We made it! With all of our preparation and hardwork, we conquered the Easter season with grace, a very low amount of stress, and plenty of Morton’s sandwiches to go around. Among our staff, we had been preparing various aspects of the Triduum services for about a month and a half. There was quite a bit to organize and plan, but thankfully with our efficiency, we were more than prepared for the hectic energy that normally begins the week before Palm Sunday. Each of us in HOB had our own specific tasks to take care of so that we could alleviate the load for one another. I was in charge of aquiring altar servers for each of the services, Maeve took care of getting readers for each mass as well as volunteers for the feet washing on Holy Thursday, and Sarah and Remy dealt with the organization of the gallery which was a beast itself!
I’m honestly surprised with how smoothly everything went, but am also deeply grateful for it. I was nervous going into the Lenten season that it would be difficult to appreciate and enjoy the services, as we were working so intently to make sure everything went well and was in order for the choir, parisioners, and other aspects behind-the-scenes. I think it is quite easy to have tunnel vision during more chaotic times like this in a workspace as you can quickly become focused on what needs to be done next instead of appreciating the beauty of the season. We were able to lift any pressure for one another and be in a more prayerful mental state as a community. I certainly was in a more focused headspace on Good Friday, as RTE was here to film our service. Everything went very well and we did a full runthrough of the mass beforehand, so we could all be more present during the actual mass. My favorite piece we sang in Vocare for Good Friday and Tenebrae, Christus Factus Est, was sung during the veneration of the cross, so I was able to truly just soak in the beauty of the music and listen from a different perspective down by the altar, as all of us in HOB are usually up singing in the choir loft together.
My favorite services this year, although each beautiful in their own way, were Tenebrae, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. I appreciate the quiet and peaceful darkness that Tenebrae brings and the shift in tonality of music throughout the service. Although Good Friday is solemn, I absolutely loved the service this year. I was able to witness it from a different perspective as I altar served and was able to experience the service when there was very few parisioners in the church during our first runthrough, and then an extremely full church during the actual mass. It was beautiful seeing how full the parish was and listening to the choir was an incredible experience. On the night of the Easter Vigil, I was in charge of standing outside after the fire was lit to make sure it safely extinguished. This was genuinely one of my favorite moments of the Triduum, because everyone had already processed inside to continue the service, and I was alone by the fire. I was able to just be, and waited for about fifteen minutes until it finally had gone out. I listened to the sounds of the city, the flames, and the cantor singing the Exultent. It was a wonderful mesh of sounds and truly one of the calmest moments I had.
This week after we have all begun to settle into our normal routines again, the four of us in HOB have realized how quickly this time has passed. We officially have less than three months left with each other, and I’ve been feeling quite bittersweet. I have had the ability to live through some incredible things, and it’ll definitely be hard to not be surrounded by this beautiful community, so I am trying to soak in as many experiences and moments as possible. The countdown has begun, but I am going to live presently and enjoy it all while I still can!
