On Great Friday, April 26, when the Holy Church remembers the holy, salvific, and terrible sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, Bishop Nicholas of Manhattan led the divine services in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York City, co-served by cathedral clergy.

On Great Friday, Liturgy is not served, because on thisday, the Lord brings Himself in sacrifice. The divine services on the day of Christ’s Passion began with the Royal Hours. The order of the reading of the Hours isvery ancient; dating back to Apostolic times, documents indicate the 3rd, 6th, and 9th Hours as times when Christians would gather for prayer. With the arrival of a new day, they would appeal to God in its First Hour and sing psalms, which led to the establishment of the 1st Hour. On the Third Hour (9:00 AM by our reckoning), they would commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, and call down His grace. The Sixth Hour was dedicated to the remembrance of the Crucified Savior, while the Ninth Hour was dedicated to the remembrance of His death on the Cross.

After the reading of the Hours, Vespers was served in the Cathedral of the Sign, and the Shroud was brought out ofthe altar.

All those present venerated the Shroud, while the canonof the Lamentation of the Theotokos was read.

Vespers is the prelude to Matins for Great Saturday, during which the Church commemorates the Burial of the Lord Jesus Christ, when the Savior’s Body was taken down from the Cross and placed in a new tomb. The touching singing of the cathedral clergy and the Synodal Choir lent the service a truly prayerful tone.

On Friday evening, Bishop Nicholas led Matins and the procession with the Shroud in the Synodal Cathedral in New York City, symbolizing the Burial of the Savior. Already here, after the burial of the tortured and murdered Lord, His Resurrection is anticipated, and after the procession, the Prophecy of Ezekiel concerning the common resurrection is read, followed by triumphal singing and the reading of the Gospel.