The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-03-28
HOLY week
IMPORTANT EVENTS coMMEmo-
RATED DURING THE LAST
WEEK OF LENT.

Resktf7i. - ~ litts -flet3
siahs path with palm branches cry
ing sHosaana 70 the Son Of David
Palm Sunday Is the beginning OF
the Holy Week the closing week Of
the Lemon season. and It Is a period
Of deepest devotion among church.
men of almost every denomination.
especially the Catholics, Episcopal
ians and Lutherans. X Y
The chief days or the week are
Spy Wednesday, Mandy or Holy
Thursday. Good Friday and Holy
Saturday. The first is named as d
commemory Of the treachery Of Jud.
as 1scariot In betraying his Master
as It was understood that at this time
he was venturing upon the deed,
which was consummated ON Thurs.
day night in the beautiful garden
OF Gethsemane when he marked the
Messiah with a kiss. The services
at the Sacred Heart church WIN be
held Wednesday evening at 1880
O'clock.
Mandy Thursday is named from
the word "mandatum," which com.
mences one of the church services.
OF that day which Is sung in com.
memoration Of the washing Of Christ
Of the feet of his twelve apostles. In,
Rome on Maundy Thursday 1t is the
custom Of. the pope to wash the feet
OF thirteen poor people. st. Paul
having been raised to the apostle.
ship, the number included in that
body Is therefore considered as thtr.
teen. The custom Of washing the
feet Of poor people or of pilgrims is
an old one. as 1t is referred to by st,
Augustine in many of his writings.
In many cases IT was accompanied by
the distribution of coles to beg.
.gars.
The Messiah washed the feet of hfs
apostles at the Last Supper, when the
Holy Eucharist was instituted, and
it is the later evnt that Mandy
Thursday chiefly Commentaries.
Good Friday is the most solemn
Of all the days Holy Week, common.
Grating, as It does, the cruciixion of
the Christ. The affairs of houses Of
WORSHIP are denudel that day to sig.
Nifty the DISSOLUTION Of the church.
One OF the most solemn services
of Holy Week in the Catholic church.
es is the chanting Of the Tenebrae.
which IS given Oh Wednesday, Thurs.
day and Friday. During taistoftice
a large candlestick is placed. near
the altar bearing fifteen tapers dis.
posed in a triangle and representing
the light of Christ and of the prop.
bets who had announced his coming
As the psalms of the office are sung
the ttapers are extinguished until
only the top one remains. This Is
taken down during the Miserere and
carried behind the altar to signify
the temporary extinction Of the light
Of Christ between His death ana re.
surrection.
Holy Saturday is q day of mourn.
ing and waiting 1t commentaries
the descent Of chrsst,s SOU into linn.
DO, while his body rests in the grave
Its principal ceremonies are the sol.
emn blessing of fire and of the water
OF the baptfsmal font. From the
fire that is blessed on that day is
lighted the paschal light, which is re.
garded as symbol of Christ risen
"om the dead, ana the sympolical
light is kept burning throughout the
interval between Easter and pente-
cost.
The chanting of the Tenebrae is a
very solemn service and is describ.
ed as follows by Father Thomas A.
Rankin, Of the Sacred Heart cathes.l
raj Of Richmond, Virginia, the splen.
did edifice completed a short time
ago and the gift Of Thomas F. RYAN
TO Richmond.
One OF the most striking charac.
teristicg OF human nature Is to give
outward expression by words and
signs Of the interior sentiments 81
the soul. This is true, not only Of /
individuals. but Of whole nations as
well. On days of-great joy, such as
national holidays, flags are bqistedll
and salutes fred. while Oh days oil
Sorrow flags droob at midstaff aud
iready place creeping into the veryt
marrow ofione's bones, But He didl.
not. He made the sky SO brilliantly
beautiful as to put rubies and Ola.
maaas and sapphises to shame. Hell
placed the shining sun in nidsaeayen
and lit the stars at night and sell
them swinging like lanterns at the
top-masts of an ssGnamerable armada
sailing threagA the ocean Of infinite
space" Il is no wonder the Psalmiss
exclaimed: s"rbe t1eaya,, .,a,Ia.o -.