The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-04-16
HOLY WEEK
AS 1t is Observed in the
Catholic Church in All
ChristendoIn.
With all its Grand and Impressive
Ceremonies.

ThiStS Holy week." week Ol
fasting and prayer in the Catholic
church. Services appropriate ia
this auspirious occasion are being
held at st. Johns church, com
mencing last Wednesday and con
tinuing yesterday, today Good Fri
day, and tomorrow. We take the
following from the Columbus Press
giving plain and lucid explana-
tion of the definition "Holy Week :"
"Holy Week" has been called by
several names, from the great mys-
teries and various ceremonies per-
formedi in it. The Greeks and Lat
ins anciently called il The Great
Week" "The Holy Week." some
times "The Painful Weck"-that is
the week of sorrow; the days of the
cross or of suffering. ave call it
the Great Week." says st. Chrysos.
tom, "not that it consists Of a great
er number of days, or that the days
in it are longer, but on account Of
the great things which God has
wrought in it; for on these days
was the tyranny of the devil over
thrown, death disarmed, sin and its
curse taken away, heaven opened
and made accessihle,and men made
fellows with the angels"
The chief object of the church in
this week Is to communicate the
passion and death of her Redeem
er; every part Of,the sacred liturgy
Is directed to this end; the church's
Offices, more solemn and more null
tiplied in this week than any other
during the whole year.
Last Sunday was Palm Sunday
and the congregations ali over the
living world who attend Catholic
worship carried with them after
the services palm branch which
on this day had boen blessed by the
officiating priest. Palm Sunday is
celebrated in commemorati0n of
the triumphal entrance of Jesus of
Nazareth into Jerusalem on which
occasion the people of the Holy
City scattered branches of palm in
the streets in advance of our Lord
as he passed through the town.
AIN over Christendom special
services are held on this solemn &C.
casiOn. The day is also appropri-
ately observed by those of the
Episcopalian persuasion.
In all large cities where there
are several priests stationed, the
services in Catholic churches are
solemn and impressive.
The Catholic Columbian of last
week contains the following inter-
esting description of the ceremon-
les on the different days:
The Office at Which we are now
to assist is called Tenebrae, mean
ing darkness, because it pictures to
us, by the gradual darkening of the
church, the more than natural
darkness that overshadow, d the
world at the death Of Jesus Christ
II is the preparation which the
church gives us that we may assist
in proper dispositions at the sacred |
function which in to take place +
next morning. On Wednesday |
evening we sing the Tenebrae of
Thursday in preparation for the
mass and Office of Thursday; on
Inuro...y evening we sing by an
ticipation the Office of good Friday;
on Friday evening we sing the
preparation for the Offices and mass
CT Easter eve. In early times these
offices were begun ut midnight, but
we are allowed to have them at an
earlier hour in order to enable more
of us to be present.
The service consists of Mathis
and Lauds, and is Il portion of the
divine Office which every priest of
the church is bound to say each
day. The Mathis consist of three
parts called nocturns, night Offices,
Each nocturn is made up of three
psalms followed by the canticle of
Zachary (BenedictuS), and the
whole Office is closed with the Goth
psalm (Miserere) and collect.
The .Tenebrae service for Maunday
Thursday in the psalms and les
sons brings befoie us the passion
of our Saviour, and in an especial
way the treachery of Judas. LII
the third nocturn, however, the les
sons appropriately relate ST. Paui's |
account Of the institution Of the
Holy Eucharist.
The ceremonies Of this service
are rich in meaning. AT the end
OF each psalm one of the candles in
the triangular candlestick is eX-
tinguished until, rs the office pro-
ceeds, only one Is left alight. BY |