Join us as we begin the first two days of the Sacred Triduum ("holy three days")

Maundy Thursday receives its name from the Latin, mandatum, or the “new commandment” given by our Lord. At the Last Supper, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and commanded them to love and serve one another as he had done. This service begins with a festal character: white vestments are worn; the Gloria in excelsis is sung; additional candles may be lit. This service has been called “a burst of sun-shine in the gathering gloom.” We at once remember the joy of the institution of the Eucharist, the love and service which Jesus lived and taught, the agony in the garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal lead-ing to the crucifixion. The bread and wine of the Last Supper are given new meaning by the Body broken and Blood poured out on the cross. Sufficient bread and wine may be consecrated on this day for the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday. The Sacrament is then taken to an altar of repose where the faithful are asked to “watch and pray.” The altar, symbolic of Christ, is stripped of its vesture and the building is left bare for the solemnity of Good Friday.

The Vigil Watch at the Altar of Repose takes place throughout the night. All are invited to come and pray for an hour (or however long you would like). A sheriff's deputy is on duty throughout the night. The Vigil Watch takes place in the Lady Chapel (by the front entrance).

Noon Liturgy

Good Friday is one of the most solemn of all days in the Church and is marked by fasting, abstinence, and penance, leading us to focus on Jesus upon the cross. The bare, stark appearance of the church serves as a reminder of the solemnity and the sorrow of the day. The Lord of Life was rejected, mocked, scourged, and then put to death on the cross. The faithful need to be mindful of the part which their own sins played in this suffering and agony, as Christ took all sin upon himself, in obedience to his Father’s will. By the cross we are redeemed, set free from bondage to sin and death. The cross is a sign of God’s never-ending love for us. It is a sign of life, in the midst of death. The service on this day consists of three parts: lessons and prayers, including the recital of the passion; veneration of the cross, a devotion showing our love and thankfulness for the gift of life given us by Jesus’ death; and it concludes with the Mass of the Presanctified from the Sacrament consecrated on Maundy Thursday.

7.00 pm Liturgy

Later on Good Friday at 7pm, we'll walk the Stations of the Cross one final time before Easter. "Setting out in great hope" comes from this ancient liturgy. Walking the via dolorossa, the way of sorrows is a way to enter fully into Jesus' Passion and discover the depths of God's love.

• >> CLICK HERE for our full Holy Week and Easter Schedule
• >> CLICK HERE for a description of the liturgies of the Sacred Triduum.