the high point of the Liturgical Year
BY ANN BONIFERRO, DIRECTOR OF PASTORAL LITURGY & MUSIC
The Paschal Triduum is one great festival recounting the last days of Jesus’ life on earth, the events of his Passion and Resurrection. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one.
The Chapel of Mary, Mother of Compassion in Providence Motherhouse in Kingston, Ontario is the spiritual home for the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, the Congregation of Notre Dame, the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph and many non-religious members of the Sunday Faith Community. The Triduum celebrations are a highlight of the liturgical year for all who attend in the chapel, those who watch on closed circuit TV from their rooms, and those who join the livestream.
The Triduum begins on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper during which the assembly was invited to come to either one of two stations to have their feet washed. At the same time, the presider washed the hands of those Sisters with mobility challenges who were seated in the access area. The liturgy concluded with a procession of the Body of Christ and a period of silent prayer before the Eucharist, an invitation to watch a while with the Lord.
The Triduum continued Friday afternoon with the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion. Good Friday is the only day of the year that we do not celebrate the Eucharist. It is also the only liturgy of the year that makes no mention of Christ’s life, his teaching or his resurrection. We come to a full, silent stop at the foot of the cross. The liturgy concentrates on the proclamation of the Passion according to John, the Solemn Intercessions and the Veneration of the Cross. The Passion was sung by five women, from locations on and around the sanctuary, in the roles of narrator, Jesus, Peter/Pilate, and other voices. The Solemn Intercessions were spoken by two lay ministers, with a sung Kyrie response. During the Veneration of the Cross, accommodation is again made for Sisters in access seating by bringing a smaller cross to them for personal veneration.
The Paschal Triduum which began at sundown on Holy Thursday concludes at sundown on Easter Sunday. To those who are not of the household of faith, what we do during the Easter Vigil must look very peculiar. We stand in the dark, carry candles about, sing lengthy religious texts, read stories from the Bible. We recount the story of our life as a people of God … a very long one that has been growing since the creation of the world. Although only some of the scripture readings were proclaimed, we began with the story of Creation with a translation that includes a sung response after each day: “And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and morning.” The Glory to God was joyfully sung with the ringing of bells that were distributed before the liturgy. Following the Liturgy of the Word, all were invited to gather at the font for the Blessing of Water. The Renunciation of Sin and Profession of Faith were sung by a cantor, with the assembly singing in response: “We do believe! This is our faith; this is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus.” At the Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday, the assembly rang bells during the Glory to God and in the hymns whenever Alleluia! was sung.
The conclusion of the Triduum, on Easter Sunday, marks the beginning of the Easter Season which lasts for another 50 days anticipating the Feast of Pentecost on June 8, 2025.
