The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-04-16
LENT'S SOLEMN CLOSING DAYS
BUSY PREPARATIONS FOR THE
EASTER CELEBRATION.

solemn Services in the Churches in
/ Observance of Holy Thursday and
Good Friday-The Anniversary of
the CruciRxiOn Observed I'm the
business WOrId-The Exchanges
Closed and "a Partial Suspension OF
| Business-The Public Schools Close
in Respect to the Day-The Pro-
Ernmme of Services I'm the
Churches.
To-day is Good Friday, the most solemn
OF all days in the Christian calendar It
has been held sacred by the church from
| the earliest times and Is observed with
more solemnity and ceremonial now than
/ it was a century ago. Before the change
| In religions its Observance was of sort
OF festival character; it is now observed
as a sacred day, a day Of penitence and
mourning in keeping with the tragic event
| il commentaries.
| The observances of Holy Thursday are
preliminary to those of Good Friday Ser
vices were held yesterday and last night
in all the churches which observe Lent.
In the Roman Catholic church the day
was celebrated with unusual ceremony.
Pontifical high mass was celebrated at 9
o'clock at the cathedral by Bishop Becker.
assisted by Father Mccarthy and Father
Quinlan, as deacons of honor, and Father
Mayer and Father Gregory, as deacons of
the mass. There were no services at st.
Patricks or the Sacred Heart churches,
and all of the priests Of the diocese assisted
at the cermonies at the cathedral.
The blessed sacrament altar was eabo-
rately decorated with lighted candles and
flowers, and a number of altar boys, at
tired in purple and red cassocks and white
surplices, assisted in the celebration. The
procession was imposing, and the blessed
sacrament was placed on exposition dur
ing the day The tenebrae was sung last
night, and a sermon was delivered by
Bishop Becker. The chanting of the
miserere by the choir was very fine
At st. Johns Episcopal church evening
prayer was said at o'clock. That was
the only service of the day. Formerly it
was custom in the Episcopal churches
to celebrate the holy communion on Holy
| Thursday evening. Since Bishop Nelson
has had charge of the diocese the custom
has been omitted. Services were held
also at o'clock at Christ church and at
st. Pauls Episcopal church. At the Luz
theran Church of the Ascension and at
st. PauPs Lutheran church there were
services also in observance of the day
At Wesley Monumental church a special
| service was held; the sacrament OF the
Lords supper was celebrated, and a SER
mon was preached with special reference
to the events which transpired on the
| night before Christs crucihxion.
The services in the ritualistic churches
10 Iaxv xrrs1T he 49, fFar 1Ea oat1
The mass of the passion will be celebrated
at the cathedral at o'clock. The pas
sion will be chanted by Bishop Becker,
| assisted by two priests After the pas
sion comes the veneration of the cross.
The crosses, which have been covered
since Passion Sunday, will be unveiled
and raised for the generation of the
priests and the people. Then will come
the procession, when the blessed sacra-
ment will be brought back from the re-
| pository to the main altar. The mass of
the presanctifed host will then be said,
beginning with the pater noster and end
ing with the communion of the priests.
The stations of the cross will be said
at o'clock in the afternoon, the hour
at which our Lord is supposed to have
died. In the evening at o'clock the tene.
brae will be sung and the miserere
| chanted
At st. Johns church morning services
| will be held at II O'Clock. There will be
no afternoon or evening services. Special
| services will also be held in Christ and
| St. Paul's Episcopalian, and in the Luth-
| eran Church of the Ascension and ST.
! Paurs Lutheran church. At the Church
| of the Ascension services will be held at
| II O'Clock, preparatory to the Lords sup
| per, and Rev. DR.. Schaeffer viii preach
| on 'The Death of Christ"
| Services appropriate to the cruclhXion
| will be held at II o'clock in st. Paul's
| at Bull and First streets. The pastor
Rev. NJ j. Epting, will preach a sermon
| suitable to the day.
The knights Templar, in accordance
| with the stoms of the order. will OBJ
serve the day. A conclave of Palestine
! commaudery viii be held tonight and the
order of Malta will be conferred.
In the world outside Of the church Good
| Friday has come to be recognized as a day
| of partial cessation of business. The pub
| lie schools will be closed as Will the ex-
! changes-the cotton exchange and board
of trade-and in all branches of business
the influences of the day are felt.
| Tomorrow which is Holy Saturday.
| closes the great Lenten fast. Easter will
be observed with more than usual cere-
| mony this year. The flowers are in pro-
/ fusion and the decorations promise to be
| Of an elaborate character The chors have
| been rehearsing their Easter music and
| the programmes promise services wholly
in keeping with the glad festival of the
| resurrection.