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Issue: Q1, 2005 — Table of Contents: | › Home | › Overweight / Obesity: A Call to Action | › Investing with Catholic Ideals |
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› Triduum: Meaning and Practices | › Neighboring News | ||
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| Triduum: Meaning and Practices | |
| By Doreen Johnson | |
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As the Lenten season ends and the Easter season begins, it is important to recognize the transitional days that lie between these two seasons of the Church. The Triduum marks the solemn end of Lent and the beginning of the remembrance of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The Triduum literally means "three days." The three days were celebrated from Good Friday through Easter Sunday. However, in the modern Church, the Triduum is observed from Holy Thursday through Easter morning. Each day has its own special meaning in the Church and at Saint Vincent’s.
Holy Thursday is a day of anticipation for the events of Good Friday. It is also the day of the Lord’s Supper. On the evening of Holy Thursday, a mass is held that commemorates the preparation for Good Friday. Though the Lord’s Supper or Seder Meal is not celebrated at Saint Vincent’s, other rituals of the Church are fulfilled. The evening mass is filled with beautiful music from the choir, readings from the New Testament, foot washing, a Chapel of Adoration, and the Stripping of the Altar. As with all of Saint Vincent’s masses, great planning accompanies the celebration of the Holy Thursday service. There are twelve foot washers to represent the twelve apostles. It is each parish’s discretion as to whether the celebrant will be the sole foot washer or if others will be involved. Married couples, parents and children, friends and strangers wash each other’s feet during this humbling practice. This Holy Thursday Observation adds to the beauty of the mass. As the Holy Thursday mass closes, parishioners are invited to the Chapel of Adoration. At Saint Vincent’s this chapel is located at the east end of the altar. The Chapel of Adoration is adorned with dozens of brightly lit candles. Parishioners may pray quietly for a period of time. The church is open late into the evening to allow for quiet reflection. While parishioners pray, the altar is stripped. The Stripping of the Altar represents a "wake," or the beginning of a period of deep sorrow, as the hours before Jesus’ death on the cross, burial in the tomb, and resurrection on Easter morning are revealed. Parishioners tend to leave the church once the altar table has been cleared in order to prepare for Good Friday. Good Friday is recognized as the anniversary of Jesus’ death on the cross. In recognition of Jesus’ suffering, fasting from food as a display of penance and sadness is practiced on this day. Stations of the Cross are... |
...delivered to parishioners. An afternoon or an evening mass is celebrated. Saint Vincent’s portrays a powerful tradition on Good Friday. Parishioners volunteer for roles and perform "The Living Stations." "The Living Stations" is an accurate account of Christ’s Stations of the Cross. The intense music and the absence of the spoken word deliver a strong message of the suffering Christ endured for our sins. The Stations of the Cross assist parishioners in focusing on God’s sacrifice as the final phase of the Triduum draws near.
Holy Saturday is a solemn day in the Church. It is opened with either a morning Liturgy or morning prayers. However, Holy Saturday is the day on which the Easter Vigil, the necessary observation, is held. The Easter Vigil is the primary celebration of Easter because it is the "watch" for the mystery of Christ’s resurrection. It is at the Easter Vigil that Easter actually occurs. Easter is the most solemn holiday in the Church. The Easter Vigil mass is generally dark so that the glorious light of the Easter candle shines forth. The significance of the candle is that it is boldly marked with the present church year to show the presence of God’s will in our lives over many years through the resurrection of Christ. There are numerous readings about Christ’s resurrection, carefully chosen music selections, and the baptism of adults. In recent years at Saint Vincent’s, adults wear a pure white garment and are guided into the baptismal font in the center of the church where they are fully immersed with holy water as they are born into the Catholic Church. The adult baptisms mark new life in the church. Easter Morning, the final phase of the Triduum, is a continuation of the celebration of new life in the church. Easter Sunday mass celebrates the first Sunday of Easter (Dues 100). Easter actually occurs at the Easter Vigil. Easter morning is a time of celebration for the joyous, miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ as Lord. The altar is decorated with lilies and candles. The congregation is sprinkled with holy water. Incense is burned on the altar. The church is filled with joyful song. Children are sometimes baptized at the Easter Sunday Mass. Easter Sunday is the end of the Triduum. Although the Triduum ends on Easter Morning, the Easter season has begun. Easter is a period of fifty days, which ends with the celebration of the Pentecost. It is understood that the new life that has been shared with parishioners through God’s sacrifice is to be carried through both the Easter season and Ordinary Time as a remembrance of our own purpose as pilgrims of Christ. Source: Dues, Greg. Catholic Customs and Traditions: A Popular Guide. Mystic: Twenty-Third Publications, Inc. 1992. |
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