Catholic Easter observances...

[MaryAnnSmotheredinchocolate]

..am very lapsed but can remember going to church when I spent Easter with my grandparents many times over Holy week - was it 3 times on Good Friday, or on each day - I can barely remember. We had to kiss the feet of Jesus on the crucifix. I remember the statues being covered in purple too...was disappointed that this doesn't seem to happen now.

You could probably find Anglo-Catholic churches where they still do it all... some of them are way higher than a lot of RC...

mm, probably right - this was aeons ago...

nope
they do it at our church

I always liked it, very dramatic, bit spooky too

Happened in the church I was at today! Very 'high' Anglo-Catholic though, never seen the kissing thing anywhere else. Lots of Anglican churches cover the statues etc from the end of the Maundy Thursday liturgy til Easter Sunday though.

And in the church I go to - Catholic. The Easter celebration is in 3 parts - the tridiuum.

Yesterday, Maundy Thursday we remembered the Last Supper. We had Mass at 8pm. With people from the parish having their feet washed. At the end of Mass the altar was stripped bare and the Eucharist was removed to the hall. There then was silent prayer til midnight for those who could watch.

Today we remembered the crucifixion. A solemn service where we heard the Passion. After, the cross was brought in and raised 3 times while we prayed. Then we venerated the cross by kissing it or genuflecting before it. Then we took communion and left silently after a prayer.

Tomorrow night the Easter candle is lit. We all light candles from it and sit in the darkened church listening to readings that span from the earliest times of the bible, hearing our early history. Then the bells are rung and the lights come on and we celebrate the first Mass of Easter with great joy.

It does still go on, MaryAnn - was singing at Good Friday service today at High Anglican church, and Maundy Thursday yesterday. They did the whole lot - altar stripped bare, statues covered, sung passion, priest processing with cross, congregation kissing the feet, leaving in silence etc. Was, as you say, spooky and dramatic. It was great (am 'lapsed' too but do singing jobs in churches).

OhYouBadKitten & Torek, yes it was that, the Tridiuum...now I remember...

happens at our catholic church too, what is significance of covering statues in purple cloth ?

I would think that it's because purple is the colour of the Passion - and like the altar being cleared of everything the statues are covered to absent them I suppose..

ohyoubadkitten - that sounds amazing!!

right, ds 6 asked at mass last week and i struggle to remember , tbh think he prob knows more than me from school now.

We had the whole kissing the cross, purple cloth covering the statues etc in our church (RC) and will have the gorgeous candlelit vigil tonight.

it is gorgeous isn't it jcscot. Though I'm not sure whether we will be having the Easter bonfire outside the church - with hail/snow showers and strong wind it could be quite interesting lolol!

probably a bit longer - if its like our church there will be lots of joyous singing. ours is aimed at a slightly more kiddie congregation where as tonight will be long and more adult oriented.

At the anglo parish we went to when we lived in the USA (no choice), they had the altar stripped for the whole of Lent, and draped the cross in purple voile (they did the same at Advent).

Liturgy reverted to 1662.