Veiling of Crosses - Rector's Rambling, March 17, 2013

As you may have noticed, the crosses on the altars and around the church are now veiled.  Although most Episcopal churches follow the modern Roman Catholic form for veiling the crosses on all the Sundays of Lent, we keep to the old tradition of doing so from Passion Sunday onwards.  Dr. Taylor Marshall, a former Episcopal priest writes on his blog Canterbury Tales, “In the old days, Passion Sunday (5th Sunday) ‘ramped up’ the Lenten season.  Passion Sunday (also called Judica Sunday from the opening Introit) is the traditional day for veiling the crucifixes and statues in the churches.  The practice allegedly derives from Bavaria (though I’d love for someone more knowledgeable to shed light on the origin of this custom).  The crosses and images remain veiled and add to the dramatic effect of the Paschal Vigil when they are unveiled for the glory and wonder of our Lord’s resurrection.  The famous medieval triptychs that opened and closed were constructed for the purpose of closing them for this season.”

Today of course is also St. Patrick’s Day.  We will certainly celebrate the occasion with our Corned Beef Luncheon in his honor.  Although the day has become a secular celebration of all things Irish, we remember that St. Patrick was about JESUS, and the conversion of the Irish to the faith, for which we give thanks!

Since Sundays in Lent take precedence over other Feast Days, we will move the commemoration to Wednesday, March 20 at the 12:15 Holy Communion Service (Tuesday being the Feast of St. Joseph).