The three Christian churches on Narragansett Avenue have scheduled their services to commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Holy Week begins April 2 with Palm Sunday and ends April 9 with Easter.
At St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 87 Narragansett Ave., Palm Sunday will begin with a worship service at 8 a.m. followed by a musical procession of palms at 10 a.m. A service for children and their parents is scheduled for 5 p.m.
For Maundy Thursday, there will be a service of foot washing and Communion at 6 p.m. followed by “a simple meal.” The annual ecumenical service for Good Friday, with the Stations of the Cross, will be hosted at noon by Central Baptist Church, 99 Narragansett Ave. St. Matthew’s, Central Baptist and St. Mark Roman Catholic Church co-sponsor the service with all three clergy — the Revs. Christa Moore-Levesque, Kurt Satherlie and Doug Grant, respectively — participating.
Following the ecumenical service, St. Matthew’s will return to its parish at 4 p.m. for a children’s service followed at 7 p.m. with a traditional service in the chapel.
For Easter Sunday, St. Matthew’s will host a sunrise service at 6 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Square at East Ferry. That will be followed by a festive, musical Easter service at 10 a.m. culminating with an Easter egg hung.
At Central Baptist, the congregation will gather for its Palm Sunday service at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. Palms will be handed out and fellowship will follow the service.
A Maundy Thursday service will be conducted at 6:30 p.m. in Clarke Hall. The service will begin with meal of soup and bread followed by Holy Communion and the service of Tenebrae. The church is seeking people to consider being one of the 12 readers for the Tenebrae service. It is meant to be “a quiet, solemn evening,” and visitors are asked to depart from the church in silence following the service.
For Easter Sunday, the Baptist congregation will celebrate the Easter sunrise with an outdoor service at 6 a.m. in the third parking lot at Beavertail State Park. Guests should bring chairs for their comfort in hopes of a rising sun in the east at 6:16 a.m. With a keyboardist playing live music, everyone will be invited to sing, praise and worship. The traditional Easter service will be at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. The live Palm Sunday and Easter services at Central Baptist will be broadcast via Zoom.
At the Catholic church at 60 Narragansett Ave., Holy Thursday will be commemorated with a Mass of the lord’s supper at 7 p.m. followed by an adoration of the blessed sacrament from 8-10 p.m. There is no 8 a.m. Mass.
For Good Friday, after the ecumenical service, St. Mark will host the Stations of the Cross at 3 p.m. followed by a celebration of the passion of the lord at 7 p.m. There is no 8 a.m. Mass. A vigil of Easter at 7:30 p.m. on Holy Saturday (no 4 p.m. Mass) will be followed with 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services for Easter Sunday.
