Holy Week - A Retrospective

It has now been seven (7) months since my ordination (Sept 21); and now that I have finally become more comfortable with the general format and structure of the liturgy (and my functions within it), along comes Holy Week where everything changes and the cues I have established to prompt my specific participation have become nearly useless ... which means that once again, I find myself alternating between anxiety and panic that I will make an inevitable mistake (although few probably noticed them, I did, and that is enough).

The Deacon in the Liturgy

Chants from the Roman Missal

Holy Week is the most important week in Catholicism. This week of great reverence and reflection spans the final eight days of Jesus’ life—from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.  

Palm Sunday [Passion Sunday] commemorates the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, during which palm branches were placed in his path, before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his crucifixion on Good Friday. It thus marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent.

In the Roman Catholic Church palm fronds are blessed with holy water outside the church building (or in cold climates in the narthex when Easter falls early in the year) in an event called the Blessing of the Palms. A solemn procession of the entire congregation takes place immediately after the blessing of the palms, called the Palm procession.

The Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem

On this day the Church recalls the entrance of Christ the Lord into Jerusalem to accomplish his Paschal Mystery. Accordingly, the memorial of this entrance of the Lord takes place at all Masses, by means of the Procession or the Solemn Entrance before the principal Mass or the Simple Entrance before other Masses.

1. The Entrance Procession began as usual in the sacristy, where we processed to the narthex with the Gospel before returning to the middle of the Nave where the Priest blessed the palms and the Deacon (me) read the first Gospel (This is the one Sunday in the year when we hear two Gospel readings).  After the Gospel, a brief homily was given. Then, to begin the Procession, an invitation may be given by a Priest or a Deacon or a lay minister, in these or similar words: “Dear brothers and sisters, like the crowds who acclaimed Jesus in Jerusalem, let us go forth in peace.”
2. If the Procession or Solemn entrance is used, these ceremonies substitute for much of what in a typical Mass is called the “introductory rites.” The priest, upon arriving at the altar, usually begins with the Collect.
3. The Gospel Acclamation - The narrative of the Lord’s Passion is read without candles and without incense, with no greeting or signing of the book. It is read by a Deacon or, if there is no Deacon, by a Priest.  It may also be read by readers, with the part of Christ, if possible, reserved to a Priest.  A second homily was preached by the celebrant priest.
4. Solemn Blessing - There is a prescribed Solemn Blessing for (5) The Passion of the Lord.  So ... the Deacon will be saying “Bow down for the Blessing.”

How to make a cross out of Palms

Holy Monday - The Gospels tell some of the events that occurred on the day of the Biblical Holy Monday (and Holy Tuesday). Some of the most notable and recognizable of these were the cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18–22, Mark 11:20–26), the questioning of Jesus' authority (Matthew 21:23–27), the Cleansing of the Temple and some diverse parables, depending on which Gospel is read.  By clearing the temple, Jesus criticized the leaders who allowed and promoted the activity happening in the temple. His teachings rebuked the religious leaders overtly (particularly by telling people to watch out for corrupt leaders), and by telling a parable meant to criticize them. Matthew 21:45-46 explains that the leaders knew they were the “evil farm tenants” that Jesus mentioned in that parable. 

Strangely enough, the Gospel lesson for the day from John 12:1-11 telling us about when Mary of Bethany anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive oil (over the protests of Judas) after having dinner with Lazarus (who he had raised from the dead) and his sister in Bethany ... So it is often presumed that [in the Gospel of Mark] Jesus cursed the fig tree on Monday on the way to Bethany.  You might also think the theme of anointing the feet of Jesus with oil would make Holy Monday an excellent candidate for the Bishop's Chrism Mass.

No [Special] Mass scheduled other than the daily Mass.

Holy Tuesday [Fig Tuesday] - On Holy Tuesday, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other religious leaders attempt to entrap Jesus by challenging his beliefs while he teaches at the Temple. First, they question his authority. He answers with three parables: The Parable of the Two Sons, The Parable of the Tenants, and The Parable of the Wedding Banquet. The second trap challenges Jesus’ allegiance, the third trap attempts to ridicule Jesus’ belief in resurrection, and the fourth Jesus answers by claiming God’s greatest command to be “Love.” 

Peter notices the fig tree has withered (Previously cursed by Jesus because it did not bear fruit [out of season]). Some biblical scholars believe this is a metaphor for the religious of the day — it looks lovely but produces no fruit, which foreshadows Israel’s punishment for unbelief. 

Chrism Mass for the Archdiocese of Boston

The Chrism Mass, which [the Bishop] concelebrates with Priests from various regions of the diocese and during which he consecrates the sacred Chrism and blesses the other oils, is among the principal manifestations of the fullness of the Bishop's Priesthood and is considered to be a sign of the close bond of the Priests with him. For it is with the sacred Chrism consecrated by the Bishop that the newly baptized are anointed and those to be confirmed are signed. It is with the Oil of Catechumens that catechumens are prepared and disposed for Baptism. Finally it is with the Oil of the Sick that those who are ill are comforted in their infirmity.  One of the additional aspects of the Chrism Mass is the annual renewal of priestly promises. With all of the priests of the local diocese present before the bishop, they renewal their fidelity to him and to Jesus Christ.

At the Chrism Mass—celebrated either on Holy Thursday morning, or more often in the United States, an earlier day near Easter for pastoral reasons — the rite of blessing the oils begins after the Universal Prayer (Prayer of the Faithful), as the oils are brought forward in procession in the prescribed order: ministers carry the "vessel of fragrances, if the Bishop wishes to prepare the Chrism himself", Oil of Catechumens, Oil of the Sick, and "oil for the Chrism is carried in the last place by a Deacon or a Priest."  Whenever the holy oils are used, the ministry of the bishop who blessed and consecrated them is symbolically present.  The oils distributed are meant to last all year, although extra oil is also blessed during the mass and is kept at the cathedral as a reserve if a parish runs out.  "The reception of the Holy Oils may take place in individual parishes either before the celebration of the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper or at another time that seems more appropriate." — Roman Missal, Chrism Mass, no. 15

The Chrism Mass for the Archdiocese of Boston was held at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Holy Tuesday and I was invited to vest and participate with my brother deacons.  All the clergy gathered in the "Lower Church" to vest, where I noted that all crosses and images/statues were veiled in purple ... “In the Dioceses of the United States, the practice of covering crosses and images throughout the church from [the fifth] Sunday [of Lent] (Passiontide) may be observed. Crosses remain covered until the end of the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, but the images remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil.”  The procession included local bishops, most of the diocesan priests, several diocesan deacons and representatives from the Order of Malta and took nearly 15 mins to fill the right side of the cathedral.  

The Mass proceeded as normal from there until after the homily, when all of the diocesan priests stood to renew their priestly promises before their Bishop; followed by an invitation to the faithful to pray for your priests (naming those who have died in the past year as well as those newly ordination).  After the completion of the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins with the Presentation of the Oils and the Gifts, followed by the Blessing of the Oil of the Sick, the Blessing of the Oil of Catechumens (aka Oil of Exorcism) and the Consecration of the Chrism (which only the Bishop can do and it way more involved than the other oils).  Traditionally the Chrism would have been consecrated after Communion; however, for pastoral reasons it is permitted to bless all oils at once following the Liturgy of the Word.

Watching the vessels of oil come forward after the homily, it didn't seem that there was enough for the entire archdiocese ... and of course, filling all of the bottles for each parish from those silver amphora would be incredibly time consuming, so I was somewhat curious how they would solve that problem, given that a representative from each parish was to pick up their oils immediately after mass.  What I didn't see until after the Blessing, when the acolytes removed them, were the crates of prefilled/prepared bottles of oil that were stacked beneath the table on which the oil vessels were placed (with everything being Blessed at the same time).  As the Mass continued after the Blessing, there was plenty of time to unpack the crates just outside of the Lower Church and place each of the three (3) oils bags to hand out by region to the parish representative.

At this point, the Mass continues as normal (with the exception that all priests ... and there were a lot of them ... participated in both the Body and Blood of Christ by Intinction while everyone else just received the Host.  It was a fascinating [2 hour] experience.

Holy Wednesday [Spy Wednesday]  - On Holy Wednesday,[21] the story of Judas arranging his betrayal of Jesus with the chief priests is remembered; he was a spy among the disciples of Jesus (Matthew 26:14–25).[22] For this reason, the day is sometimes called "Spy Wednesday" Judas fulfills a prophecy from Zechariah 11:12-13:  “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So, they paid me 30 pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—the handsome price at which they valued me! So, I took the 30 pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.” 

Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness") is sometimes celebrated during Holy Week, especially on Spy Wednesday. Tenebrae is distinctive for its gradual extinguishing of candles while a series of readings and psalms is chanted or recited.

No [Special] Mass scheduled other than the daily Mass.

Penance Service with Confession

For a communal reconciliation service, many priests in a local community will gather in one parish to hear confessions from the faithful. The “communal” part of the service refers to a special reading from the Gospel and a brief homily, after which the penitents gathered reflect on their sins and prepare to give their confession (often referred to as an “examination of conscience”). 

Once the examination of conscience is complete, the community will pray the Act of Contrition together. The faithful will then line up to partake in individual, private confessions with a priest.

Because the Act of Contrition has already been prayed publicly, those in attendance do not need to recite it again to the priest. Also, there may be a collective act of penance given to the whole community, rather than acts of penance given to each person. 

A communal reconciliation service is not the same as “general absolution,” in which a priest offers absolution to a large group of people without having heard individual confessions. There is a provision for general absolution in Canon Law, but it is only to be offered in extreme circumstances where there is an imminent danger of death or when there is such a large number of penitents that a limited number of priests could not possibly hear their confessions within a suitable amount of time, therefore depriving the penitents from engaging in Holy Communion for an extended period of time through no fault of their own. 

Triduum

The Paschal Triduum begins after Spy Wednesday. The Triduum is the three-day time span from nightfall on Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday’s nightfall and is one, unitive feast. 

Holy Thursday [Maundy Thursday] - "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus' words "I give you a new commandment."  On Holy Thursday, holy water is removed from the fonts and “the tabernacle should be entirely empty; but a sufficient amount of bread should be consecrated in this Mass for the Communion of the clergy and the people on this and the following day.” “Holy Communion may only be distributed to the faithful during Mass; but it may be brought to the sick at any hour of the day.” (Roman Missal, RM, ‘Thursday of the Lord’s Supper’).

At the end of the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist is “carried through the church to a place of repose prepared in a part of the church or in a chapel suitably decorated.” “The faithful are invited to continue adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for a suitable length of time during the night...but after midnight the adoration should take place without solemnity.” (RM) “The Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a closed tabernacle or pyx. Under no circumstances may it be exposed in a monstrance.” (Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Paschal Feasts, 55) The place of reposition may be a place that has been prepared as indicated above or the tabernacle itself, but it is never reposed on the main altar (See GIRM, 315).

Mass of the Lord's Supper with the Mandatum

1. Liturgy of the Word
• The Washing of Feet - after the Washing of Feet, the Priest washes and dries his hands, puts the chasuble back on, and returns to the chair, and from there he directs the Universal Prayer.  The Creed is not said.
2. Liturgy of the Eucharist
• After the distribution of Communion, a ciborium with hosts for Communion on the following day is left on the altar. The Priest, standing at the chair, says the Prayer after Communion.
• The Transfer of the Most Blessed Sacrament - after the Prayer after Communion, the Priest puts incense in the thurible while standing, blesses it and then, kneeling, incenses the Blessed Sacrament three times. Then, having put on a white humeral veil, he rises, takes the ciborium, and covers it with the ends of the veil.
• A procession is formed in which the Blessed Sacrament, accompanied by torches and incense, is carried through the church to a place of repose prepared in a part of the church or in a chapel suitably decorated.
• When the procession reaches the place of repose, the Priest, with the help of the Deacon if necessary, places the ciborium in the tabernacle, the door of which remains open. Then he puts incense in the thurible and, kneeling, incenses the Blessed Sacrament, while Tantum ergo Sacramentum or another eucharistic chant is sung. Then the Deacon or the Priest himself places the Sacrament in the tabernacle and closes the door.
• After a period of adoration in silence, the Priest and ministers genuflect and return to the sacristy.  At an appropriate time, the altar is stripped and, if possible, the crosses are removed from the church.

Holy Friday [Good Friday] - On Good Friday, “in accordance with ancient tradition, the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist: Holy

Communion is distributed to the faithful during the celebration of the Lord's Passion alone, though it may be brought at any time of the day to the sick who cannot take part in the celebration.” (Circular Letter, 59)  On the afternoon of this day, about three o’clock (unless a later hour is chosen for a pastoral reason), there takes place the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion.

Once the altar table is set after the Adoration of the Holy Cross, “the Deacon or, if there is no Deacon, the Priest himself, putting on a humeral veil, brings the Blessed Sacrament back from the place of repose to the altar by a shorter route, while all stand in silence. Two ministers with candles accompany the Blessed Sacrament.” (RM) “When the distribution of Communion has been completed, the ciborium is taken by the Deacon or another suit- able minister to a place prepared outside the church or, if circumstances so require, it is placed in the tabernacle.” (RM)

The liturgy of Good Friday is raw and beautiful. We enter in silence. We listen to the Passion according to John, and we see just how far God was willing to go to rescue us. We venerate the Cross—kneeling before it, kissing it, touching it—not as an idol, but as the wood that bore our salvation. Most times, my brother deacon and I hold the cross as the congregation comes to venerate it. You can see it in their eyes…words simply cannot describe.

There’s a moment during the Solemn Intercessions when we pray for everyone: the Church, the pope, nonbelievers, Jews, atheists, government leaders, those in distress—you name it. The idea is simple: on this day, Jesus stretched out His arms to embrace the whole world. So we lift up the whole world in prayer.

And then… we leave. Quietly. Still no final blessing. No music. Just silence. The Church is holding its breath.

Commemoration of the Lord's Death (Three Parts)

1. Liturgy of the Word
• The narrative of the Lord’s Passion according to John (18: 1–19: 42) is read in the same way as on the preceding Sunday. (With parts for Narrator, Voice, Jesus, Crowd)
• Solemn Intercessions - the Deacon, if a Deacon is present, or if he is not, a lay minister, stands at the ambo, and sings or says the invitation in which the intention is expressed. Then all pray in silence for awhile, and afterwards the Priest, standing at the chair or, if appropriate, at the altar, with hands extended, sings or says the prayer.  
2. Adoration of the Cross
• The Showing of the Cross - the Priest or the Deacon accompanied by ministers, or another suitable minister, goes to the door of the church, where he receives the unveiled Cross, and the ministers take lighted candles; then the procession sets off through the church to the sanctuary. Near the door, in the middle of the church and before the entrance of the sanctuary, the one who carries the Cross elevates it, singing, "Behold the wood of the Cross", to which all respond, "Come, let us adore." After each response all kneel and for a brief moment adore in silence, as above.
• The Adoration of the Cross - accompanied by two ministers with lighted candles, the Priest or the Deacon carries the Cross to the entrance of the sanctuary or to another suitable place and there puts it down or hands it over to the ministers to hold. Candles are placed on the right and left sides of the Cross.   When the adoration has been concluded, the Cross is carried by the Deacon or a minister to its place at the altar. Lighted candles are placed around or on the altar or near the Cross.
3. Holy Communion
• A cloth is spread on the [bare] altar, and a corporal and the Missal put in place. Meanwhile the Deacon, putting on a humeral veil, brings the Blessed Sacrament back from the place of repose to the altar, while all stand in silence. Two ministers with lighted candles accompany the Blessed Sacrament and place their candlesticks around or upon the altar.
• Solemn Blessing ... The Deacon will say the invitation to "Bow down for the Blessing"
• After genuflecting to the Cross, depart in silence.
• After the celebration, the altar is stripped; the Cross remains with two or four candlesticks.

Holy Saturday [Great Sabbath] This is the day for the empty Tabernacle, the day when Jesus descended to the dead (The Harrowing of Hell). It should not be a day for an advanced Easter gathering.  In the Catholic Church, the altar remains stripped completely bare (following the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday). The celebration of the Sacraments is extremely limited: Holy Communion is given only as Viaticum to the dying; while penance, Anointing of the Sick and baptism may be administered because they, like Viaticum, are helpful to ensuring salvation for the dying.

We only had a morning prayer service (No Mass) and confession ahead of our Easter Vigil, which we had as early as allowed (after nightfall is preferred, but it was permissible to start at 8 pm) and The Great Sabbath has ended.

Easter Vigil - by most ancient tradition, this is the night of keeping vigil for the Lord (Ex 12: 42), in which, following the Gospel admonition (Lk 12: 35-37), the faithful, carrying lighted lamps in their hands, should be like those looking for the Lord when he returns, so that at his coming he may find them awake and have them sit at his table.  The entire [2-3 hour] celebration of the Easter Vigil must take place during the night, so that it begins after nightfall and ends before daybreak on the Sunday.

At the beginning of the Easter Vigil, the tabernacle should be empty. Enough hosts should be consecrated for all those present at the Vigil. At the end of the Easter Vigil Mass, any remaining hosts are to be reserved in the tabernacle. Any hosts that were placed outside of the church on Holy Thursday or Good Friday may be reposed in the tabernacle after the Easter Vigil Mass is completed.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament is prohibited during the Easter Triduum, even in places where "perpetual adoration " is customary. “Under no circumstances may perpetual exposition take place during the Easter Triduum” (Thirty-One Questions on Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, USCCB, 26)

Therefore, the Eucharist is not to be exposed at any time on Holy Thursday through evening prayer of Easter Sunday.

The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night (Four Parts)

1. Lucernarium and Easter Proclamation
• The Blessing of the Fire and Preparation of the Candle - The service starts outside (in good weather) with a small fire that is blessed by the celebrant priest, who then prepares the Paschal Candle before lighting it from the blessed fire.
• Procession - Once the candle has been lit, it is carried by a deacon through the nave of the church, itself in complete darkness, stopping three times to chant the acclamation 'Light of Christ' (Lumen Christi), to which the assembly responds 'Thanks be to God' or 'Deo Gratias'. As the candle proceeds through the church, the small candles held by those present are gradually lit from the Paschal candle. As this symbolic "Light of Christ" spreads, darkness is decreased.
• Easter Proclamation/Exsultet** - The Exsultet ("Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven ... ") is a 10 minute chant sung a cappella by the Deacon (and was a source of tremendous anxiety for deacons with only a limited amount of musical ability ... as in, the music director was pleasantly surprised to find that I could actually carry a tune once the starting note was provided).  As with the Gospel readings, the Deacon begins with bowing to the priest and saying "Your blessing father" and then going to the ambo.  The church lights were still down, so I had pre-staged a small light so that I could still read the words and notes.  It was a choppy performance between not regulating my breathing well and struggling to ignore the incense, but most folks indicated that I did a decent job.  When finished, the lights of the Church are then lit with the exception of the altar candles which are lit just before the intonation of the Gloria (EV, nos. 17 and 31).
2. Liturgy of the Word - Nine readings are provided, namely seven from the Old Testament and two from the New (the Epistle and Gospel).  At least three readings should be read from the Old Testament, both from the Law and from the Prophets, and their respective Responsorial Psalms should be sung. Never, moreover, should the reading of chapter 14 of Exodus with its canticle be omitted.  (We did Reading 1, 3 and 5 from the OT)
3. Baptismal Liturgy - A procession to the font begins the baptismal liturgy.  A minister (in our case, it was the deacon) with the candle leads, followed by those to be baptized with their godparents, other ministers, the deacon and the priest. 
• The Litany of Saints
• Blessing of [Baptismal] Water - The baptism candidates didn't show, so only a water blessing
• Interrogation of Faith [Candidate or Parents/GodParents] - Omitted
• Rite of Baptism (and Confirmation) - Omitted
• The Renewal of Baptismal Promises
• Asperges - The Priest(s) & Deacon(s) sprinkle(s) the people with the blessed water
• After the sprinkling, the Priest returns to the chair where, omitting the Creed, he directs the Universal Prayer, in which the newly baptized participate for the first time.
4. Liturgy of the Eucharist (the memorial of his Death and Resurrection)
• This begins in the usual way (with a few modifications for the Priest)
• There is a Solemn Blessing: "Bow down for the Blessing."
• The Deacon Chants the Dismissal: "Go forth, the Mass is ended, Alleluia, Alleluia"

Easter Sunday [Resurrection Sunday] - The Tomb is Empty!  Easter Sunday is one of, if not the, most important Holy Days of the Church and kicks off an eight-day celebration called the Octave of Easter, where every day is celebrated liturgically as if it were Easter Day itself. Divine Mercy Sunday is the final day of the octave.  

Because the Vigil had originally ended at dawn, which mirrored the time when the first women encountered the empty tomb, when Easter Sunday Masses emerged, they at first also tended to cluster toward daybreak. Gradually, Easter Day liturgies spread to other hours of the morning but the first impulse was to connect the liturgy on Easter Day with daybreak.

Mass During the Day

In the Church, Masses came to be established on Easter Day. But the liturgy for Mass on Easter Day does not — in comparison to the substantial differences we see during the Triduum — differ very much from a usual Sunday Mass. Where it does differ is:

• First, the insertion of a “Sequence” before the Gospel. Sequences are quasi-poetic type chants recited or, preferably, sung before the Gospel. Sequences precede the Gospel on certain very important solemnities, e.g., Easter Sunday, Pentecost, and Corpus Christi.  Victimae paschali laudes (also known as the “Easter Sequence”) is an ancient expression of the Church’s worship during the Easter Octave (i.e., eight-day feast) and is an obligatory element of the Easter Sunday Mass, but it can also be chanted every day during the Easter Octave.  The Sequence is sung before the Alleluia.
• Second, the Church maintains the linkage to baptism in all the Masses on Easter Sunday through the congregation’s renewal of baptismal vows. (Replacing the Creed is done).
• To impart the blessing at the end of Mass, the Priest may appropriately use the formula of Solemn Blessing for the Mass of the Easter Vigil ... which we did ... so the Deacon will say "Bow down for the blessing" prior to the dismissal.
• For the dismissal of the people, there is sung or said "Go forth, the Mass is ended, alleluia, alleluia." The people respond: "Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia."