Paschal Triduum

■ Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Holy Thursday at 6:30 pm

■ Celebration of the Lord’s Passion
Good Friday at 6:30 pm

■ Mass of the Easter Vigil
Holy Saturday at 8:00 pm

Easter Sunday
 

• Ecumenical Sunrise Service at the Pier at 6:30am

 

• Easter Mass in Church at 8:00am

 

• Easter Mass at the Pier 11:00am

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As I head back to Tybee on Sunday afternoon from my “special assignment,” I’ll have the joy of welcoming Mike and Judy and two of my nieces Adrienne (Tim) and Laura (Alex) and their families who will be spending their Spring break on Tybee.  Pre-pandemic, they were here in 2019 during Holy Week and it was a very special week.  For all Christians, Holy Week is the most special week of the year.  Think about how much you enjoy Christmas, your birthday, or an anniversary.  Holy Week is much more important than these beautiful days.  As a Catholic people, we celebrate and remember the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior.   These are the most important liturgies of the Church year and each of us should place our participation in these celebrations among our most important religious practices and obligations.  Your attendance or lack thereof, will be a good barometer of the spiritual maturity of our Faith Community. 

Nathan Mitchell, in his article, The Three Days of Pascha, asks if the Sacred Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday evening through Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday) is really about focusing on merely the historical events of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection? To be sure, he contends, the historical events are important as we commemorate what is so central to our faith. 

But he continues, “precisely because these faith-anchoring events are historical, however, they cannot be repeated or ‘reenacted’… the liturgies of these days do not “take us Back” to the upper room or the path to Calvary.” He explains further, the various liturgies “ultimate purpose is not to retrace or relive the last hours of Jesus’ life – nor to catch sight of him emerging from the tomb at Easter’s dawning. They celebrate what is now happening among us as a people called to conversion, gathered in faith, and gifted with the Spirit of holiness.  They celebrate God’s taking possession of our hearts at their deepest core, recreating us as a new human community broken like bread for the world’s life – a community rich in compassion, steadfast in hope, and fearless in the search of justice and peace.”

As we enter these central mysteries of our Catholic faith, may we recognize in our hearts the compassion of Christ and wait in joyful hope until he comes again.  Meanwhile, may we identify with the Risen Lord in the breaking of the bread and be courageous as we participate in His kingdom of truth, justice, and peace.  May the Risen Lord bless you and your loved ones throughout these most sacred days.

On the Way Home: Growing up, did your family have any special traditions for Palm Sunday or Easter? Have you ever attended the Paschal Triduum Liturgies?  Would you consider doing so this year?  What kinds of traditions do you now have to make Holy Week special?