March of Witness
In the morning we will join other Christians in Abergavenny on their March of Witness. We will hand out buttered Hot Cross Buns in Red Square at around 10am before walking through the town in silence behind a bare cross.
The Last Hour
An opportunity to spend this Last Hour apart. We will gave an opportunity to venerate the cross, pray and receive from the Reserved Sacrament.
Sacred Concert
The Prior Choir sing St Mark Passion by CharlesWood; attended by the High Sherrif of Gwent fulfilling her first official duty since taking up office.
The St Mark Passion, writen in 1920, begins with an organ introduction, followed by the four stanzas of the tune Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle. The first Lesson, concluding with Jesus and his disciples processing to the Mount of Olives, is followed by four verses of the hymn The Heavenly Word proceeding forth; the second verse (“By false disciple…”) anticipates the coming Lesson of the betrayal.
After Jesus is betrayed by Judas and his disciples flee from the garden of Gethsemane, the choir and congregation sing the hymn Lord, when we bow before thy throne, reflecting on the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples after his seizure by the authorities.
The Jewish priests and elders condemn Jesus to death in the third Lesson. In the concluding section of the Lesson, Peter denies his association with Jesus, ultimately realizes his error in doing so, and weeps in despair; the choir sings the hymn My God, I love thee; not, commenting on Peter’s desolation and his recognition of Jesus as Christ.
In the fourth Lesson, the crowd assembled before Pilate calls for Jesus’ death by crucifix, ending with another stanza of Sing, my tongue for divided trebles and altos, foreshadowing the Lesson of the Crucifixion (“Faithful Cross! above all other…”).
The final lesson is sung in cappela.
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