You’re invited to a very special Holy Week
Dear Friends,
The warm weather feels like such a relief this year in a way I haven't appreciated before. After a long winter of celebrating Eucharist outdoors with cold fingers, after three Sundays of back-to-back rain following my ordination, after the weeks of grey, this burst of sunshine and warmth and blooming tulip poplars has been energizing. Mitch and I have enjoyed several walking meetings outside around the campus lately, and the bright blue skies have inspired us to think creatively about how we can celebrate Holy Week together this year. We are confident that we can do it meaningfully, safely, and beautifully.
I'm especially excited to tell you about two of the liturgies we're cooking up -- so excited I couldn't wait and wanted to write to you this week. The first of them is Maundy Thursday. Y'all, Maundy Thursday is going to be so cool. We will begin our worship on the Point, and after everyone receives the Eucharist, we will do a ritual hand washing in the Memorial Garden fountain. (The water is treated and safe to use for this purpose). Once you've had your hands washed, you'll be given a candle and ushered to a place along the path to the chapel. Once everyone is finished, Mitch will process the consecrated elements to the chapel while we all sing and light the way by candlelight. I can think of nothing more beautiful than serving one another among the graves of those who have served this place before us, of remembering the night Jesus gave us our commandment to love one another in the fountain that commemorates the ones we love.
This service will end in silence, and the vigil in the chapel will begin. You'll find the link to sign up for an hour of vigil in next week's E-Messengers and on the website. You can also come at any point during the Triduum and walk the labyrinth and prayer stations in the Parish Hall.
The Easter Vigil is also going to be wonderful and unique this year. We'll be gathering in the newly lit courtyard area, with roaring fire pits and strings of lights overhead. This will be a very casual blue-jeans-and-campfires type of service. No fuss and muss, just simple and familiar. Bring your camp chairs, gather around the fire, and tell the story of our full salvation to one another, from Genesis through the prophets, and, finally, at the moment when we remember Jesus' resurrection with the first "ALLELUIA!" of Easter. Families will be invited to each take one of the readings and tell the stories to one another. If you, or you and your family, would like to do a reading please let me know.
I am very much looking forward to Holy Week this year. It will still be different than years before -- even with the signs of spring, we are still in a pandemic -- but it will be safe, meaningful, and God will be with us in our worship. Many hands will be needed to help make it so. Please, come be a part of it. Come worship, offer to volunteer, offer to read, and come immerse yourself in the "beauty of holiness" that this season has to offer.
Faithfully,
Caitlyn+
Holy Week and Easter
Find out what makes these holy days so special,
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