Proper: DWM 357
Scheduled time for confession from 12:00 Noon-3:00 P.M.
Midday Prayer at 12:00 Noon; Stations of the Cross at 1:00 P.M.; Via Matris/Pleading of the Passion/Meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ at 2:00 P.M.; Liturgy of Good Friday at 3:00 P.M.
The vestments are black. The Priest wears a cope, with a chasuble and maniple placed on the chancel screen. There are no concelebrants today; therefore, no other priest wears the chasuble, but only choir dress and black stole.
The altar should be completely bare, without cloths or candles; all is veiled in black.
The lights in the church are off.
The Liturgy begins in silence
The Invitation, “Let us pray”, is omitted at the Collect of the Day
The narrative reading of the Passion Gospel is said according to the rubrics at DWM 358
Adoration of the Holy Cross occurs according to Form II (DWM 377)
The hymn "Vexilla Regis" is sung as the Sacrament is brought from the Altar of Repose.
A server sounds the clapper (the crotalus) at the words "Behold, the Lamb of God."
If all of the Sacred Hosts are not consumed at Communion, the Sacred Species remaining should be reposed without ceremony in the tabernacle of the Holy House by way of the Sacristy.
The Liturgy ends in silence, without blessing or dismissal.
See detailed ritual notes below.
PREPARATIONS
This service requires a priest, deacon, acolyte, 2 MCs, and 2 torch bearers
Place on the Gospel-side credence table:
Stand for the cross
Place on the Epistle-side credence table:
Cruet of water
Lavabo bowl & towel
Altar card with the prayers for the Holy Communion,
A ciborium (small one) - clean and ready to take the remaining hosts to the Holy House tabernacle at the end of communion
Have ready the crotalus in the narthex-- use the crotalus at the entrance of the sacred ministers
Place the processional cross (veiled) with 2 unlit candles in the narthex (with a lighter)
Place a white humeral veil(s) at the Altar of Repose and torches (burning before the Blessed Sacrament)
Make sure torches are lit at the Altar of Repose, as well as the sanctuary lamp
Have the collection plates in the narthex, inform the ushers that they will pick them up there
Servers should BOW TO THE ALTAR -- DO NOT GENUFLECT (until the Blessed Sacrament is brought from the Altar of Repose)
But DO genuflect to the Relic of the True Cross (the only relic so honored)
The celebrant wears a black cope and stole until the veneration of the cross—when he wears only alb & stole—and then he puts on the chasuble for communion.
Deacon(s) should wear dalmatics and the acolyte a tunicle until the veneration of the cross—when they too wear only albs (and stole for the deacon)—donning their outer vestments again for communion.
Visiting clergy are in choir dress and stoles
Use the crotalus to announce the entrance of the sacred ministers.
Enter in silence
The altar party lines up at the foot of the altar. BOW
Prostration - All lie down prostrate before the altar, for some moments
Sung by the celebrant from the foot of the altar
The Passion
No responses before or after.
Either sung by 3 cantors, or by altar party. If the latter, the deacon asks celebrant's blessing,
Father moves to the footpace
All kneel at mention of Our Lord’s death, for a moment
Solemn Prayers
The deacon sings the bidding
Father sings the collects
Father stays at his chair. Deacon is opposite at the Gospel-side chancel pew
With each bidding, there is a moment of kneeling & silent prayer
Collection / hymn
So as to keep as much out of the sanctuary as possible on this day, the plates will be brought up by the ushers
Father takes off his cope; deacon and acolyte take off dalmatic/tunicle
VENERATION OF THE TRUE CROSS – FORM II
Retrieval of the Cross
During the singing of the hymn, Father, the MC & 2 servers proceed to the narthex
In the narthex, light the processional candles and unveil the cross
After the hymn concludes, process down the nave to the chancel, with 2 candle bearers flanking, the cross
Procession
Father stops three times: just inside the nave, then midway to the chancel, and last at the chancel step, each time intoning the verse and waiting as the response is said
Candle bearers remain on either side of the cross
Veneration
After the last verse and response, Father removes his shoes and venerates the cross
Father may have the deacon hold the cross for his veneration
Father then moves into the chancel slightly for the deacons and the altar servers to venerate the cross
Deacons should have purificators
It is tradition to genuflect 3 times while approaching the cross (moving briskly).
Meanwhile, the choir descends from the loft and venerate the cross immediately after the altar party (moving briskly & quickly returning to the loft to sing the Reproaches)
MCs standing at the front pews direct the congregration
The people venerate next.
The candle bearers remain flanking the cross during veneration, the MCs should be mindful of them, and relieve them for a time if need be
As veneration nears the end, the acolyte should place fair linen, the corporal, and cross stand on the altar for placement of the cross and Holy Communion.
After veneration, the cross is placed in its stand on the altar and the lit candles are placed there also on either side
The sacred ministers wait until the Reproaches are sung to the end.
HOLY COMMUNION
Preparation
Retrieval of the Blessed Sacrament
Preceded by 2 servers, the deacon(s) and MC go to the Altar of Repose [with Father if more ciboria need carrying]
They genuflect, put on the humeral veil(s), assisted by the servers
The servers take up the lit torches from their stands
Father and deacon(s) take the ciboria from the tabernacle
The MC takes the sanctuary lamp and leads them back
They follow the candle bearers to the sanctuary
The sanctuary lamp is put on the retable
All genuflect, humeral veil(s) are removed
Lord, I am not worthy (thrice)
After all communicate, Father and the deacon purify their fingers
With no ceremony, deacon(s) takes remaining hosts in the ciborium through the sacristy to a place of reservation in the chancery chapel
The sanctuary lamp accompanies the ciborium
All then genuflect to the True Cross and depart by way of the sacristy in silence