San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-03-29
CATHOLIC NEWS.
Holy Week Services Churches For
San Antonio-Notes and Personals.

San Antonio-Notes and Personals.
Today begins the "Holy Week"
season, and the church once more
renews in mystic rites the sad
(scenes of Calvary's cross. The
Season is one in which to contem-
plate in solemn liturgies and
grand ceremonies the majestic
drama of the passion, the death,
and the burial of the Son of God.
The primal thought of the
church in her liturgy is to keep be-
fore the minds of men as genera
lions come and go upon the stage
of this world that the Savior came,
and that He died for their redemp-
ton. This, she does by her sacred
rites, her mysterious symbols, and
her holy ceremonies. The liturgy
is filled with mysteries in which
are celebrated many of the Won
derful events in the life OF Christ.
The initial ceremonies Of the most
solemn season of the festal year
begins today with Palm Sunday.
Palm Sunday is celebrated every
year in honor and remembrance of
the triumphal entry Of Christ into
Jerusalem, in the last year
of His life. The ceremonies
begin with the reading of the his
tory of His entering the holy city
Ia triumph, as given in the scrip
lures. The palms are then blessed
with ceremonies and with prayers
and passages taken from the Bible
relating to the triumphsl entry.
The palms are then distributed
among the congregation.
On Wednesday evening the Office
OF the "Tenebrae" opens. "Tene-
brae" means darkness, and the
ceremonies which attend the office
typify the darkness Of the three
hours hanging over the earth
while the Lord was dying on the
cross. At the end OF the office, the
candles are placed beneath the
altar to signify the burial OF, and
the darkness that overspread the
earth at His death. The offices of
the Tenebrae are celebrated three
days, for the three days and nights
the Lord lay in the tomb.
On Thursday the oils used in
comforting several of the sacra-
ments during the rest of the year
are blessed by the bishop, and the
old oils are burned. The greatest
Of the holy oils Is chrism, which is
used at confirmation, and the con-
secration of bishop. It is olive
oil mixed with balsam. The other
holy oils are made Of olives. This
ceremony takes place with great
pomp. OF all the ceremonies Of
the year, the conservation of the
holy oils is one Of the most beauti-
full, and the ceremonies are deeply
mystical.
Mass is also celebrated in re-
membrance of the Last Sup
per. The celebrant consecrates |
two hosts, one Of which is carried |
in solemn procession to an altar
called the repository, where, amid
the burning candles, the blooming
flowers, and the adoring people, it
is placed with solemn rites, and |
kept until the next day.
The feet of thirteen persons,
twelve Of whom represent the apos-
ties, are washed. 1t is a tradition
OF the church that Pope Gregory
the Great, while once washing the
feet Of twelve beggars, discovered
thirteen persons in the room, with
out knowing how the thirteenth
had entered. 1t was supposed that
1t was an angel sent to show how
God loved the charity and humil-
ity Of the great pope. Thus the
custom of washing the feet OF thir-
teen.
In the evening the Office Of the
Tenebrae is sung, as on the after
noon before.
On Good Friday are held the sad
and sombre rites celebrating the
death and funeral of the Lord.
Clothed in robes and vestments of
deep black the priests, with ges-
lures and genuflexions, go through
the ceremonies OF the stripping Of
the cross, rite invested with Deep
est mysticism. The Way Of the
Cross is also held, which represents
the Savior in different stages Of the
road to Calvary. In the evening
the Tenebrae is chanted for the
last time.
On Holy Saturday the object Of
the services is to recall the rest of
the Lord when dead and lao in the
tomb. The most Important |
is the blessing of Nc new
fire. All lights are ex - puished
and at the time ammo a,ed the
celebrant with attend ia Ooes
outside into the poEf' n q, the