Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-07
HOLY WEEK, The MOST
SACRED OF THE YEAR

Holy Week. the closing week of the
Lenten season, began Sunday, and will
be observed with the usual impressive
and solemn services in the Catholic
churches of Augusta, while in the
Episcopal, also, the season will be
noted Palm Sunday, which symbolizes
the entry of the Savior into Jerusalem,
five days before His crucifixion, was
commemorated with impressive digni-
ty and in the presence of large con-
gregations.
Office of Tenebrae
on Wednesday, Thursday and Fri
day nights of Holy Week is celebrated
in the cathedrals and churches of the
larger centers but not in the smaller
churches, the office of the tenebrae, so
called from the Latin word which sig
nifies darkness; for each night, to-
ward the end of the service, the lights
are extinguishe1. both to express deep
mourning and in memory of the dark
ness which covered the earth at the
time of the crucifxion of the Savior.
The offices during these three days
are mournful, funeral obsequies, which
the church pays to the Redeemer.
Holy (Maunday) Thursday
The Lords last supper Is commem-
grated by the Catholic church on Holy
Thursday, which is called Maunday
Thursday, the day of the institution
of the sacrament of the Holy Eucha-
rist, by Christ himself, with bread
ana wine, which He blessed and gave
to His apostles as His own body and
blood, which also He commanded them
to do in commemratin of Him.
After the Gloria in Excelsia of the
mass on Holy Thursday the bells
cease to ring and all music is hushed
until the Gloria OF the mass on Holy
Saturday, which is the mass of mid
night for Easter anticipated on the
eve, before noon. This is for a sign of
mourning and absence of allamanifes-
tations of joy while Christ's body is
in the sepulchre.
The blessed sacrament is taken
away and placed in a repository and
the affairs are uncovered and stripped
OF all ornaments, to express profound
grief and to represent the nakedness
and abandoned state of Christ upon
the cross.
The solemn conservation of the holy
oils is performed by the bishops on
this day, and some of these are dis
tributed the priests of the dioceses
for sacramental use in amounting the
sick in danger of death Others are for
use by the bishops in administering
the sacraments of confirmation and
Holy Orders.
Good Friday
On Good Friday the crucifxion and
death of the Redeemer engrosses the
attention and devotion of the church
and the faithful throughout the world.
The affairs are bare and no mass is
celebrated on that day, which distin-
guishes it from all other days of the
year. But, with other hosts conse-
Grated in the mass of Holy Thursday
one is specially reserved for the COM
munion of the priest on Good Friday
lie says the latter portion of the pray
ers Of mass without consecrating the
host and receives that consecrated on
the day before This is called the mass
fthe presanctihed. After these pray
ers comes the exposition and venera-
ton of the cross.
Holy Saturday
The body of the Redeemer lying in
the spulcher occupies the thought of
the church on Holy Saturday. The
first part of the Office of this day is the
blessing of the fire, very ancient rite,
which represents the kindling by
Christ in the hearts of the faithful of
a new spiritual fire of His love. Then
follows the blessing of the Paschal
candle, the lighting of which an
nounces to the world the glorious res
direction Of Christ and the joy OF
man restored by redemption. Five
grains of incense are blessed and fixed
in the candle to represent the five
wounds of the Savior and the embalm-
ing Of His body before burial. The
Paschal candle is lighted on Easter