Holy Week At Home

Holy Week 2020 is certainly different to what we are all used to. We have all grown up with very fond memories of attending Holy Week services that are full of many scripture readings, beautiful hymns and moments of contemplation on the love and humility that our Lord demonstrated on the cross. Although we cannot gather at the church building for Holy Week this year, we can still experience the holiness of this week, as this week is all about journeying with our Saviour to the cross, a journey that happens in the heart. Below you will find some guidelines and resources that we hope will help you and your family enjoy this Holy Week amidst the current circumstances. Let us remember the one truth that will never change- Christ is Risen! 

Guidelines for Holy Week at home

• Make sure that your prayer corner is set up for the week. If you live with your family you may want to setup the family prayer corner in a place that will allow you to comfortably pray the hours of Pascha, such as your living or dining area.

•  Prepare an A4 frame that will hold the various icons we will use this week. You can find downloadable images of these icons below that can be printed at home or at Officeworks.

•  Collect the various items you will need throughout the week, such as candles to hold, candles to place on a stand in front of the icon, a black table cloth (placed from Sunday evening) that you can purchase from spotlight and flowers to place in front of the icon.

• The services will be live streamed in both English and Arabic throughout the week, you can view them at stmc.org.au/live  

• Although the services are being streamed, it is a great opportunity to pray Holy Week as a family without the live stream as an opportunity to foster family prayer. Choose the hours that you will pray each time and distribute the readings amongst each other and sing the doxology (Thok te-ti gom) together. Most of the Holy Week service is comprised of readings from scripture which make it easy to do from home. 

• Try do some prostrations together as part of the morning services.

• If you live alone you can gather with a  few friends on zoom and pray the pascha hours together.

•  Of course it is much easier to pray the full service when we are at church together. When doing the services at home do not feel pressured to do every hour each day, rather decide as a family what is practical for you.

•  There will be a sermon at the end of each evening service (separate English and Arabic services and sermons) that will summarise the events of the day. 

• You can download the YIC Holy Week Journal that provides an hour by hour contemplation guide to help you live the events of the week.

• Be sure to check out the top of this page where you will find some useful resources such as hymns, books and contemplation guides.

Special Holy Week at home activities

Palm Sunday

Place the icon of Palm Sunday in the frame and light a candle before the icon. Decorate your house and  prayer corner with palm branches if available, or any other branch such as olive branches, eucalyptus leaves. Insert the printed icon of Palm Sunday into the frame and read these 4 gospel accounts as a family, singing the following response after the gospels together.  

•  Matthew 21:1-17

• Mark 11:1-11

• Luke 19:29-48

• John 12:12-19 

 Gospel Response- Listen here and chant along with the words

He who sits upon the Cherubim, was seen today in Jerusalem, riding on a colt with great glory, surrounding by ranks of angels.

 On the road they spread garments, and from the trees they cut branches, while proclaiming with hymns, hosanna to the son of David

 Today the sayings are fulfilled, from the prophecies and proverbs, as Zachariah prophesied and said, a prophecy about Jesus Christ

 Hosanna in the Highest, this is the King of Israel, blessed is He who comes in the name, of the Lord of hosts

Monday to Wednesday

Place the icon of Christ with the crown of thorns in the frame and light a candle before the icon. Pray the hours of pascha as a family, using the live streaming as needed. On Monday the kids can make a fig tree and on Tuesday an oil lamp in commemoration of the parable of the 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins (see videos below). The adults can contemplate on the readings of the day using the YIC Passion Week Journal which you can download below.

Make a fig tree  http://easybreezysundayschool.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-parable-of-barren-fig-tree.html
Make an oil lamp https://youtu.be/CeZKYGmuZn0

Holy Thursday

Place the icon of the washing of the feet in the frame and light a candle before the icon. On this day we commemorate the washing of the feet of the disciples, and the institution of the Eucharist. You can join us on the livestream from 7am or pray some sections as a family. After reading the gospel reading on the washing of the feet of the disciples, we encourage you to wash each others feet, following the example of Our Lord “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” (John 13:14-15)

Great Friday

Great Friday is a very holy and special day that involves prayers, chanting, processions, prostrations and the burial at the end. You can join the livestream to enjoy the beautiful hymns that are only sung on this day. It is especially important to follow the events hour by hour by reading the gospels of the hour together. You may want to break these up through the day.

In church at the end of the service, the priests remember the burial of Christ by placing an icon of the burial in a linen cloth and covering it with perfumes, spices and rose petals. Once the 12th hour is prayed, you can also remember the burial at home by following these steps:

1. Get a plate and place a linen cloth or any white cloth on it.

2. Place an icon of Christ or a cross on the cloth.

3. Cover it with flowers and perfumes.

4. Wrap the icon and the flowers with the cross and leave it in your prayer corner with a candle on either side till the feast of the Resurrection.

Bright Saturday

Change the table cloth to a white cloth and place the icon of the descent of Christ into Hades in the frame with a candle before it. We will begin the all night vigil at 11pm. If this is too late for you and your family, you can begin earlier and read the praises that are read on the night, along with a few chapters from the book of Revelation. We hold candles on this night while singing some of the praises. You too can each hold a candle while you read/sing the praises.