After last year’s move to remote services for Holy Week, due to the abrupt introduction of pandemic-related restrictions, this year’s services are gratefully somewhat more open. For Holy Week 2020, the School could not hold in-person sessions of any sort, and the monastic liturgies remained closed to guests. To facilitate visibility for online participation, the use of the main altar was reversed so that the celebrant faced the monastic choir. Since that time, attendance has opened gradually, though still distanced and masked. The online presentation of liturgy has been enhanced with multiple cameras and more effective acoustics. For Holy Week this year, in-person services are possible for the School, although they must be divided to fit the student population. This has called for creative scheduling, to negotiate the various requirements and liturgical aims of these high holy days.

Easter Vigil, 2020

Generally, the approach to this year’s in-person attendance follows a kind of unfortunate Solomonic scission of the student body. Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, following the procedures of our regular Sunday services, will see a vigil Mass on Saturday evening and a Sunday Mass at 9:30am. As the Triduum has always presented opportunities for multiple liturgies, the services offered for the School in recent tradition will be maintained, though in modified form. Half of the School will attend the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, and the other half a Eucharistic vigil with an added Benediction. For Good Friday, half of the School will attend the afternoon Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and Death, while the other half will attend the evening Tenebrae Service. And for Easter Sunday, there will be two morning services, again divided between the halves, with students given the option to attend the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening.

Each liturgy will be available online.