The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-12
ON THE HOLY WEEK
BEAUTIFUL CEREMONIES OF THE
 CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Its Full Significance to the True Sons and Daughters of the Church
 is Explained.

During this week the most Holy rites of the Roman Catholic Church are celebrated. It is a week of great sol- emnity among the church communi- cants and to others week of interest.
 While the services are, in part, unin- telligible to those who have not made them a study, yet to everyone there is something appealing in the beautiful Easter service of the Catholic Church, and that an intelligent conception could be had of the beautiful services of the week, beginning this morning, Father Eaton of St. Peter's Church talked interestingly, eplaining the masses and the symbolic meanings of many of the weeks observances Father Eaton said: .4
 The final week of Lent in Catholic liturgy is called Greater" and Holy Week." from tho magnitude and sane tity of the ceremonies which 1t involves. The mind is transported to the sad scenes of the sublime drama of Calvary and their pathetic portrayal in the troublous times of early Christianity. The sorrow and the despised love Of the RedeemeS are in evidence through out the Ca c lie services of this week to an unusual extent
 There is the voice of David, the la mentations of Jeremiah, the beautiful Improperia, or Reproaches of the church, and the tears of the holy wo- men of Jerusalem. For a brief period of one day only is there any evidence of joy.
 Holy Thursday is devoted to com memoration of the institution of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and it's sacrifice. At the Gloria of the mass of that day, the bells are rung and the organ peals to typify the note of glad ness. which the church for a few mo ments allows in honor of the great event, and then are silent in the shadow of the Cross on Calvary. The celebra- tion of the institution of the Blessed Eucharist is put of to later day when this central dogma of Catholicity may be honored with more decorous ceremonial On Holy Thursday the altars of Catholic churches are stripped of every ornament to recall the apan- donment of Christ upon the cross. This is in keeping with Catholic faith which regards the altars as other Calvaries and tombs of the buried Redeemer. A procession is formed at the end of the mass on Holy Thursday, in which the Blessed Sacrament is borne to place httingly prepared for its reception, and called the repository, or tomb, repre- sentinE the Holy Sepulchre wherein the body of Christ was laid
 Good Friday is the only day of the year on which priests are not allowed to consecrate the bread and wine Of Sacrifice. There is no mass proper on this day. The mass is called the mass of the Pre-sanctifed, because celebrated with Host already consecrated on the previous day. procession wends lts silent way to the repository.
 The Blessed Sacrament is brought back to the church adored and consumed. Good Friday is a day of solemn vener- ation of the Cross. The church IS draped in mourning. the Cross is uncoV- cred and exposed before the altar, where it lies all day to be Ncnerated by the faithful.
 Holy Saturday, more than any other day. perhaps, of the ecclesiastical year, keeps the church in touch with the ardent faith of the early centuries. As of yore the new fire is blessed to symbolize the advent of the new law, or Law of Christ, with it is lighted the triple candlestick to show that the foundation of the Law is the Holy Trinity; the paschal candle is blessed and lighted as a type of the Resurrec- tion, the five grains of incense at tached to it illustrating the fact that it was the miracle of the Resurrec- tion, conquering the death upon the Cross, that firmly established truth of Christ's Divinity The paschal candle is retained in all the public services of the church until the feast of the ascension. when 1t is removed. This practice recalls to mind the fact that Christ remained with the Apostles for forty days after his Resurrection and then ascended into Heaven.
 The paschal candle has an interest ing historical association, indeed have all the ceremonies of the Cath ollie church. Alexandrian in the early ages of the Christian era was the seat of great astronomical speculation.
 "As Easter has always been a nov able festival. and on it depends many of the great feasts of the Catholic church, 1t became matter of supreme importance to fix the correct date oi the Paschal solemnity, This matter