THE GREAT AND HOLY WEEK AND HOLY PASCHA
Lazarus Saturday
On Lazarus Saturday, April 15, many of the teens and children came to the Divine Liturgy which was celebrated to commemorate the resurrection of Lazarus after his four day burial. After the Divine Liturgy they had breakfast in the church hall and then, as they do every year, prepared the palms for Palm Sunday. Below is a photo of those who helped prepare the palms.
Palm Sunday
On Palm Sunday, palms are blessed during the Orthros service to be distributed to all the faithful to carry in procession at the end of the Divine Liturgy.
On the Great Feast of the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem—a day in which the Lord was received in a special way by the children of Jerusalem—the children of St. Mary gathered before Father David who spoke to them about the importance of the feast and of the reason why the day is so special for children.
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the procession with palms was led by the clergy and acolytes around the outside of the Church temple. The choir sang the Troparion of Lazarus Sunday and Palms Sunday: “When thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead before thy passion, thou didst confirm the universal resurrection. And we like the children carrying palm branches do proclaim thee, Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Holy Wednesday The Holy Unction Service
On the evening of Great and Holy Wednesday, the Holy Unction Service was given to a crowded Church. The Holy Oil was blessed and the Seven Epistles and Gospels were read.
At the end of the service people of all ages came forward to receive the Holy Unction for the forgiveness of their sins and the health of soul and body.
Preparation of the Tomb of Christ
On the morning of Great and Holy Friday, prior to the Royal Hours, the women and children of the parish gathered to prepare the Tomb of Christ by decorating it with flowers and covering it with a linen cloth.
The women always do this work with a great sense of love and care for the Lord and at the end of their work stand by the tomb to give thanks to the Lord for his many blessings.
Great Vespers and the Burial of Christ on Great Friday afternoon
At the 3 pm Great Vespers Service on Great and Holy Friday, during the reading of the Gospel account of the death and burial of Christ, the body of the Lord is removed from the Cross on which it was hung during the Great Thursday evening service.
After the body is removed from the Cross, the women of St. Mary, fulfilling their role as the Myrrh Bearers, receive the body and wrap it in a clean linen shroud, which is then taken and placed in the tomb of the Holy Table.
At the end of the Great Vespers, the Epitaphios—the Winding Sheet of Christ—is then placed in the tomb where it is sprinkled with Rose Water.
Lamentations Service
On Great Friday evening the Matins Lamentation Service gathers the community of St. Mary to pray and lament before the tomb of the crucified Lord. The three Lamentations are sung before the Epitaphios and during the third Lamentation the entire
At the end of the Service the Epitaphios is carried in procession outside the
Great and Holy Saturday
On Great and Holy Saturday morning, the traditional service for the giving of Holy Baptism and Holy Chrismation to the newly illumined, a new member of St. Mary was chrismated into the Orthodox Church. Here Christopher is seen as he receives Holy Chrismation.
Prior to the reading of the Gospel, Laurel Leaves, the ancient symbol of victory, are scattered around the
Pascha Service
On Great Saturday evening, at the end of the Nocturns, the Holy Doors are opened and the priest sings “Come Ye and receive the light of Christ.” The people come forward to receive the light and carry it in expectation of the announcement of the resurrection “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs, bestowing life.” This victory of Christ over Hades is symbolically recalled as the priest knocks on the doors of the church saying “Lift up your heads, O ye gates…for the King of Glory shall come in.”
At the end of the Divine Liturgy, all the clergy and people receive a Blessed Red Egg, the symbol of the Tomb of the Risen One which is now cracked open.
