The Easter Triduum at the Shrine
Day 1: Thursday
evening into Friday:
Day 2: Friday Evening into
Saturday
Day 3: Saturday
Evening into Sunday afternoon.
This is in according to
the Jewish Traditions.
The Easter Triduum can
be understood as "One long Mass," that begins on Holy Thursday
and ends on Easter Sunday's Evening Prayer. You will observe the Priest
begins on Holy Thursday with the normal greetings, "In the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; the Lord be with you"
and the faithful responds, "and with your Spirit." There is no
dismissal at the end of this Thursday Mass. The priest and the Faithful leave
the Church in Silence. Pilgrims may be asked to adore the Blessed Sacrament for
one hour at the end, before going home. This Mass continues
into Good Friday. There is no greeting of the people. This was already
done at the beginning of the Mass on Holy Thursday. The celebration on
Good Friday is not a Mass. It is a continuation of the Holy Thursday Mass, that
takes the form of a prayer service to remember the passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ. On Good Friday, the Priest and his alter servers walk into the Church
and the priest prostrates himself in front of the Altar. This Good Friday
service also ends in silence as pilgrims go home to meditate on the saving
passion of Jesus Christ. The priest does not say, "Go forth the Mass is
ended..." The Good Friday
Service continues into the evening of Holy Saturday. Again, the priest does
not begin in the usual way, "In the Name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit." Do remember that this was already done at the
beginning of the Mass on Holy Thursday, when the Lord's last Supper was
celebrated. Holy Saturday is the
final part of the Liturgical celebration called the Easter Triduum. This
profound celebration of joy concludes the Mass that began on Holy Thursday.
The priest and the Altar servers and all the faithful walk into the dark Church
with their Candles lit. The entire church is at the tomb, waiting for the
resurrection. This is the night of the resurrection. As we await this moment
of great joy, we listen to the Israel's history through seven readings from the
Old Testament. This is a special night for we recall the resurrection of Jesus
Christ - A night that dispels/removes all darkness from our life; the night
when the heavens wed the earth; a night of true joy and love; a night when the
Church re-sings the Gloria with exuberant joy: This is the night when adults are
baptized into the church! This this Holy Saturday Mass where the normal
blessing and dismissal - "The Lord be with you;" "And with your
Spirit"; "Go Forth the Mass is ended., alleluia, alleluia,"
still does not end the Easter Triduum. The Pilgrims respond, "Thanks be to
God, Alleluia, Alleluia. The Easter Triduum continues from Saturday Evening
unto the Sunday Easter Mass, - The Mass of the Lord's Resurrection. It concludes
with the Evening prayer of the Church on Sunday Evening. May you have a blessed
and graced experience of Easter: Holy Thursday, into Good Friday; Good Friday
into Saturday Evening and Saturday Evening into Sunday Easter Mass. The
Priests, Deacons and Sisters normally conclude the Triduum with the Evening
Prayers on Sunday. On Easter Sunday, we try our best to be at Mass.
We are praying for you.
May the peace of Christ dwell in your hearts and your entire being, through the
intercession of the Saints: especially Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
