Is your church having a service on Good Friday?

[LindaSK]

I play for Mass, but I also play every Sunday in a Protestant church. The choir director thought there was a Good Friday service, but wasn’t sure of the time. So, I asked the pastor to make sure the time would not conflict with our Catholic service. The pastor said they are not having a Good Friday service. Imagine my surprise! This church is having a service Holy(Maundy) Thursday, though. I made the comment that there is no Easter without Good Friday. She had no response.

Does your church have a service on Good Friday. If not, why not?

I doubt you will be able to make me understand this, but thank you for your responses and any insight.

 

[Apryl]

Does your church have a service on Good Friday. If not, why not?

Our service does continue on Good Friday.

Actually, we start with Holy Thursday and the Mass doesn’t ‘end’. We continue with Stations of the Cross and then Liturgy on Good Friday.

After the pause is the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening.

We go back to our regular Mass schedule on Easter Sunday.

 

[JonNC]

I play for Mass, but I also play every Sunday in a Protestant church. The choir director thought there was a Good Friday service, but wasn’t sure of the time. So, I asked the pastor to make sure the time would not conflict with our Catholic service. The pastor said they are not having a Good Friday service. Imagine my surprise! This church is having a service Holy(Maundy) Thursday, though. I made the comment that there is no Easter without Good Friday. She had no response.

Does your church have a service on Good Friday. If not, why not?

I doubt you will be able to make me understand this, but thank you for your responses and any insight.

Of course we do! Lutheran parishes I have been a member of usually use a variation of Tenebrae.
May I ask what kind of Protestant Church you play for?
Jon

Jon

 

[MyRdmrLvs]

I play for Mass, but I also play every Sunday in a Protestant church. The choir director thought there was a Good Friday service, but wasn’t sure of the time. So, I asked the pastor to make sure the time would not conflict with our Catholic service. The pastor said they are not having a Good Friday service. Imagine my surprise! This church is having a service Holy(Maundy) Thursday, though. I made the comment that there is no Easter without Good Friday. She had no response.

Does your church have a service on Good Friday. If not, why not?

I doubt you will be able to make me understand this, but thank you for your responses and any insight.

No but my job gives me that day off with pay:thumbsup:

 

[TriuneUnity]

Our service does continue on Good Friday.

Actually, we start with Holy Thursday and the Mass doesn’t ‘end’. We continue with Stations of the Cross and then Liturgy on Good Friday.

After the pause is the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening.

We go back to our regular Mass schedule on Easter Sunday.

Our Lutheran church does the same No benediction at the Maundy Thursday Service.

 

[Cairisti]

When I was attending a Methodist Church (before I became Catholic), they had and still do a Good Friday service. And yes, the Catholic Church I attend does as well.

 

[Moscati]

My Christian & Missionary Alliance Church growing up did not have a Good Friday service most years. I think the pastor may have tried to start one at one point, but it was pretty sparsely attended. Easter, however, was always a hit because they had free pancakes beforehand.

 

[LindaSK]

Of course we do! Lutheran parishes I have been a member of usually use a variation of Tenebrae.
May I ask what kind of Protestant Church you play for?
Jon

Jon

I grew up in a Union - Ev. Lutheran/UCC Church. We, of course, had service on Good Friday. We moved and attended a M. S. Lutheran church. There, we had a Tenebrae on Good Friday - a beautiful and moving service. I currently play for a Methodist church. Last year, I played for a different Methodist church where we did have a service on Good Friday

M. S. or Ev. Lutheran?.

 

[SyCarl]

Our church has a service every day during Holy Week,

 

[LindaSK]

Our church has a service every day during Holy Week,

Do you have a Vigil service on Saturday, too? That was new to me when I became Catholic. The Lutheran churches didn’t either. I would go in to practice organ, and sometimes rehearse with soloists or the choir.

 

[Apryl]

I play for Mass, but I also play every Sunday in a Protestant church. The choir director thought there was a Good Friday service, but wasn’t sure of the time. So, I asked the pastor to make sure the time would not conflict with our Catholic service. The pastor said they are not having a Good Friday service. Imagine my surprise! This church is having a service Holy(Maundy) Thursday, though. I made the comment that there is no Easter without Good Friday. She had no response.

Does your church have a service on Good Friday. If not, why not?

I doubt you will be able to make me understand this, but thank you for your responses and any insight.

For clarification:

WHICH Choir Director thought there was a Good Friday service? Catholic or Protestant?

Whic is the ‘this’ that is having the Holy Thursday service?

I get confused when people don’t use ‘Mass’, and sometimes, I just get confused.

 

[CarrieH]

The United Methodist community where I used to serve as pianist did not have any Holy Week services, and neither did the other UM churches on that end of town. If anyone wanted to attend a “Maundy” Thursday or Good Friday service, they had to go to the big UM church downtown, or attend one of the ecumenical services in other neighborhood churches. AFAIK, things haven’t changed since I left.

 

[SyCarl]

Do you have a Vigil service on Saturday, too? That was new to me when I became Catholic. The Lutheran churches didn’t either. I would go in to practice organ, and sometimes rehearse with soloists or the choir.

No. We do have a sunrise service on Easter Sunday.

 

[LindaSK]

For clarification:

WHICH Choir Director thought there was a Good Friday service? Catholic or Protestant?

Whic is the ‘this’ that is having the Holy Thursday service?

I get confused when people don’t use ‘Mass’, and sometimes, I just get confused.

In the Catholic Church, the service is not a Mass, because the hosts are not consecrated on Good Friday. So, there, of course, is a service in the Catholic Church on Good Friday, and Mass on Holy Thursday.

The choir director in the Methodist church thought there was a service Good Friday, but wasn’t certain of the time, which is why I asked the pastor. The Methodist church is having a service on Holy Thursday, but, not on Good Friday.

I am confused! To me, it seems like every church that celebrates Easter should first celebrate Good Friday. At the previous Methodist church I played for, that pastor and I were talking about how poor attendance was on Good Friday compared to Easter Sunday. We decided that people would only be admitted to Easter service if they had a ‘ticket’ they could only get by going to church on Good Friday! (Just a thought, mind you!)

In the Lutheran and UCC churches, Holy (Maundy) Thursday and Good Friday services were always well attended.

 

[LindaSK]

No. We do have a sunrise service on Easter Sunday.

I love Easter sunrise services! Last year, the sun shone through the stained glass windows just as we got to the Gospel reading. At the previous Methodist Church I played for, our service began at 6 AM. Truly awesome!! Singing doesn’t always go so well at that hour , though, but we gave it our best!

Our priest has a 7:30 AM ‘sunrise.’ Mass Considering .how late it is after the social get together after the Vigil Mass, and the fact that he has 2 more Masses Easter morning after the 7:30 yet, that’s pretty good!

 

[Bluegoat]

My church has the following Easter-related services:

Palm Sunday is a service with the other churches in our neighbourhood where we process through the streets from church to church, with a donkey and palms. At each church the priest or minister gives a prayer and the choir sings. There is a United Church, a Catholic Church, two Anglican churches, and a black Baptist congregation.

Every day there is morning and evening prayer and compline (this is normal throughout the year.)

Monday and Tuesday there is choral Communion.

Wednesday there is a large Tenebrae service as well as a Eucharist in the morning.

Thursday is a Maundy Thursday liturgy with foot washing and the altar is stripped, and then is an all night prayer vigil in the church.

Friday has a low Mass of the Pre-Sanctified early in the morning; stations of the cross, and a long (3 hour) service in the afternoon.

Saturday night is the Easter Vigil and first Mass of Easter

Sunday morning is a traditional Easter Day service.

 

[LindaSK]

My church has the following Easter-related services:

Palm Sunday is a service with the other churches in our neighbourhood where we process through the streets from church to church, with a donkey and palms. At each church the priest or minister gives a prayer and the choir sings. There is a United Church, a Catholic Church, two Anglican churches, and a black Baptist congregation.

Every day there is morning and evening prayer and compline (this is normal throughout the year.)

Monday and Tuesday there is choral Communion.

Wednesday there is a large Tenebrae service as well as a Eucharist in the morning.

Thursday is a Maundy Thursday liturgy with foot washing and the altar is stripped, and then is an all night prayer vigil in the church.

Friday has a low Mass of the Pre-Sanctified early in the morning; stations of the cross, and a long (3 hour) service in the afternoon.

Saturday night is the Easter Vigil and first Mass of Easter

Sunday morning is a traditional Easter Day service.

WOW! Are these services well attended? I would expect Palm Sunday and Easter to be best attended? Good Friday?

 

[Bluegoat]

WOW! Are these services well attended? I would expect Palm Sunday and Easter to be best attended? Good Friday?

The big services are well attended. Palm Sunday is popular although not so much if the weather is poor. Tenebrae is usually full and draws non-parishioners, because the choir is very good and it is not a service that is available at every church.

Good Friday is pretty full, but not so much by families with kids because it is a 3 hour service - the families go to the stations of the cross which is designed to be child-friendly.

Maundy Thursday and Easter Vigil are pretty well-attended too.

 

[JonNC]

I grew up in a Union - Ev. Lutheran/UCC Church. We, of course, had service on Good Friday. We moved and attended a M. S. Lutheran church. There, we had a Tenebrae on Good Friday - a beautiful and moving service. I currently play for a Methodist church. Last year, I played for a different Methodist church where we did have a service on Good Friday

M. S. or Ev. Lutheran?.

The Parish I grew up in was LCA/ELCA, but (thankfully) not a union Church, though were some around whereI was raised. I transferred to the LCMS about 10 years ago.

Jon

 

[The_Reginator]

Good Friday is pretty full, but not so much by families with kids because it **is a 3 hour service **- the families go to the stations of the cross which is designed to be child-friendly.

When I was an Anglican I used to love this service. It was so quiet and contemplative.
I recall going to the Anglican parish from noon to three pm and then rushing down the street to join my family at the Catholic church.

What a difference! With all the people and families at the Catholic church the peace I had just left behind seemed to almost vanish. At the time I didn`t realize that despite the noise I was finally in His Real Presence.