Local pastors stay busy during Holy Week

By Charles Christian

Churches across St. Joseph and all over the world have been celebrating Holy Week this week, with many pastors working overtime to make the services special.

Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday, traditionally includes worship gatherings near the end of the week leading up to Easter. According to Father Stephen Hansen of the Cathedral at St. Joseph, each worship service has a special meaning.

“We call it the Triduum,” Hansen said. “Although people recognize it is a busy time for clergy, it is also a busy time for the faithful, as well. I like to think of the Triduum not as a religious interlude of material things, but it’s a deepening — so that we can love more.”

Hansen has a total of three parishes for which he is responsible this year, and this involves service on Thursday through Sunday of Holy Week. He said he has learned the importance of pulling away after such a busy week to unwind.

“Sunday afternoon through Wednesday of next week, I’ll be at a workshop,” Hansen said. “The other priests on staff will be holding down the fort.”

Other pastors in the area concur with the need for strong preparation for the many added services and responsibilities of Holy Week, in addition to necessary rest for pastors, staff and volunteers who work hard to make the services special.

Doug Walter, pastor of Ashland United Methodist Church, said that he and his staff, along with many volunteers, begin shortly after Christmas to plan special worship services and outreach opportunities centered around Holy Week.

“This year, for instance, we are providing a few interactive worship experiences in worship during Holy Week,” Walter said. “We decided this year we would not simply have auditory experiences, but we would also include unique ways for people to experience the story of the crucifixion and resurrection.”

Walter said that although he and his wife love community interaction and interaction in their congregation, the week after Easter is set aside for an intentional time to “step away” and spend time refocusing.

Retired pastor Bob Caldwell has come out of retirement to serve a small congregation in the Stanberry community. For much of his ministry, he served two congregations while also holding a full-time job outside the church.

Through the years, he has relied heavily on volunteers to work with him on the administrative and worship-related matters that are an important part of the extra services during Holy Week.

“Now that I’m getting older,” Caldwell said, “I see that I need more time to recover.”

This is especially true, he said, after a busy week like Holy Week.

Steven Longley, pastor of Turning Point Church of the Nazarene, said that in addition to much-needed rest after months of planning services, coordinating with staff and volunteers, and spending time with family, the week after Easter provides new opportunities to connect.

“You go from working on events and activities and things like that,” Longley said, “to working on relationships.”

Longley said these relationships include those who may choose Holy Week to attend church for the first time, as well as those who choose Holy Week to reconnect to church life.