Holy Week and Easter

 

Holy Week at the Cathedral

In early February we began the season of Lent, the 40-day penitential period leading up to Easter. Lent reminds us of the time Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism, preparing for the start of his earthly ministry, death, and resurrection.

Palm Sunday: The Liturgy of the Passion
Sunday, March 24
8:00 am | Holy Eucharist Rite I
10:15 am | Holy Eucharist Rite II*
Nursery care and Children’s Chapel are available.

The central focus of this liturgy is the reading of Jesus’ Passion and Death, this year from Mark’s gospel. The reading begins with the anointing which, like the triumphant entry, could be read as a challenge to religious and imperial authorities’ forces, as only priests and kings are anointed. Jesus recognizes that this action points toward the inevitable outcome: death. In the garden, in an ironic contrast to the call to “leave all and follow Jesus,” a young man leaves all to abandon him. From the Cross, Mark recounts Jesus saying only one thing: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” The Passion ends with Jesus’ body being laid in a borrowed tomb. The Gospel story will continue when the women return on Easter to find the tomb empty. While the Passion is the central focus of this liturgy, it is Sunday, and so we affirm, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again” and celebrate the Eucharist in which we meet the risen Lord each Sunday.

The Blessing of the Palms and a procession became a feature of this day as early as the 4th century. After the Gospel and Blessing, we move into the Cathedral and remember the final stage of Jesus’ journey up to Jerusalem for the Passover.


The Triduum: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday

The Great Three Days (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday), the Triduum, unfold as one seamless liturgy celebrated over three days, illuminating the mysteries of Jesus’ servant ministry, death and resurrection.

Maundy Thursday
Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 pm

Holy Eucharist and Stripping of the Altar
Nursery care will be available.

This day’s name, Maundy Thursday, takes its title from the Latin word mandatum, or “command.” Jesus says, “A new command I give you” in John’s gospel. By the 4th century, this liturgy had the title Cena Domini, “The Supper of the Lord.” Over the centuries, both of those themes have become part of what we do this night. We celebrate with joy the gift of the Eucharist, as the Lord gives his disciples this sacramental action by which He is present in our midst as we proclaim his death “until he comes again.”

The gospel recounts Jesus’ act of washing his disciples’ feet and through the centuries this act has been continued as sign and symbol of service within the Christian community. Within the Anabaptist and other reformed traditions, where clergy were not given particular status or roles, it remains as an act of the entire community. Within the larger western tradition, it has been a moment that puts bishop and priests on their knees. Stoles and chasuble, signs of responsibility and authority, are taken off; a towel is picked up. Both traditions have become common in the Episcopal Church. This year, the clergy are washing the feet of parishioners as a reminder of what servant leadership looks like.

Because there is no celebration of the Eucharist on Good Friday, the Sacrament for Holy Communion given during the Good Friday liturgy are consecrated at this liturgy and carried in procession to the Altar of Repose, which becomes a reminder of the Garden of Gethsemane. The main altar of the church is laid bare as light fades and ornaments are removed. The choir sings Psalm 22 and then the account of Jesus’ agony and arrest is read. No blessing of dismissal is given. Tonight begins one great liturgy encompassing the Triduum – the Great Three Days – that will be complete when the Great Vigil announces the Resurrection in Baptism and Eucharist.

Gethsemane Vigil
Thursday, March 28 at 8:00 pm - Friday, March 29 at 6:00 am
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked his disciples to “Watch and pray...” In response to that invitation and to enter a serious reflection on all that happens on this night, it has been a custom to set a time for prayer and reflection during the hours when Jesus would have been at prayer before being arrested. There will be a range of devotional materials as a help for you to use during your vigil. To register, click here.

The Way of the Cross
Friday, March 29 at 7:30 am
All are invited to the 48th Way of the Cross, led by Cathedral youth. Join us as we process through downtown St. Petersburg telling the story of Jesus' journey to the cross. Meet on the steps outside the church entrance.

 

Good Friday Liturgy with Solemn Collects
Friday, March 29 at Noon

Nursery care will be available.

Good Friday brings us all to stand silent and still before the Cross. The liturgy begins in silence and the silence continues as a response of the great mystery this day reveals. John’s account of the Passion has been read on this day since the earliest centuries and it remains at the center of this liturgy. Equally ancient in tradition, the Solemn Collects are read after the sermon. The Deacon of the liturgy announces a subject of prayer and, after more silence, the celebrant gathers up the congregation’s intercessions in a collect. A cross is carried into the Cathedral, and three times the deacon will stop and raise the cross – at the same locations where the Paschal Candle will be raised as it brings light into the darkened Cathedral at the Easter Vigil. After the Veneration of the Cross, a hymn is sung and the Sacrament (kept from last night’s Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper) is brought to the altar. After the confession, absolution, and the Lord’s Prayer, communion is given and the service ends with a final prayer. No blessing or dismissal is given. The celebration of our Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection is only complete after the Holy Eucharist is celebrated at the Great Vigil of Easter.

It is important to remember how often the rites of Holy Week and the accounts of Jesus’ Passion and Death have been used to incite violence and hatred against our Jewish brothers and sisters. Jesus was born of a Jewish mother, and lived, prayed, and taught as part of the Jewish tradition. When the Gospel speaks of “the Jews,” it is in reference to the people of a particular place and time – often to the Judeans as opposed to the Jewish people of Galilee. We acknowledge the wrong done against the Jewish people that a false theology has encouraged and we pray for a world where all are able to live in safety and peace, “until the earth is filled with the knowledge of [God’s] love” (BCP, page 279).

Holy Saturday
Saturday, March 30 at 9 am
The Holy Saturday office is held in St. Mary’s Chapel. A brief prayer service in the Book of Common Prayer.


Easter at the Cathedral

The Great Vigil of Easter
Saturday, March 30 at 7:00 pm

The first celebration of the Resurrection. We light the new fire as we move from the darkness of the tomb to the light of resurrection. There will be a baptism and five confirmations. *Incense will be used.
This service will also be available via live-stream.

Easter Sunday
Sunday, March 31 at 8:00 am and 10:15 am
We continue the joyous celebration of the Resurrection. Incense will be used during the 10:15 am service.
Children's Chapel and nursery care is provided during the 10:15 am service.
The 10:15 am service will also be available via live-stream.

Easter Egg Hunt and Festive Coffee Hour
Sunday, March 31 following the 10:15 am service
Toddlers through 2rd-graders will participate in an egg hunt in the garden, gathering wooden eggs painted in 2020! Kids can choose which of our four community partners to donate their eggs to. Tables for Benison Farm, Peterborough Apartments, Florida Resurrection House, and Campbell Park Elementary School will be set out in Harvard Hall. For every egg the kids turn in, the Cathedral’s Outreach Committee will give 50 cents to that community partner. Goody bags with sp-egg-tacular candy and prizes will be on hand for everyone.


Stations of the Cross with Artist Dee Perconti

Dee Perconti is a local mixed-media collage artist. Her “14 Stations of the Cross” exhibit will be on view in the Cathedral from March 15-31. On March 16 she will conduct a daylong collage workshop in Harvard Hall, where participants can create their own stations. A community-wide reception with the artist will be held on Friday, March 22. For more information about viewing the stations and to register for the workshop, please visit spcathedral.org/dee-perconti.