Tonight begins the Triduum, the centerpiece of the Church's year, one liturgy across three nights. We are swept into the experience of Jesus' Passion and Resurrection as we pass through Maundy Thursday tonight at 7 p.m., Good Friday tomorrow at 7 p.m., and the Great Vigil of Easter April 16 at 8:30 p.m. Information on additional minor services and devotions remaining this week is
on our website.
ALTAR RAIL UPDATE
Last Sunday, we resumed receiving communion at the altar rail, and wine is now available as an option. Information to answer all your questions will continue to be on the back cover of your bulletin for a few weeks and is
online here with photos.
GREAT VIGIL INVITATION
The 8:30 P.M. Great Vigil and first Mass of Easter is the climactic liturgy of the Christian year. Invite a friend -- and if you are attending, please bring a sweet or savory ready to serve for the late-night reception!
EASTER SUNDAY
Emmanuel will offer two identical Easter Sunday Masses at 9 and 11 a.m. Each of these will feature brass and choir; bring a friend!
OFFICE CLOSED
Emmanuel will be closed on Easter Monday the 18th of April to give our clergy and staff a well-deserved break after Holy Week and all the extra time it involves.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Monday April 25th at 6 p.m., Bishop Lambert will ordain the Rev. Marisa Crofts to the priesthood at Emmanuel. If you would like to donate by check or online towards the parish's ordination gift to Marisa, a chasuble/stole set, note "ordination" in the memo or comments line.
Sometimes I believe I have favorite moments in Holy Week, but I'm wrong. The thing about going through all the experiences the Church lays out for you in the way it lays them out is that by doing so, you open yourself to the action of an unpredictable God who wants to slip through the door of your life far more than you want him to. You may think it will be the moment the Reproaches begin, the moment the Sacrament is removed from the nave, the moment the new fire is kindled, or something else. However, God may very well choose his own moment to bring home to you what Jesus has done and how deeply he loves you. That's how liturgy works: we carry out the words and actions the Holy Spirit has guided his people to put in place, and God fills them as he will and when he will. See you in church.
