DOC PREVIEW
Ritual Observance Project: Good Friday

This preview shows page 1-2 out of 5 pages.

Save
View full document
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 5 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 5 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 5 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience

Unformatted text preview:

Samantha MurrayANTH 1100Dr. GonzalezIndividual Research ProjectRitual Observance Project: Good Friday For Easter weekend, my family and I went to Sanibel Island, Florida. I have gone there multiple times with my family so I know the island. Before my parents got married my mother was a Baptist and my father was a Catholic. After getting married my father became a Baptist Christian and that is what I was raised as. Up until Easter weekend, I had never attended a Catholic church service but I had somewhat of an understanding of all the services that are held during the Holy Week. When my family arrived Friday morning, I decided that I would go to St Isabel Church’s Good Friday Service. The Good Friday service started at 3:00 pm and lasteda little over an hour. My father told me that it would be okay for me to observe if I satin the back of the sanctuary. I did not participate in the service because I was not aware of the ritual and I did not participate in communion because I was not allowed. Upon arriving, I took note of the architecture of the building. The church was in a circular shape and had a lot of stained glass windows on each side. As soon as I walked into the front door, there was another wooden doorway with amazing glasswork. To the left there was a room for mothers that they could go in if their child was crying but other than that there did not appear to be any other rooms in the church except the sanctuary. When I entered, there was a statue of Jesus on thecross on the center of the back wall which was the focal point of the church. There were three different sections in the church with pews that had kneeling benches in front of them. I noticed that no one was talking in the sanctuary while waiting on thepriest to come in and the Good Friday Service to start. People were acting very respectful. There was also a room in the back left part of the church, which was the Confessional. On the sets of stained glass windows, the Stations of the Cross are depicted. There are 14 different stations of the cross which include the following; Jesus is condemned to death, Jesus receives the cross, Jesus falls the first time, Jesus meets His Mother, Simon of Cyrene carries the cross, Veronica wipes Jesus’ face with her veil, Jesus falls the second time, Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem, Jesus falls the third time, Jesus is stripped of His garments, Crucifixion (Jesus is nailed to the cross), Jesus dies on the cross, Jesus’ body is removed from the cross, and Jesus is laid in the tomb. I learned that in some churches there are 15 stations and the 15th is the Resurrection. On other parts of the stained glass, there were just designs that were only for the decorative purpose. Also something that was different from what I am use to is the crucifix. Growing up as a Baptist, Jesus was not on the crosses that were displayed in our services. It was very different to see Jesus’ body still on the cross at the center of the church. When the priest first entered the sanctuary he had on a plain while robe with a white sash. He had on black shoes and you could not see what clothes he was wearing under the robe. Right before the service started he put a robe on top of what he already had that was designed with gold embellishments. Right beforecommunion was taken another man came out in the same robe as the priest and assisted him with communion. During the service, which I learned is not called “mass” on Good Friday, the ritual is codified. There are four parts of the Good Friday service. The first is the Liturgy of the Word, which is reading of the Passion. The priest reads the part of Jesus and other members of the clergy read the other parts. The people attending the service also had parts and they were the ones that said “Away with Him! Crucify Him!.” It was all very rehearsed and practiced. The next part is the Intercessory of prayers for the church and everyone in the world (Christian and non-Christian). Then it’s the Veneration of the Cross and then they end with Communion. There was not any signing or music during the service like there is in a Baptist service. The priest would sing at certain points of the scripted ritual. The symbol of Mary was a major part as well as the crucifix. There were also a lot of points where people would kneel, stand, and sit. I was trying to figure out at what points people were doing each action but I could not figure out the science of it. The audience was very diverse when it came to age, gender, ethnicity, and class. There were many senior citizens there as well as families. There were kids ranging from babies to teenagers. Because it was an island that is somewhat of a vacation spot there were lots of ethnicities present as well as social classes. For some people, the Good Friday service seemed like something they did as a habit every year. Lawrenceville, GA man David who was there on vacation with his wife said that they attend all services during Holy Week because it is “what we aresupposed to do. It’s how we grew up.” Other people looked as though they were very moved during the service and were somewhat emotional when exiting. By having the services, they fulfill the need of the catholic people by allowing them to attend all the services they should attend. David also made the comment that “during these services of Holy Week, we confess our sins and pray a lot. This is aritual we do every year. We are supposed to do all of these things.” This service was an interesting experience and definitely something that I was not accustomed to. One thing I found interesting was that they people participated so much in the service, especially during the reading of the Passion. My whole life I have heard the story of the crucifixion of Jesus but never narrated the way it was during the Good Friday service at St Isabel. Compared to Good Friday services I have been to that were put on by Passion City Church in Atlanta, this was very quiet and reserved. It was a very good experience and I am glad I took this hourto see how other denominations celebrate the death and resurrection of


View Full Document

Ritual Observance Project: Good Friday

Download Ritual Observance Project: Good Friday
Our administrator received your request to download this document. We will send you the file to your email shortly.
Loading Unlocking...
Login

Join to view Ritual Observance Project: Good Friday and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or
We will never post anything without your permission.
Don't have an account?
Sign Up

Join to view Ritual Observance Project: Good Friday 2 2 and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or

By creating an account you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use

Already a member?