Holy Week advances

All set for Palm Sunday

Holy Week is, without doubt, a verger's busiest eight days of the church year. Palm Sunday at St. Philip's saw two well attended services.  The weather was awful with lashing rain and a cold wind, so the Liturgy of  the Palms was held in the Parish Hall, with the very short procession under cover to the church.

Holy Week is a time for Vergers to study the customaries. However many notes one makes once-a-year services always provide questions from the Altar Guild, Ushers, Choir, etc., usually, "Did we do that last year?"  I make copious notes to remind myself of any glitches, or things that can be improved for the following year.

Notwithstanding the weather, our worship on Passion Sunday went well, as did Holy Eucharist on Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday.

On Wednesday Tenebrae was, as always, a beautiful service - an easy one for the verger.  No procession, choir already in place and in excellent voice.

These warm-up services are the curtain raises to the Tribuum.  Maundy Thursday is a busy one, with careful planning and co-ordination of ushers (for the foot-washing and communion), the dimming of lights to be synchronized and helping the Altar Guild when the clergy strip the altar.

And so we come to Good Friday and I am about to take my turn, at 6:00 am, in The Garden Watch at the Altar of Repose. Back to church for our midday Downtown Way of The Cross"and our Good Friday Liturgy this evening.

The Altar of Repose - simply beautiful.