WILMINGTON — A Wilmington tradition is taking place at eight churches in the city of Wilmington on Holy Thursday. The Easter Triduum tradition, “Holy Thursday in the City,” involves a liturgy in each church, along with an invitation for participants to visit the other seven.
All of the Masses will take place at 7 p.m. at the following churches: St. Peter Cathedral, St. Ann, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Elizabeth, St. Hedwig, St. Paul and St. Joseph on French Street. After Mass, each parish processes the Blessed Sacrament to a special place of reposition in preparation for Good Friday services. It commemorates the three hours Jesus spent in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Bishop Koenig will preside at the Mass at the cathedral.
St. Joseph and the cathedral are open until 9 p.m., while St. Hedwig and St. Thomas are open until 10. The other churches will remain open until 11 p.m. St. Thomas will host a Tenebrae service on Wedneseday, April 13, at 7 p.m., and St. Hedwig will have a Tenebrae at 10 p.m. on Holy Thursday. Tenebrae is a service held during the three days before Easter that is characterized by the gradual extinguishing of candles, ending in total darkness.
Father Norman Carroll, pastor of St. Elizabeth and dean of the city deanery, said some churches just outside the city also are open on Holy Thursday if participants want to visit them as well.
