“Tenebrae” means darkness. This service precedes and anticipates the events of the Triduum (the three days that begin Thursday evening and conclude on Easter Sunday). A contemplative service, it includes readings paired with the gradual extinguishing of candles and darkening of the sanctuary. Tenebrae is cherished as a moving and meditative way to enter these most holy days of the Christian year.

“Maundy” comes from the Latin, “mandatum,” which means commandment. This service remembers Jesus’s words, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another” as well as the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. It is most popularly known for the Foot Washing, which ritually reenacts Christ’s washing of His disciples’ feet on the night before His arrest.

Could you not watch with me a single hour? (Mth 26:40)

The night before He was crucified, Jesus prayed in a garden called Gethsemane. On this night that leads into Good Friday, we stay up with Jesus present in the Eucharist. At the Night Watch, we take hour-long shifts sitting in a special plant-laden “Chapel of Repose” in our sanctuary, sitting with the Communion Bread that will be eaten during our Friday service. It is a time for quiet prayer, contemplation, and nearness to Christ, who asks us to stay up with Him.

Sign up for an hour-long slot here.

This service praises God for the mysterious and salvific work God did on and through the Cross.

“Good Friday” is the day upon which Jesus was crucified, and one of the high holy days of the Christian year. The liturgy is markedly solemn, incorporates a number of collects and anthems which help us to recall Christ’s death, and includes the singing of the passion according to St. John.

Holy Saturday continues the mourning, solemn mood of the previous days’ services. On this day we contemplate specifically Jesus’s quiet lying in the tomb. We remember Christ’s going down into Hell to rescue the dead, while also dwelling with the disciples in the confusion and uncertainty of this day before the Resurrection.

Augustine called this liturgy the Queen of the church’s worship. The Easter Vigil is the first service of the fifty-day Easter Season; it includes wonderful play with fire and light; and, like Christmas Lessons and Carols, it includes a great host of Scripture readings and hymns which encapsulate the story of salvation. At this service, we bless a new Paschal candle, sing the ancient Exsultet hymn, and hear again the most glorious proclamation of Easter.

This exultant service is the joyful Church’s happy response to the miracle of Christ’s Resurrection. Join us for this most celebratory Sunday service.

After the service, children of all ages are welcome to participate in a festive egg hunt. Bring a basket if you have one; bags will be provided if you don’t have one.