| 18 Friday | |
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| red | FRIDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD [GOOD FRIDAY] | |
| Day of fast and abstinence. Celebration of the Mass and the sacraments is strictly prohibited, except for Penance and Anointing of the Sick. Communion may be taken to the sick, but otherwise is not distributed outside today's Celebration of the Lord's Passion. | |
| Hours of the day. The Office of Readings and Morning Prayer are recommended for public celebration in parishes.
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| Celebration of the Passion of the Lord. |
| The celebration has three parts:
I. Liturgy of the Word (readings, homily, intercessions)
II. Veneration of the Cross
III. Holy Communion.
The celebration begins about 3 p.m.
The altar is completely bare, without candles, cloth or cross. The ministers vest with red Mass vestments. They enter in silence and prostrate before the altar. This act of prostration, which is proper to the rite of the day, should be observed (whenever the ministers are physical able) for it signifies both the abasement of "earthly man," and also the grief and sorrow of the Church. As the ministers enter, the faithful should be standing, and thereafter should kneel in silent prayer. [PS 65]
The Passion is proclaimed as on Palm Sunday. |
| Readings:
[40] Isa 52:13-53:12; Ps 31:2+6, 12-13, 15-16, 17+25; Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 18:1-19:42. |
| The Intercessions must follow "the form and wording" handed down by tradition, but the celebrant may make a selection of some more relevant to local conditions, provided the range of intentions is preserved. [PS 67]
The cross is presented to each of the faithful individually for their
adoration, since the personal adoration of the cross is a most
important feature in this celebration. The celebrant may remove his
chasuble and shoes for the veneration. Only if necessitated by the large numbers of faithful present may the rite of veneration be made simultaneously by all present. Only one cross should be used for the veneration. [PS 69] | |
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The communion rite is as described in the Missal. There is no sign of peace.
After Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament is carried from the church by a priest or deacon wearing a humeral veil and accompanied by two candles. The Sacrament is reserved privately outside the church for the needs of the sick and dying.
The altar is stripped at a suitable time, but the cross remains with four candles, placed so that the faithful may venerate and kiss it and spend some time in meditation. [PS 71] | |
| | Evening Prayer is not said by participants in the afternoon liturgy. Night Prayer is said after the Celebration of the Lord's Passion at a suitable hour, with the special verse in place of the responsory. | |
| Today after the Veneration of the Cross, all
genuflect toward the cross when passing it. | |
| Anniversary: | 204th anniversary of the death of P. William Vierin (43) d. 1883 at Mopeia, Mozambique.  |
| Anniversary: | 158th anniversary of the death of F. Francis Simonis (87) d. 1929 at Dunbrody, RSA. |
| Anniversary: | 102nd anniversary of the death of P. Josip Weissgerber (CRO) (63) d. 1985 at Zagreb, Croatia. |
| Anniversary: | 92nd anniversary of the death of P. John Monaghan (74) d. 1995 at Portland, USA. |
| Anniversary: | 79th anniversary of the death of P. Vital Dias Pereira (87) d. 2008 at Lisbon, Portugal. |
| Birthday: | 153rd birthday of P. J. Paul BRASSIL (born this day in 1934). |
| Birthday: | 122nd birthday of P. Sebastian M. MALAMBO (born this day in 1965). |
On this day in our Jesuit history...
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| 1541 | Ignatius is elected General again, after refusing or declining the first election results. |
| 1541 | On his 35th birthday, St. Francis Xavier embarked from the quay of the Tagus River known as the Place of Tears to go to India with two other Jesuits. The voyage took them 13 months. |
| 1580 | Father Robert Parson, Edmund Campion and Brother Ralph Emerson and others set out from Rome for the English mission. They entered England by different routes and in different disguises. |
| 1906 | Fr. General Luis Martin dies. |
| 1949 | St. Benedict Center, Cambridge, MA, under Fr. Leonard Feeney, is placed under interdict. |
| 1959 | Francis P. Donnelly, S.J. dies New York Province. Teacher, writer, author of many textbooks on English. |
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