Holy Week at Our Lady of Lourdes, Philadelphia

I was recently sent some information on the Holy Week schedule at the church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Philadelphia, a fine "Reform of the Reform" parish that also provides a Sunday Low Mass according to the 1962 Missal. My correspondent notes their Holy Week liturgies (much like their celebrations during the remainder of the year) usually include a large amount of chant and polyphony, and while the Ordinary Form mass is usually said versus populum, it is customary in the parish for the priest to face ad orientem during the Good Friday liturgy. Their schedule shows a healthy blend of well-conducted liturgies that also dovetails neatly with a selection of para-liturgical and extra-liturgical practices appropriate to the season.

Palm Sunday, March 16th

Mass - Saturday 4:00 PM; Sunday 7:30 AM (Tridentine Mass), 9:00 AM,
10:30 AM (solemn sung Latin), 12:15 PM (solemn procession) and 8:00 PM.

Wednesday, March 19th

Confessions - 7:00-8:30 PM (Cardinal Rigali and other priests)

Holy Thursday, March 20th

Mass of the Lord's Last Supper - 7:30 PM.

Adoration in Church until Midnight

Good Friday, March 21st

Church opens at 8:00 AM
Tenebrae (Recited) - 9:00 AM
Confessions - 12:00 PM-2:30 PM.
The Passion; Veneration of the Cross & Holy Communion - 3:00 PM
Outdoor Stations of the Cross at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary - 7:30 PM

Holy Saturday, March 22nd

Tenebrae (Recited) - 9:00 AM.

Blessing of Easter Baskets and Food - 3:00 PM
Confessions - 2:00 PM-4:00 PM
Easter Vigil Mass - 7:30 PM (Adult Choir)

Easter Sunday, March 23rd
Mass - 7:30 AM (Tridentine), 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM (solemn sung Latin) and 12:15 PM.

Some photographs of Holy Week from 2007 helps round out a very promising liturgical picture.



The Mass of the Lord's Supper, Holy Thursday.



The Sacred Ministers, Holy Thursday.



The Our Father, Holy Thursday. Note the use of a cushion to support the book, an older alternative to the comparatively modern missal stand, as well as the joined fingertips of the principal celebrant.



Procession to the Altar of Repose, Holy Thursday, using an ombrellino, a practice recently revived at the Vatican by Monsignor Guido Marini at the papal New Year's Eve Te Deum and Benediction Service.



Procession to the Altar of Repose.



The Tenebrae Hearse, Good Friday morning.



The Entrance, Good Friday.



Veneration of the Cross, Good Friday. Note the shoeless feet of the priest.



Procession from the Altar of Repose.



Holy Communion, Good Friday.



Stations of the Cross at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Good Friday evening



Stations of the Cross at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Good Friday evening.



The Service of Light, Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday.



The Procession to the Font, Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday.



The Blessing of the Font, Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday.



The Minor Elevation, Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday.



Introit and Procession, Easter Sunday Mass (Ordinary Form).



Laying on Incense, Easter Sunday Mass (Ordinary Form)



The Elevation, Easter Sunday Mass (Ordinary Form).



The Recessional, Easter Vigil, Holy Saturday.

More photos of liturgies throughout the year, both Ordinary and Extraordinary in form (though all certainly extraordinary) can be found at Flickr, and offer much food for contemplation.