celebration. Through the unique liturgy of this feast we celebrate not only Christ’s Victory but our share in it. The Vigil is comprised of four elements:
The Service of Light: The Vigil begins outside the Church with a fire being kindled and blessed. From this fire, a very large candle, the Paschal Candle, is lit. All go in procession following the candle into the Church.
The Vigil Readings: We hear the record of God’s saving deeds throughout history as we read several Old Testament Lessons.
The Baptismal Liturgy: Easter and Holy Baptism are intimately connected. In “going down into the water” we are joined to Jesus’ death and in coming up, we are joined to His resurrection.
The Mass: The Vigil reaches its consummation in the glorious first Mass of the Resurrection. As the bells ring, the Celebrant says “Alleluia, Christ is Risen,” suddenly the darkness is dispelled as all the lights in the Church are lit. Then we hear the news of the Risen Christ.
Easter Sunday
April 20 at 8:30 and 10:45am
Join us for a glorious Easter morning as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior. The Alleluias repeated again and again throughout the Masses of Resurrection Day signal the beginning of the Church’s fifty-day celebration of the Resurrection.
At 9:50am between the services, we’ll have a big Easter Egg hunt for the kids and a wonderful Easter brunch complete with mimosas. Join us!