Good Friday Liturgy Attendance

[CatholicZ09]

How was the attendance at your church for Good Friday? Mine was packed. Such a beautiful Liturgy.

We actually sang “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” this year. One of my favorite Passion hymns!

 

[Tamsulosin]

Mine was packed too.I never saw that many people in it. I started to wonder how many people, from the fire dept point of view, are allowed in that rather small church.
So much Love was felt there!
I thought there was no other place I would rather be at.:

 

[Love_Divine]

It was full. Every song was a communion song, and there was an accordion interlude while we venerated the cross.

There was slimy holy water in the stoups. When I pointed it out to the usher, she and said “oh well”. Oh, and the thurible was kept outside between uses.

 

[TrueLight]

It was full. Every song was a communion song, and there was an accordion interlude while we venerated the cross.

There was slimy holy water in the stoups. When I pointed it out to the usher, she and said “oh well”. Oh, and the thurible was kept outside between uses.

Standing room only!

The veneration of the cross was awesome, although at first I was put off by the idea of kissing other people’s saliva, even though the server wiped the cross after each kiss.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Cathedral was full, but not standing room only full. Thats much better than our usual Sunday crowd though of 1/3 full at best for each Liturgy. Lots of faces I don’t see before. Awesome service, my first experience of a Ukrainian Byzantine Good Friday service. It was Vespers with laying out of the Plashchanytsya, which is the shroud of Christ. In RC parishes you have the cross which you venerate. In the Byzantine Rite, we venerate the shroud (Plashchanytsya). Of course on the shroud is an icon of the dead body of Christ, lying with the wounds on the feet and hands which you actually kiss while kneeling down. We also had a procession around the parish. Went around 3 times.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Packed out. Almost like Easter or Christmas! It was about 100 minutes total. The choir sang or chanted the entire Gospel. That was different. I didn’t think anyone but the priest was supposed to do the part of Jesus.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Standing room only!

The veneration of the cross was awesome, although at first I was put off by the idea of kissing other people’s saliva, even though the server wiped the cross after each kiss.

You won’t make a good Eastern Catholic, we kiss everything!

 

[laszlo]

About 300 people in a Church with 160 seats in the pews. There are 400 registered parishioners, but there will be one more service for the Hispanics. Full choir, Latin chants; 105 minutes without the the stripping of the altar.

 

[GEddie]

Standing room only!

The veneration of the cross was awesome, although at first I was put off by the idea of kissing other people’s saliva, even though the server wiped the cross after each kiss.

Same here, so I didn’t kiss, just laid my forehead on “HIM” and thought of the day when I hope to do that for real

ICXC NIKA

 

[GEddie]

How was the attendance at your church for Good Friday? Mine was packed. Such a beautiful Liturgy.

We actually sang “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” this year. One of my favorite Passion hymns!

The church I went to (which is not my home parish) was full; they arranged additional chairs in the vestibule.

There was a Triduum retreat going on at the same time, which I am sure boosted the headcount.

ICXC NIKA

 

[GEddie]

You won’t make a good Eastern Catholic, we kiss everything!

Well I guess GOD knew what HE was doing when HE assigned my place of birth…

ICXC NIKA

 

[TrueLight]

You won’t make a good Eastern Catholic, we kiss everything!

 

[cameloligist]

My church had a pretty decent attendance, though it didn’t quite reach the level of people who attend for Palm Sunday and Easter.

 

[mom2em]

I did not attend mass this afternoon, but went to drop off some food for the Hunger supper to follow mass. It seemed to me that there was quite a lot of people there. Normally, I get to mass 20-15 minutes early so I am not entirely sure what the parking lot regularly looks like, but today at 15 minutes to mass, it was full. On all sides and levels. It made me very happy to see. I expect that for Sunday we will leave a half hour if not more, for mass early to ensure we have a seat.

When I went to adoration Thursday evening at ten to nine, I was very very happy to see quite a few people in the chapel. Then during the hour while I was there, more people came and seemed to replace the ones that had left. That was very comforting. The one thing that constantly rings in my ears is

"So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?

Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

 

[Corki]

Full – even more than last night.

 

[TeenageConvert]

How was the attendance at your church for Good Friday? Mine was packed. Such a beautiful Liturgy.

We actually sang “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” this year. One of my favorite Passion hymns!/QUO

Sadly, my church didn’t have the same attendence that everyone else’s did, it didn’t evem come close to that of a normal Sunday mass…
Surprised me, I figured more people would come on days like this…I remember on Ash-Wednesday, a lot of people had to stand up, and I saw people I know go up to receive communion that I didn’t even know were Catholic lol.

 

[GEddie]

CatholicZ09;7790092:

How was the attendance at your church for Good Friday? Mine was packed. Such a beautiful Liturgy.

We actually sang “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” this year. One of my favorite Passion hymns![/QUO

Sadly, my church didn’t have the same attendence that everyone else’s did, it didn’t evem come close to that of a normal Sunday mass…
Surprised me, I figured more people would come on days like this…I remember on Ash-Wednesday, a lot of people had to stand up, and I saw people I know go up to receive communion that I didn’t even know were Catholic lol.

AW is one of the biggest church days of the year, so no surprise.

Great tagline, BTW, TC.

ICXC NIKA

[/quote]

 

[KCT]

eh . . . plenty of room for more.

Noon stations was almost as crowded as tonight. (I’m glad there were people at stations, but sorry not to see more in church tonight)

 

[ConstantineTG]

Yep. Last night we set up this wooden structure to look like a cave to be the tomb of Christ. Then the shroud was laid there with an icon of Christ in the tomb. Then we kiss it, once on the book of Gospels, then twice on the shroud. I went to two services today (Vespers and Matins) and kissed it twice.

During Divine Liturgy, we would kiss the book of Gospels. Some would also reverence the chalice during communion by kissing it. Also when you enter and before you leave the church, you kiss the icons on the tetrapod.