By Sally Neel
Special to The PREVIEW
Last Sunday, Palm Sunday, marked the beginning of Holy Week, the most significant week of the Christian year. For Christians around the world, it is a week filled with emotions of triumphant joy, solemnity, sadness and, ultimately, victory.
For Christians, this is not merely the act of remembering a historic event; it is an act of bringing forth into our present consciousness the powerful message of God’s love for us and the sacrifice made for our redemption through God’s son, Jesus.
St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church invites you to walk with Jesus from the Last Supper with his disciples, to the Garden of Gethsemane (Maundy Thursday), his arrest, conviction and crucifixion (Good Friday), and, ultimately, his glorious resurrection (Easter Vigil and Easter Day).
“Experiencing Holy Week through prayer and worship makes the Easter celebration so much more powerful,” said Fr. Doug Neel, rector of St. Patrick’s. “We hope many will join us as we walk the path of Jesus, who conquers death and hate with the power of love.”
Holy Week services at St. Patrick’s are open to all who wish to attend:
• Maundy Thursday, 6 p.m. Service of Holy Communion in the church is followed by a solemn Agape Meal in the parish hall.
• Good Friday, 5:30 p.m. Music of Remembrance by NightSong Trio (Sally Neel, piano; Heidi Tanner, violin; and Jessica Peterson, flute), followed by Good Friday liturgy at 6 p.m.
• Easter Vigil, 7 p.m. in church. This service is based on an ancient service of the celebration of Christ’s Light reentering a dark and broken world.
• Easter Day, 8 a.m. (no music) and 10 a.m. Festival Eucharist.
St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church is located at 225 S. Pagosa Blvd. For more information, call 731-5801. “In God’s House, at God’s Table, all are invited to be fed.”
