The Environment For Holy Week Worship

The following article suggests ways in which the worship environment can be appropriately designed for the services of Holy Week.

On Palm Sunday, the procession of palms may be enlivened with the use of multicolored balloons, yellow and white daisies, and tepi palm branches in addition to the traditional palms that the congregation waves with shouts of Hosannas. Large six-foot palm branches can lead the procession or form an arch through which the people move—fourteen large branches would do fine. These fourteen palm branches can then be placed in two containers on either side of the sanctuary—six branches in one and eight in the other. These containers can be made out of simple wood, about one foot square and three and four feet high respectively. This will allow the branches to bend out, resembling palm trees. The large wooden cross may also be decorated with palms and a variety of flowers: red carnations, yellow pompoms, white starburst mums, deep blue irises, and yellow and white daisies. Holy Thursday is a festive celebration and a remembrance of the Passover. Remember the Last Supper is a term given because of hindsight; so the original event was joyous, not maudlin. Most probably the disciples sang the joyful Hallel Psalms that evening. What comes to mind for such a celebration are the colors white and yellow. The wooden cross which has been a motif throughout the Lenten Season may be decorated with an assortment of white and yellow flowers. During this time of the year Scotch broom and yellow forsythia are in bloom (depending upon your locale); a large expansive arrangement for the center of the rear altar (if your church has one) would create a nice backdrop for the liturgy. The procession can bring together many symbols. An individual carries in a board with seven candlesticks of different heights; others process in with seven lit candles to be placed in the stylized menorah. Another individual may process in with an arrangement of grapes with various dried wheat and different colored grains for creating a texture. These are obvious symbols of thanksgiving, harvest, and Eucharist. For the celebration of Good Friday, the liturgy speaks for itself, so simplicity is really in order here. The altar is covered with a large red cloth to match the vestment of the celebrant. Additional ministers in the liturgy may wear red stoles. A single red rose may be attached to the large wooden cross which will be used for veneration. For the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday liturgies, the environment should be tailored to the celebration. Very often many parishes supplement the numerous readings of the Easter Vigil with slide presentations. Then there is the problem: where to place the screen for all to see and what to do with it once the readings are finished. If your community uses this technique, place the screen where all can see it—usually behind the eucharistic table. Make the screen large and use rear projection so that there will be no need to move any equipment and interrupt the flow of the liturgy. After the Liturgy of the Word, a large procession of bells, banners, and flowers and bread and wine will prepare us for the Eucharist. The banners should be colorful and simple in design and similar, using abstract designs of crosses and bars. These banners—four is a good number—may then be placed in front of the screen to form a backdrop behind the eucharistic table. The stands for the banners can already be in place with potted lilies in front of the stands. To one side of the sanctuary an arrangement can be prepared to display the four prominent symbols of the celebration: the Word, the Paschal candle, baptismal water, and incense. Four stands of varying height would be appropriate—about one foot square with heights of two, three, four, and five feet. The Word may be placed on the tallest, the Paschal candle, on the next tallest, the baptismal water on the next level, and the incense on the lowest. Easter lilies should be arranged around this grouping at different heights. Behind this arrangement can be placed the large wooden cross decorated again with many colorful flowers of triumph.