Triddum Recap

Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord.

We had what looked to be a full house, so not many seats were left to choose from. Celebrant, and three concelebrants, all in red vestments and birettas. Three Mercedarian brothers serving and an MC.
After the prostration, the collect was read.
The psalm was another adaptation of chant, with alternating verses. The little tract was an english setting of 'Laus tibi christe' set to the 'Orbis Factor'
Passion read, congregation saying its parts, and all kneeling at the mention of Our Lord's death.
Fr.Brannan, the Jesuit priest who now helps out at the parish, hearing confessions or celebrating masses gave a short and very moving homily using the passion narraive and the reproaches as a text, and tipping his biretta at Our Lord's blessed Name.
Then followed the solemn collects. All were sug, and all knelt and stood as appropriate.
The cross was slowly processed from the narthex to the sancturary with the Ecce Lignum Crucis sung. Those in the sanctuary venerated the cross having made three genuflections , the celebrant without chasuble. The people then venerated it, many genuflecting beforehand then kissing it, other simply kneeling and kissing the feet of the crucified. During the Veneration of the cross, the choir sang all the options given:
First, a vernacular adaptation of the chant "Crucem tuam adoremus Domine", followed by Tomas Luis de Victoria's setting of the reproaches (sung flawlessly) and then the hymn "Crux Fideles", sung in Latin.

The celebrant put on a humeral veil and went with the two taperers and MC to process the blessed sacrament from the altar of repose. The choir sang a setting of "Adoremus te christe" by Theodore Dubois and all knelt when the Most Blessed Sacrament was removed and carried in procession. The pater noster was sung and communion was given. The postcommunion was sung, and the prayer over the people said. They left the sanctuary to the narthex after bowing, and all left in silence.
The high altar was stripped again immediately after the service.

I stayed after a bit to make my meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ, went home for a snack, and left for candlelight stations of the cross at S.Charles Borromeo Seminary. There were a lot of people from Lourdes, which is'nt a surprise considering the church is two or three blocks away from the seminary. Light rain kind of ruined the mood, but I finally talked to someone I've seen around the parish lately* he's from Nigeria, was living in europe, and just moved to Philly. I talked to one of out catechumens as well, and she's very nice.
Afterwards, home, compline, and bed.