Author: Catholic News Wire - Faith Central - Steve Welsh

“… Jesus is Condemned to Die Jesus is Made to Bear His Cross Jesus Falls the First Time Jesus Meets His Mother Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross Veronica Wipes Jesus’ Face Jesus Falls the Second Time Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem Jesus Falls the Third Time Jesus is Stripped Jesus is Nailed to the Cross Jesus Dies on

“… We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You. All: Because by Your Holy Cross You have Redeemed the world. …”

[The Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours, begins the Liturgical Day with “A Call to Praise God” in the form of the Invitatory Psalm, usually Psalm 95, in stanzas, or strophes, interspersed with an antiphon. For Good Friday, the antiphon is “Come, Let Us Worship Christ, the Son of God, Who Reedeemed Us With His Blood.”] [Prior to the

From a Negro Spiritual, performed by the Choir from the Old Cardiff Arms Park in Wales Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were

O sacred head, surrounded by crown of piercing thorn! O bleeding head, so wounded, reviled and put to scorn! Our sins have marred the glory of thy most holy face, yet angel hosts adore thee and tremble as they gaze [lyrics continue below video] I see thy strength and vigor all fading in the strife, and death with cruel rigor,

FOR OVER A CENTURY, year after year on Good Friday, thousands of Pilgrims of various faiths have been praying “The Steps” of Mt. Adams to Immaculata Church. How did this unique devotion begin? It goes back to the saintly Archbishop Purcell, who with great fervor urged the faithful of Cincinnati to pray for his Grand Venture – a Shrine to

“… After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I thirst.’ There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, He said, ‘It is finished.’

“The summit of the Liturgical Year is the Easter Triduum—from the evening of Holy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. Though chronologically three days, they are liturgically one day unfolding for us the unity of Christ’s Paschal Mystery. The single celebration of the Triduum marks the end of the Lenten season, and leads to the Mass of the Resurrection

From Loretto Abbey in the Archdiocese of Toronto. [Click here for Mass Readings] [featured image adapted from image at Creative Commons Wikimedia Commons Pjposullivan, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loretto_Abbey_chapel_interior,_Toronto.JPG, with additional conditions stated at that link and in the alt-tag here]

“… during Supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into His Power and that He had come from God and was returning to God, He rose from Supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around His Waist. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the Disciples’ feet