Dear friends,
This Sunday we begin the final week of Lent, also known as Holy Week. It is one of the most sacred times of the Christian year, where we recall the final days of Jesus’s earthly life and ministry, and look ahead to his suffering, death, but ultimately resurrection at Easter.
The week begins with Palm Sunday as we recall Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This is then followed by Maundy Thursday, where we remember the Last Supper Jesus shared with his friends, and his teaching of the Great Commandment to love one another as God has loved us. From here, we then enter Good Friday as we pray through Jesus’s passion and death, and then we wait until the Easter Vigil and finally Easter Day to celebrate his resurrection.
During Holy Week, there will be many opportunities to worship on these special days. Please see our service bulletin in this E-News and in our Sunday Bulletin for more information on specific services and dates. There will be a short Eucharist on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; our Wednesday Faith Journey will meet at 10 a.m. for Eucharist and Bible Study; and then we will mark what is known as the Paschal Triduum which begins on the evening of Maundy Thursday, progresses through Good Friday and Holy Saturday’s Easter Vigil, and culminates on Easter Day. On Maundy Thursday, following the Eucharist, Foot Washing, and Stripping of the Altars, there will be a Watch kept into the late evening, where you may remain in church until midnight, praying at the Sacrament in the Side Chapel.
Please do join us for as much of this week’s worship as you are able to. I pray that you will find this to be a time of true spiritual refreshment, reflection, and ultimately joy.
With every prayer and blessing,
Ed.
The Rev. Edward Thornley
Rector of The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist