[This post is reposted from a previous year. No-one who has ever kept the triduum with me has ever told me that what I promised fell short of their experience].
Every year I make a promise to people. I say that if they keep the triduum with me at St Mary’s then it will change their life and change their faith.
The Triduum is the three days from Maundy Thursday to Easter Day. Although the various services take place over several days, it is really one big feast, which is what makes it so extraordinary when you keep it in one place and experience the whole thing. It really is life changing stuff.
I blogged a bit about it [one] year, and it might be worth pointing people to those blog posts:
Maundy Thursday
Veneration of the Cross
Three Hour Devotions
Good Friday Evening
Holy Saturday – all hands on deck!
The Vigil
I’d say you’d kept the Triduum with me if you come to the Maundy Thursday evening service, two of the three services on Good Friday (try for the three hours if you can), the clean and polish on Saturday and the early fire Vigil and the main Festival Mass on Sunday.
It really is life-changing if you do it all and there are people around who will testify to just that.
This earthen vessel of fragile faith would very much like to participate in your busy Easter program. Perhaps I can read the blog posts from my perch over the sea! I’d like to share my Easter program with you: Our church doesn’t have a Maundy Thursday service, so I’ll be attending Good Friday service, I’ll be working at our town’s Op Shop on Saturday morning when many visitors (and I hope regulars) will be around, I’ll also be hosting visiting family and on Sunday I’ll attend an early service and then watch our annual Blessing of the Fleet (our district is a fishing area) where the Catholic priest blesses our fishermen and boats. Our church usually offers devonshire tea (and talk) to visitors and locals at that time. I think after all that a game of cricket in the backyard will be in order for Easter Monday.