Evening journal., 1912-03-21
LENTEN SEASON
NEARING END
The Passion to be Sung in
Churches on Sun.
daV
SERVICES
In CITY CHURCHES

With next Sunday the lenten season
begins to draw to a close. In the RI
tual of the Catholic Church the day is
known as Passion Sunday, when at
the gospel of the mass the priests sing
the Passion of the Lord, which tells of
the cruclhxion. On this day, too. the
statues and pictures in the churches,
as well .as the a,tars, are dTaped in
purple, the color Of mourning and
repentance
More universally and in churches Of
many denominations is observed Holy
Week, which in Catholic and Protest
ant churches begins with what is
known as Palm Sunday. This follows
Passion Monday by one week, falling
this year on the last day of March.
Holy week comes to a close on Easter
Sunday, April Z. when the resurrec-
ton of Christ is celebrated as the most
important feast day of the eclesiasti-
cal year.
Palm Sunday commentaries the tri-
umphant entry of Christ into Jeru-
salem and in Catholic churches palms
are blessed and distributed among the
congregations. Palms are also dis
tributed in Episcopal and other
churches and are then carried by the
priest and the people in procession TO
to typify Christ's entrance into Jeru-
salem when he was met by the null
titude bearing palm branches in their
hands and shouting "Hosannah to the
Son Of Davidl"
The week before Easter has been
called by several names. from the va
rious ceremonis celebrated and per-
formed in it. The Greeks and Latins
anciently called it the Great Week,
the Holy Week, sometimes the Pain
ful Week, that is the week of austeri-
ties; also the week of Sorrows, the
days of the cross or of suffering. The
chief object of the Catholic Church i'm
this week is 10 celebrate the memory
of the passion and death of the Christ.
Every part of the sacred liturgy is di-
rected to this end; the church's offices
more solemn and more multiplied in
this week than in any other during the
whole year. are most especially adapt
ed to excite the hearts OF worshippers
TO detcstation Of sin.
] ne oNNtl Adltn vi Alt iN7l Ndg0 D1-
fore Easter are particularly impress
sive i'm churches Of the Catholic de-
nomination The tenebrae. or lamen-
tat'ons. are sung in the churches on
Wednesday and Thursday nights. and
the wav of the cross is said on Friday
night. On Maundy Thursday two hosts
are Ocnsecrated at the mass. one Of
which is consumed at the mass while
the other is placed in a receptacle for
use on Friday morning at the mass
of the presanctihed. AT the Gloria of
the mass on Thursday morning the
altar and church bells are rung and
then are silent until Saturday morn
ing. when at the high mass commemo'
rating the resurrection they are again
rung.
The host used in the mass Of the
presanctified rests on Thursday on 2
side altar of the church. to which rest
ing place it is carried in solemn pro
cession. On the morning Of Good Fri
day the host is again borne in solemn
procession 20 the main altar where j
is used i'm the mass Of the presancti
fed. During this mass the passion II
sung and the ceremony Of the ado
ration OF the cross follows. On Gool
Friday It is further a custom in The
Catholic Church to pray for people o