Good Friday EVENT TIMES:
9:00 am - Morning Prayer
3:00 pm - Solemn LIturgy of the Lord's Passion
7:00 pm - Candlelight Stations of the Cross
Part one of the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord's Passion is the Liturgy of the Word, we hear the most famous of the Suffering Servant passages from Isaiah Psalm 30 is the Responsorial Psalm "Father, I put my life in your hands." The Second Reading, or Epistle, is from the letter to the Hebrews, The Gospel Reading is the Passion of St. John.
The General Intercessions conclude the Liturgy of the Word.
Part two is the Veneration of the Cross. A cross, is processed through the Church, and then venerated by the passing of the cross over the congregation. We joyfully venerate the wooden cross "on which hung the Savior of the world."
Part three, Holy Communion, concludes the Celebration of the Lord's Passion. The altar is covered with a cloth and the ciboriums containing the Blessed Sacrament are brought to the altar . The Our Father and the Lamb of God are recited. The congregation receives Holy Communion, there is a "Prayer After Communion," and then a "Prayer Over the People," and everyone departs in silence.
In the evening, we pray the Stations of the Cross outside ( weather permitting) with candelight. The Stations of the Cross are a 14-step Catholic devotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. The stations are commonly used as a mini pilgrimage as the individual moves from station to station. At each station, we recall and meditate on a specific event from Christ's last day. Specific prayers are recited, then we move to the next station until all 14 are complete.