Holy Week at Anglican Cathedrals
Holy Week is almost upon us. This is a time when Christians mark the end of Lent with a series of observances that re-enact our Lord’s final days, from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday to his triumph over the grave one week later. Anglican churches across the ACNA will play host to a variety of unique, public and liturgical events, from foot washing to Easter egg hunts! Words like “Spy Wednesday” and “Maundy Thursday” creep back into our vocabulary, and if you want to see these holy days observed at the highest level, it doesn’t hurt to visit an Anglican cathedral.
When you hear the words “Anglican cathedral,” you might picture medieval, gothic structures erected and built with stones that were pulled from the same English soil on which they rest. Unless you regularly attend one, it might be easy to forget that the ACNA has cathedrals, too, and just like their medieval counterparts, they play a vital role in shaping culture and customs in their respective dioceses and the national church. Holy Week is no exception, so let’s take a tour of our Anglican cathedrals, noting how each one plans to observe the highs and lows of this sacred time.
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Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is usually a joyous occasion wherever you go, but some places offer something special. The Cathedral Church of the Apostles (Carolinas) for instance is hosting a pot-luck breakfast with an opportunity for making palm crosses. Not to be outdone, Holy Cross Cathedral (South) will be offering a full stack of services, including a “Palm Sunday Petting Zoo” and “Youth Stations of the Cross Re-Enactment” nestled between the Traditional and Contemporary worship services. The Cathedral Church of the Ascension (All Saints) invites everyone to “Join us for worship on Palm Sunday as we prepare for Holy Week. This also marks the Church of the Ascension’s 7-year anniversary!”
Monday in Holy Week
The Monday after Palm Sunday is probably the most neglected day in Holy Week, but there are exceptions among our cathedrals. All Saints Cathedral (New England) for instance, hosts Holy Week Vespers on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week.
Tuesday in Holy Week
Tuesday in Holy Week doesn’t seem to fare much better than Monday. However, St. Vincent’s Cathedral (Fort Worth) hosts a “Mass of Collegiality” or “Chrism Mass,” described as “Once a year, all the clergy of the diocese worship together and renew their Ordination Vows. Bishop Reed consecrates a priest host to be used in all churches during the Maundy Thursday Eucharist, and he also blesses sacred oil to be used for the upcoming year. All are invited.”
Wednesday in Holy Week (Spy Wednesday)
Tenebrae is a special service commonly (but not universally) observed on Wednesday in Holy Week. It involves the extinguishing of candles, one by one, in conjunction with the recitation of a series of biblical lessons. Darkness grows as each candle goes out, reminding us that Christ’s brutal death is approaching.
St. Charles Anglican Cathedral (Cascadia) hosts a Tenebrae service on Holy Wednesday, and so does St. Timothy’s Anglican Church (Western Gulf Coast) following a celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday services commemorate the Last Supper and many churches re-enact the humble service of our Lord’s washing the feet of the apostles during these services. St. John’s Anglican Church (Pro-Cathedral, Christ Our Hope) will observe foot washing and Holy Communion this Maundy Thursday.
Another common custom on Maundy Thursday is “Stripping of the Altar” at the close of services. St. Vincent’s Cathedral (Fort Worth) advertises a Eucharist followed by food washing and stripping the altar. St. John’s Cathedral (Quincy) also advertises a stripping of the altar following final services offered on Maundy Thursday. All Saints Cathedral (Western Anglicans) goes a step further stating “The high altar is stripped and washed by the priests after the reserved Sacrament is taken in procession to the Altar of Repose,” where a vigil is to be kept until midnight recalling our Lord’s question “Could you not watch with me one hour?” as he suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Church of the Resurrection (Upper Midwest) will hold a service of “blessing of oil and water” where “brief liturgies are prayed to bless the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens, and the Oil of Chrism” prior to Maundy Thursday services.
Good Friday
Chris Church (All Nations) plans a full day of Good Friday observances, beginning with an early morning hike of Mt. Cristo Rey and Stations of the Cross later in the afternoon, followed by a time of private devotions.
Stations of the Cross are most commonly observed on Good Friday, but Church of the Redeemer (Pro-Cathedral, Christ Our Hope) is providing a unique take with “interactive stations” from 9:00 a.m. to dusk, Monday through Saturday. Another “children’s” stations of the cross can be found this Good Friday at St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral (Gulf Atlantic), while St. Timothy’s Anglican Church (Western Gulf Coast) celebrates a noonday “Mass of the Pre-sanctified & Veneration” followed by the Rosary and stations of the cross.
Holy Saturday and Easter Vigil
The “Great Vigil of Easter” is a paschal service held on the “eve” of Easter. Most churches that offer an evening service on Saturday will also offer the Easter Sunday service, and you can attend both at Bishop Seabury Anglican Church (Pro-Cathedral, Living Word).
Church of the Holy Communion (Mid-America, REC) will conclude its Saturday observances with a series of Easter Even Baptisms and Baptism Renewal. The Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul (South Carolina) proclaims a double purpose: “remember the day Jesus was buried in the tomb” and “ring in the first Eucharist of Easter.”
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday is the joyous celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It’s the climax of Holy Week, the high point of the Christian year, and all the ACNA cathedrals will be bursting with good news!
- Church of the Resurrection (Wheaton, IL) encourages attendees to bring your own Easter bells to ring! at their Easter Sunday services.
- All Saints Cathedral (Long Beach, CA) will have an Easter Day Mass that includes the flowering of the cross.
- Holy Cross Cathedral (Loganville, GA) will have an Easter Egg Hunt.
- St. John’s Cathedral (Quincy, IL) will have Holy Communion services and Christian Education.
- Emmanuel Anglican Church (San Joaquin, CA) will have bilingual Easter services, including a Flowering of the Cross.
- St. Timothy’s Anglican Church (Spring, TX) will have multiple Holy Eucharist services and an Easter Egg Hunt.
- Christ Church (El Paso, TX) will have a service with Bishop Orji.
- Cathedral Church of the Apostles (Columbia, SC) will have a Principal Eucharist and an Easter Egg Hunt.
- St. John’s Anglican Church (Southampton, PA) will have Holy Communion services.
- Holy Spirit Anglican Church (Akron, OH) will have a service.
- St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral (Tallahassee, FL) will have Holy Eucharist services.
- Bishop Seabury Anglican Church (Gales Ferry, CT) will have services.
- Church of the Holy Communion (Dallas, TX) will have multiple Holy Communion services, an Easter breakfast, and an Easter Egg Hunt.
- All Saints Cathedral will celebrate with worship.
- St. Charles Anglican Cathedral will have a Holy Eucharist.
- St. Vincent’s Cathedral (Fort Worth, TX) will hold a Great Easter Vigil celebration that will extend into Easter Sunday.
- The Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul will have morning services.
- All Saints Cathedral (Amesbury, MA) will have a service.
Conclusion
Of course, this is just a brief report that can’t possibly cover all that happens in the life of a single Anglican cathedral during Holy Week, much less all of them! Like our Events page, I can only present what can be found online here, but if you really want to know what goes on in one of these cathedrals, you’ll have to visit one!
Photo by David Arment from Getty Images, courtesy of Canva, digitally edited by Jacob Davis.
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