Greetings Companions in Christ,

As we face yet another Holy Week and Easter in the midst of pandemic, ECCT's Liturgical Commission has created a list of curated ideas and offerings to, perhaps, spur your own imagination. Recognizing parishes will be gathering in different ways depending on the current COVID caseload in your area; some fully virtual, some outdoors, and some indoors observing social distancing and occupancy guidance, we are offering ideas which can be adapted to each situation.

We also recognize each parish has different levels of access to technology and have included many resources which can be adapted to suit your congregations needs. All of these resources are, of course, meant to complement our worship as laid our in the Book of Common Prayer.

In addition, our Cathedral has graciously offered their Easter Sunday music as a resource to any parish who would like to use it. The music, including a list of selections, will be available for download the week before Easter. A follow-up email will be sent which will include links to the music as soon as it is available.

Finally, we have included the list of services taking place during Holy Week at our Cathedral in Hartford. All services will be live streamed on the Cathedral's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

We pray you find these resources helpful as we travel together to the cross, hold vigil at the grave, and then gather with joy to celebrate our Lord's glorious resurrection!

Faithfully,

The Rev. Stephanie Johnson 
Co-chair, ECCT Liturgical Commission 

The Rev. Tuesday Rupp
Co-chair, ECCT Liturgical Commission 
In advance of Holy Week 

Encourage people to prepare a holy place in their home and, if they feel comfortable, share a photo of it to be shared via the church's e-News or social media.

From the "Holy Week booklet" from St. Aidan's Episcopal Church and Campus Ministry, Boulder, Colorado.

Make a holy place. Throughout this week, we will be attentive to the worshipful-ness of our homes and places where we observe Holy Week. Set aside a holy place in your home for Holy Week and follow the prompts when you see the home icon to the left. Perhaps a simple side table covered with a cloth, of any color. Whatever you have, is enough. Place a few things to help you enter the presence of God: a cross, a bible, a candle. If you have children, encourage them to choose one item for your holy place. The table should have at most 5-6 things—simplicity is best.

From "Holy Week in a Box" by Building Faith at Virginia Theological Seminary.

Holy Week in a Box uses simple objects tucked into a small box, along with scripture, to tell the story of Holy Week. Each item in the box is a symbol, representing a piece of the gospel narrative: from Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, through the Last Supper, betrayal, burial, and finally the empty tomb on Easter morning.

Palm Sunday
  • Liturgy of the Palms video: Invite parishioners to make a short video on their phones waving branches they’ve taken from their back yard or neighborhood. Compile into a video and share on Palm Sunday.
  • Passion narrative video: Invite parishioners to record various parts at home on their phones and combine into a video. 
  • Palm distribution: Leave blessed palms outside the church for people to pick up or do a "drive-by" palm pick up. Hand out prayer cards with each palm.  
  • Palm Sunday at Home: Share Building Faith's "Palm Sunday at Home" liturgy

The Stations of the Cross
  • Stations of the Cross: Bring Good Friday outside the building by posting images of the Stations of the Cross around the building or placing a cross on the front steps with candles and a purple veil. 
  • Finding The Way of The Cross in Nature: Utilize the guide on Building Faith to explore the Stations of the Cross in the natural world. Each station includes a relevant scripture passage, a prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, and a reflection question. In the children’s guide, each station has a summary of the story of the station, a sentence from scripture, a simple prayer, a wondering question, and a simple activity for an embodied response.
  • The Way of the Cross for Pandemic Time: Utilize ECF's written liturgy modeled on the Way of the Cross service in the Episcopal Book of Occasional Services, using prayers and topics particularly appropriate for petition and lament around the pressing issues of our time. It is a complete service, with music, spoken liturgy, and artwork for each station.

Maundy Thursday
  • Foot Washing: In advance, collect new shoes/socks, invite people to also share notes of hope or encouragement. Bless the shoes/socks and then deliver them to a homeless shelter on Good Friday. 
  • Sitting Vigil: For those who are live streaming their service from the sanctuary, leave the stream live in the empty church for several hours, allowing people to sit at home for a private vigil. 
  • Maundy Thursday at Home: Share Building Faith's "Maundy Thursday at Home" liturgy
  • Maundy Thursday Family Worship: Share Building Faith's "Maundy Thursday Family Worship" order of worship

Good Friday

Easter Vigil
  • Bonfire Vigil: Re-imagine the service by sharing time around a firepit and offering a narrative telling of our faith history. As the Biblical story progresses toward the resurrection, add more logs to the fire and invite people to light individual candles. Possible resource for the storytelling, Liturgy for the Whole Church by Susan Bock.  


Easter Sunday
  • Gospel Reading video: Invite several parishioners and their family members share a recording of themselves reading a portion of the Gospel message. Combine them into a video for sharing with the congregation on Easter Sunday.
  • Sharing the Good News of Easter: Decorate the outside of the church with flowers or brightly colored flags.

The Season of Easter
Services offered during Holy Week at our Cathedral
All services are live streamed on Christ Church Cathedral's Facebook page and YouTube channel*

Palm Sunday
10 a.m. Bilingual Service of Holy Eucharist, including the Liturgy of the Palms.

Maundy Thursday
6 p.m. Service of Holy Eucharist with Spiritual Communion

Good Friday
6 p.m. Good Friday Service with Solemn Collects.
7 p.m. Estaciones de la Cruz

Easter
10 a.m. Service of Holy Eucharist with Spiritual Communion with the Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas celebrating and preaching.

*All Cathedral services are also available via Zoom. Please visit our Cathedral’s website for the Zoom link.