We had the foot washing accompanied by the Taize Ubi Caritas, sang "In the heart5 where love is abiding" as the anthem and led the walk into the 'garden of repose',to the Taize "Wait with me".
As we waited silently in the Lady Chapel ablaze with lilies, the alter stripping took place in the darkened church,
For once, even the most junior choir members remembered to leave in silence.
This all adds to the solemnity and yes I suppose, the theatricality of this sober piece of our liturgy.
Some of our number prefer Christmas and the music which accompanies it, but for me Easter has all the elements which appeal to my need for gravitas in religion.
I am so glad that my introduction to Christianity was in the High Anglican or Anglo Catholic tradition. Happy Clappy would never have worked for me.
Two down (Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday), and three to go.
Hurray.
Sorry the phantom underliner took over my blog.
I wonder where your introduction to High Anglican was - for me it was St Agnes and St Michael's school at East Grinstead.
ReplyDeleteMine Susan, very well covered in my earlier blogs, was at St Mary the Virgin Aylesbury, only four years ago.
ReplyDeleteThis church has now become the centre of my life and all its many activities have added an extra dimension to what would have been a very lonely existence.
Have a happy and blessed Easter.
I'm on the high side too, Ray and love the drama of the Holy Week liturgy. Our Maundy Thursday Eucharist was an unusual one and I'll be posting about it next week.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the phantom underliner is concerned, if you want to edit the text, open the post, using the little pencil icon below it, highlight all the underlined words and then click on the underline icon above the text box. That should clear it.
Thanks Perpetua, but having spent five hours at St. M's today, with 3 lots of singing I have decided to leave the blog as it is.
ReplyDeleteIf it happens again, I will, thanks to you, know what to do about it.
Was there incense too? I always associate incense with high church.
ReplyDeleteNot in todays service Jane. The Good Friday solemn mass is stripped down to the bare bones. No wine just bread at Communion and definitely no incense. There is also no music during Communion, it is entirely silent except for the priest's words and the 'amen' response from the communicant.
ReplyDeleteAll the rest of the music is carefully 'joyless'
That said, we had incense on Maundy Thursday and will tomorrow and on Sunday
Enough to send us all home coughing our lungs out:)
It is theatrical, which is what I love about it. The things we do signify. At our rehearsal, we explained to the acolytes that we would not be reverencing the altar once the presence was taken to the altar of repose and that we would leave in the dark and in silence as if we were the disciples abandoning Jesus in the garden. They got it.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Penny. Sometimes it is necessary to fire up someone's imagination in order to help them to see more clearly.
ReplyDeleteIllustrating the message is I think essential for us all at times.
I love everything about the Easter liturgy and music (at least, as practised at St. Mary's.