Holy Week begins Saturday, April 4th and runs through the Great and Glorious Paschal Divine Liturgy on the night of April 11th. Every service tells part of the story of our Lord’s final days, death, and resurrection. Here is what to expect.
Lazarus Saturday: April 4th, 9:00 AM
Lazarus Saturday opens Holy Week. The Church commemorates Christ raising His friend Lazarus from the tomb after four days. This miracle confirmed the universal resurrection that all of us will experience at our Lord’s Second Coming. It also led directly to the chief priests’ decision to kill Jesus. Divine Liturgy begins at 9:00 AM, followed by breakfast hosted by Sunday School.
Palm Sunday: April 5th, Matins 9:00 AM / Divine Liturgy 10:00 AM
The Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem. Christ enters the city and the people proclaim Him king, but in an earthly sense. Many were seeking a political Messiah. Our Lord is King, but of a different kind: the eternal King prophesied by Zechariah. We carry palms to show that we accept Jesus as the true King and Messiah, whom we are willing to follow even to the cross. The service includes an outdoor procession.
Palm Sunday Fish Fry follows Liturgy. $12 donation per plate (fish, fries, hush puppies, dessert, lemonade/tea/water). Proceeds benefit Camp St. Raphael.
Bridegroom Service: Sunday April 5th, 6:00 PM
The evening services of Holy Week actually belong to the following morning. Palm Sunday evening begins the Bridegroom (Nymphios) Orthros services. The priest carries the icon of Christ the Bridegroom in procession and we sing the Hymn of the Bridegroom. We behold Christ as the Bridegroom of the Church, bearing the marks of His suffering, yet preparing a marriage feast for us in God’s Kingdom. The theme of this first service is the commemoration of Joseph, son of Jacob, and the Gospel account of the fig tree that withered, reminding us that our lives are intended to produce ripe fruit.
Holy Monday & Tuesday: April 6-7, 6:00 PM
These Bridegroom Orthros services continue with distinct themes each night.
On Holy Monday, the Blessed Joseph the Patriarch is commemorated. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, thrown into a pit, and sold into slavery. In the same way, our Lord was rejected, betrayed by His own, and sold into the slavery of death. The Gospel reading concerns the barren fig tree, which Christ cursed because it bore no fruit: a parable of those who hear God’s word but fail to bear the fruit of obedience.
On Holy Tuesday, the Parable of the Ten Virgins is read. Five virgins filled their lamps in preparation for the bridegroom while the other five let their lamps go out and were shut out of the marriage feast. This is a warning that we must always be prepared to receive our Lord when He comes again.
The theme of Holy Wednesday is repentance and forgiveness. We remember Kassiane, the sinful woman who anointed our Lord in anticipation of His death. Her repentance and love of Christ is the theme of the beautiful Hymn of Kassiane, chanted on this night, reminding us one more time that we too may be forgiven if we repent.
Holy Unction: Wednesday April 8th, 6:00 PM
The Mystery of Holy Unction is celebrated on Holy Wednesday evening. This sacrament can be celebrated any time during the year, especially when one is ill. Because of our need for forgiveness and spiritual healing, we offer this service during Holy Week for the remission of sins. Prepare for this service in a prayerful way, as you would for Holy Communion.
Great and Holy Thursday: April 9th, 6:00 PM
Thursday evening begins the services of Great and Holy Friday. The service of the Twelve Passion Gospels commemorates the solemn time of our Lord’s Crucifixion. After the reading of the fifth Gospel, the holy cross is carried around the church in procession, and Christ’s body is nailed to the cross in the center of the church.
Great and Holy Friday: April 10th
Royal Hours, 9:00 AM: This is a day of strict fast. As little as possible should be eaten. It is the only day in the entire year that no Divine Liturgy of any kind can be celebrated. The solemn hours include readings of the various accounts and hymns concerning the crucifixion. In the afternoon, the Vesper service of the taking down of Christ’s body from the cross is celebrated. During the Gospel reading, our Lord’s body is taken off the cross and wrapped in a new white linen sheet, commemorating the removal of Christ’s body by Joseph of Arimathea.
Lamentations, 7:00 PM: The Epitaphios (winding-sheet) with Christ’s body is carried in procession and placed in the decorated tomb. The Lamentations Orthros service begins in a solemn manner, but by the end we are already anticipating the Resurrection. The Holy Friday evening Orthros is actually the first service of Holy Saturday, the day in which we commemorate our Lord’s body resting in the tomb while His soul descends into Hades to free the faithful of the Old Covenant.
Great and Holy Saturday: April 11th, 9:00 AM
A day of hope and waiting. The Vesperal Divine Liturgy commemorates Christ’s victory over death. Bright vestments are worn as we anticipate Christ’s Resurrection. Laurel leaves are strewn throughout the church during the service, because in the ancient world laurel leaves were a sign of victory. As the leaves are strewn, the choir chants “Arise O God and Judge the earth, for to Thee belong all the nations.” The Old Testament story of Jonah and the whale is read because Jonah is a Type of Christ: as Jonah was three days in the belly of the great fish, so our Lord was three days in the tomb before His glorious Resurrection. This service concludes Holy Week and brings us to the eve of Great and Holy Pascha.
The Great and Glorious Paschal Divine Liturgy: Saturday Night, 9:00 PM
The Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the sign of universal life. The first light is offered and a candlelit procession makes its way around the church, reminding us that Light has overtaken darkness. Eggs are offered as a sign of new life. The Paschal exclamation is offered and exchanged: Christ is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen! The Paschal Liturgy is celebrated in the light-filled church as if in the Light-giving Tomb of the Resurrection.
Pascha Picnic: Sunday April 12th
Agape Service at 11:00 AM, followed by the Pascha Picnic and Egg Hunt. Sign up at the parish hall for your dish. Please bring your dish in a disposable tray.
