Weekly Announcement

The Dean’s Commentary

“Jesus said, ‘remain here, and stay awake with me.'”
— Matthew 26:38

“Your redeemer’s conflict see; stay with him one bitter hour; turn not from his griefs away; learn of Jesus Christ to pray.”
— Hymn 171, Go to Dark Gethsemane

Dear Friends,

Holy Week begins in ten days. As we approach the most sacred time of the Christian year, the people of Trinity begin welcoming fellow Christian sojourners who are seeking to venture with us during this time. When we retell the stories of Jesus from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, onward to his Cross, and later to his Resurrection, we participate in rituals of our faith initiated by pilgrims to the Holy Land in the 300s.

One of the ways in which we commemorate this time is by participating in “The Watch,” an all-night vigil from the end of the service on Maundy Thursday to the early morning hours of Good Friday. Jesus asked his disciples to remain with him, to pray, and to keep watch – even for an hour. Likewise, the people of Trinity invite you to keep watch with Jesus on Thursday evening, April 6 into Friday morning, April 7.

Click here for a full schedule of our Holy Week services

Keeping watch is indeed a practice that invites people to discern what the Spirit of the Living God is doing among us now. Jesus invited his disciples (and he invites us) to stay awake, to keep watch, for even an hour, in order that we might pray for ourselves and for the needs of our world.

The cathedral will be open overnight, and those who wish to pray may stay for as long as you wish. In addition, you may arrive at all hours of the night to enter, keep watch, and pray. Our columbarium will be adorned in candlelight and the Blessed Sacrament will be in repose under the icon of the Trinity. You will want to enter the cathedral from the Olney Gallery door that faces the alley/garage. A security guard will be on duty at all times during the night.

Mark your calendars and plan to spend time in prayer. God is indeed revealing new things to us everyday. We are hungry for God to help us serve the world with an abundance of love. When we participate in the act of keeping watch, we participate alongside God in beginning to discern the things that God is revealing to our world.

This is an opportunity for a profound experience of prayer. God is fully alive and at work in you. Don’t miss out. Keep watch on Maundy Thursday evening.

In Christ’s love,

The Very Reverend Troy D. Mendez
Dean
[email protected]