A new pope, a new dawn and new looks at old traditions are all elements of Easter observances being undertaken by Greater Victoria churches this year.
In a long weekend celebrated by the North American secular world with chocolate and bunny rabbits, church officials are reaching out with the religious context of Easter, the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“This is our holiest time, this is our Passover, our Ramadan, for us as Christians, this is our holiest day,” said Anglican Rev. Logan McMenamie, dean of Christ Church Cathedral, on Quadra Street at Rockland Avenue.
“So enjoy the long weekend and enjoy the chocolates, but take a little time to look at the important message behind all that —it’s one of new life, new hope, new promise,” McMenamie said.
Christian churches have observed a number of special days during Holy Week. They include Palm Sunday, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, and Maundy Thursday, commemorating the last supper with his disciples.
Today is Good Friday, the day of Jesus’s death on the cross.
Saturday, sometimes called Holy Saturday, marks the day Christ’s body was laid in a tomb. Many churches will leave the altar bare and keep a solemn vigil after dark.
Sunday is Easter Sunday, the great feast day, marked in remembrance of Christ’s resurrection.
Rita Fichtner, a Roman Catholic parishioner and office manager of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, 740 View St., said Holy Week is a special time, particularly with the excitement over the election of Pope Francis. “It is huge to our faith,” Fichtner said.
United Church Minister Rev. Allan Saunders, of First Metropolitan United Church, 932 Balmoral Rd., said he plans to preach on Eastern Christian Orthodox images.
Saunders said on a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, he spotted a 12th-century Byzantine image of the resurrected Christ. Unlike western images, Jesus was not alone. He was holding hands with two people also being resurrected, Adam and Eve.
Saunders said he took it not as a creation image, but as a symbol of universal hope.
Rev. David Marttunen of the Central Baptist Church, 833 Pandora Ave., said Easter for all churches is a time to reach out with the message contained in the resurrection story.
“So we all try to pull out all the stops and tell a story that will appeal to our friends, our families and the community, as well as people who are already committed to the message of the church,” Marttunen said.
