Easter in Jerusalem

It's great to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem, where it all began! I sampled several styles of worship, and will share some photos with you in chronological order, starting with the vigils on Saturday night.

St. Savior's Church

At St. Savior's Church, where the service was sung in Arabic, they turned out all the lights and brought in a big candle from the back to share light with a small candle for each of the hundreds of worshipers. At the end, bells rang and the altar candles were finally lit.

Interior of St.Savior's

Gethsemane Church

Interior of Gethsemane Church

At Gethsemane Church, the service was in Spanish and I sat next to a Chilean. They also had  a large candle bringing light, but said the church would not allow individual worshipers to have candles. There was lively guitar music. We renewed our baptismal vows and were sprinkled with holy water.


On the way to the next church, passing through the Old City, I came upon a group of Palestinian Christians with a loud drum, chanting for freedom for Palestine. The restaurant they passed gave them free water to show support.

Palestinian demonstration in the Old City

Notre Dame

Apostolic Nucnio at Notre Dame

At Notre Dame, where my wife and I stayed on our first visit to Jerusalem, the vigil  began with a bonfire in front, used to light one candle that in turn lit ours as we entered the building. The officiant was the apostolic Nuncio (the Vatican ambassador), and the service was conducted in several languages. One of the sung responses that resonated with me was "Lord, send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth."  Here too, we renewed our baptismal vows.

Bonfire at Notre Dame

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

At midnight, I headed to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a Latin service with more candles and processions. It was a  subdued, quieter service, attended by just a couple of hundred people.

Midnight procession at Holy Sepulchre Church

Ecce Homo Convent

I attended the sunrise service at Ecce Homo Convent (where I went to one of the Good Friday services.) The rooftop location afforded a lovely view of the sun rising to bless Jerusalem. The service was in French and English, with many African priests co-officiating. In the homily we were asked to "accept the victory of love over death and make it our own." There was a lively band and choir, and the service was followed  by breakfast on the terrace.

Sunrise service on Ecce Homo roof

Patriarch Fouad Twal

I then returned to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the main event: a two-and-a-half hour Easter Mass where there were at least a thousand worshipers from many lands. (I had a seat for a while, and sat between a woman from Congo and a woman from Poland.) The service was in Latin, and many in the congregation had a book translating it into several languages. The organ music was majestic, and there was a beautiful, well-amplified choir. The officiant was the Latin Patriarch (Archbishop) of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal. In his homily (read in Arabic with printed translations provided in English, Italian, and other languages), the Patriarch said, "I invite the international community, beyond speeches and visits, to take concrete and effective decisions to find a balanced and just solution for the Palestinian cause, which lies at the heart of all the Middle East's Troubles."  He expressed confidence that Pope Francis will continue "with strength and extermination"  the work of Pope Benedict for peace in the Holy Land.

Easter procession in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

In the intercessory prayers, we prayed that all citizens of Jerusalem may enjoy "prosperity and harmony." The Mass ended with three candle-lit processions around the sepulchre, with pauses to read from the Gospel. After the service I entered the sepulchre, but the guides pushed us in five at a time and gave us only five seconds. Not much time for meditation. But overall, the service was marvelous and unforgettable.

Gospel reading

Entrance to the inner sepulchre