THE WAY OF THE CROSS
(At the foot of the Altar)
Reader In the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All Amen.
Reader Christ for our sakes became obedient to death.
People Even the death of the cross.
Reader By his own blood, he entered once into the holy place.
People Having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Reader O Savior of the world, who by your cross and passion has redeemed us,
People Save us and help us, we humbly beseech you, O Lord.
Reader The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, who for the redemption of the world walked the way of the cross and bore the sins of many: Grant that we, following in your footsteps, may obtain an increase of your love and walk in your paths all the days of our life; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
All Amen.
I. JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord of heaven and earth standing before the judgement seat of the world. Pilate washes his hands. The temple officials charge him with violating the ways of God. The people say, “He deserves to die.” Pilate gives him over to them to be crucified.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one, People Have mercy on us.
Reader He did not spare his own son,
People But delivered him up for all of us.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, our ways have not been your ways, and yet we have called them holy. We strike back when we are struck; yet you accepted the agonies of the Cross for us. As we walk with you this day, may the mystery of Calvary penetrate the depths of our souls. May our hearts be washed in that stream which flows from the Cross through the Sacraments and into our lives, so that we may serve you with pure hearts and minds; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 1 (chanted by a cantor)
Popule meus, quid feci tibi? aut in quo constristavi te? responde mihi.
My people, what have I done to you? How have I grieved you? Answer me!
Anthem (seated, sung by the Saint Michael Choir)
Crucifixus (from B minor mass) Johann Sebastian Bach
Crucifixus etiam pro nobis, sub Pontio Pilato, passus et sepultus est.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, he suffered and was buried.
- Nicene Creed
II. JESUS TAKES UP THE CROSS
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord, through whom all things have life, now led off to die, carrying the instrument of his condemnation.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
People For the wickedness of my people he was stricken.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, for our redemption you have endured the agony and shame of the Cross. Grant us by your grace to cheerfully bear the slights and discouragements, the frustrations and temptations of daily life with patience and humility, that we may be made one with you who bore the Cross for us, and who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 2 (chanted by a cantor)
Quia eduxi te de terra Aegypti : parasti crucem Salvatori tuo.
I led you out of the land of Egypt, but you have prepared a Cross for your Savior.
III. JESUS FALLS THE FIRST TIME
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord by whom all things were made. He falls in the dust. His agony and bloody sweat, the rigors of his final trial, the mocking and the scourging now take their toll.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one, People Have mercy on us.
Reader Surely He has borne our griefs, People And carried our sorrows.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, sometimes the burdens of life are great and we are brought very low. Accept our humble thanks for taking on our human frailty and bearing the full weight and price of sin, that we might have the weight lifted from our souls, to live in your abiding grace; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 13 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego te exaltavi magna virtute : et tu me suspendisti in patibulo crucis.
I exalted you with great power, but you have hung me upon the scaffold of the Cross.
Anthem (seated, sung by the Saint Michael Choir)
Adoramus te, Christe Théodore Dubois
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi, Qua per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.
Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi, doramus te, Christe
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, Who by Thy Holy Cross hast redeemed the world. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, we adore Thee, O Christ
- Roman Catholic Liturgy
IV. JESUS MEETS HIS GRIEVING MOTHER
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the handmaiden of the Lord, as she reaches out for the child she nursed long ago in her arms, and for whom the angels sang. The ancient Simeon’s word to her is now fulfilled: “A sword shall pierce your soul also.”
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader Yea, a sword shall pierce your soul also.
People And fill your heart with bitter pain.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, help us to take the hand of your dear mother that we might be comforted by her noble grief, and know that you will sustain us through our greatest sorrows; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 4 (chanted by a cantor)
Quid ultra debui facere tibi, et non feci? Ego quidem plantavi te vineam meam speciosissimam; et tu facta es mihi nimis amara : aceto namque sitim meam potasti, et lancea perforasti latus Salvatori tuo.
What more could I have done for you that I have not done? I planted you as my most beautiful vineyard, but you have become exceedingly bitter to me; for in my thirst, you gave me vinegar to drink, and with a spear, you have pierced the side of your Savior.
Anthem (seated, sung by two soloist)
O quam tristis Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
O quam tristis et afflicta fuit illa benedicta Mater Unigeniti.
O what sadness and suffering for she who was blessed to be Mother of the only-begotten One.
- Jacopone da Todi (1230-1306)
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you,
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord, who holds the whole world in the hollow of his hand, now upheld by Simon, a passerby whom soldiers pressed to service; who, from his sharing in the Passion of our Lord, became a saint of Holy Church.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader Whoever does not bear his cross, and come after me,
People Cannot be my disciple.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, sometimes wrongs befall us and confuse us and your justice seems far away; yet you taught us to take up our cross and follow you. Grant us eyes to see how we can serve you by serving others, that we might share in the bearing of your Cross; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 9 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego te pavi manna per desertum : et tu me cecidisti alapis et flagellis.
I fed you with manna in the desert, but you have struck me with blows and scourges.
VI. VERONICA WIPES THE FACE OF JESUS
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord of beauty. They turn away so they will not see his pain. Veronica, whom he healed of the flow of blood, comforts as she can and now wipes away his blood.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader Show us the light of your countenance,
People And we shall be saved.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, who has taught us that inasmuch as we have been merciful to one of the least of our sisters or brothers, we have been so to you: Grant us g race to be sensitive to the needs of others, that as Veronica found your image on the cloth which wiped your face, so may we bear the image of your love imprinted on our hearts; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 10 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego te potavi aqua salutis de petra : et tu me potasti felle et aceto.
I gave you the water of salvation from the rock, but you gave me gall and vinegar to drink.
Anthem (seated, sung by the Saint Michael Choir)
O vos omnes Pablo Casals
O vos omnes qui transitis per viam, attendite et videte: Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus. Attendite, universi populi, et videte dolorem meum. Si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.
O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see: If there be any sorrow like to my sorrow. Attend, all ye people, and see my sorrow: If there be any sorrow like to my sorrow.
- Lamentations 1:12
VII. JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord of heaven fallen to the earth again, its burdens on his shoulders. The cross becomes the outward sign of all our sins, and sin’s intolerable weight.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one, People Have mercy on us.
Reader But I am a worm and no man, People Scorned by all, and despised of the people.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, your burden is too great for us. Yet you persevered for us so that all who stumble in blindness of heart, searching of mind, and loneliness of soul may come to know you as the Savior of the world; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 11 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego propter te Chananaeorum reges percussi : et tu percussisti arundine caput meum.
For you, I struck down the kings of the Canaanites, but you have struck my head with a reed.
VIII. JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord, whom prophets long foretold; a great company of disciples follows him, women wail and lament. He says to them: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader Those that sow in tears,
People Shall reap in joy.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, how blind we are to our faults. Teach us to confront our sin, to repent and turn to you, that by your pardoning grace the results of our iniquities may not be visited upon our children and the cycle of violence and confusion ended. Grant that our hearts may be focused on you, the goal of all our striving and the answer to our restlessness; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 12 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego dedi tibi sceptrum regale : et tu dedisti capiti meo spineam coronam.
I gave you a royal scepter, but you have placed a crown of thorns upon my head.
Anthem (seated, sung by the Saint Michael Choir)
Salvator mundi from Requiem Herbert Howells
O Saviour of the world, who by thy Cross and precious Blood hath redeemed us, save us and help us, we humbly beseech thee O Lord.
- From the Liturgy of the Hours for Exaltation of the Holy Cross
IX. JESUS FALLS THE THIRD TIME
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord, who, when he has been lifted up, will draw all the world to himself, now falls a third and last time.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one, People Have mercy on us.
Reader He is brought as a sheep to the slaughter, People And was mute as a lamb before the shearer.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, could you have known how hard it would be to bear your Cross? Yet you persevered for the good of the world. Grant us the grace to always honor you and your great works of love. And should we offend you through carelessness or ignorance, grant that we may quickly turn to you with a contrite heart, honest confession and full purpose of amendment, to conquer all that should not be in us, through your grace; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 7 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego ante te aperui mare : et tu aperuisti lancea latus meum.
I opened the sea before you, but you have opened my side with a spear.
Anthem (seated, sung by the Saint Michael Choir)
Jesus, so lowly Harold Friedell
Jesus, so lowly, child of the earth: christen me wholly, bring me new birth.
Jesus, so lonely, weary and sad; teach me that only Love maketh glad.
Jesus, so broken, silent and pale; be this the token Love will not fail. Jesus, victorious, mighty and free; teach me how glorious death is to be.
- Edith Williams
X. JESUS IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord, who clothed the world in beauty, is stripped of his clothing and prepared for the Cross.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader The y gave me gall for my meat;
People And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, for fear of being stripped we often hide; yet you are now prepared for the gallows tree. Help us to let go of all falsehood, pride, and deceit that we may be clothed with sincerity of heart. Remove the veil that hinders our sig ht, that your glory may embolden us anew in our weakness; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 5 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego propter te flagellavi Aegyptum cum primogenitis suis : et tu me flagellatum tradidisti. For you, I struck Egypt and its firstborn; but you have handed me over to be scourged.
XI. JESUS IS NAILED TO THE CROSS
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you:
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord of love! While soldiers nail him to the cross he prays to the Father for them: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader The y pierced my hands and my feet.
People They stare and gloat over me.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the Cross, that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your spirit that we, reaching out our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 3 (chanted by a cantor)
Quia eduxi te per desertum quadraginta annis : et manna cibavi te, et introduxi te in terram satis optimam: parasti crucem Salvatori tuo.
For forty years I led you through the desert, I fed you with manna, I brought you into a land sufficiently good, but you have prepared a Cross for your Savior.
XII. JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Lord of life, saying, “It is finished-Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” There is darkness over all the earth; the rocks are split, the g raves open, the veil of the temple is torn.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader Christ became obedient unto death.
People Even the death of the Cross.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, how great your love that you could still reach out as the light of life faded from your lips. Accept the small offering of my heart’s love and g rant that dying daily to self, I may live only to you, who died for me and lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end. All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 6 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego eduxi te de Aegypto, demerso Pharaone in mare rubrum : et tu me tradidisti principibus sacerdotum.
For forty years I led you through the desert, I fed you with manna, I brought you into a land sufficiently good, but you have prepared a Cross for your Savior.
Anthem (seated, sung by the Saint Michael Choir)
O nata lux de lumine
Thomas Tallis
O nata lux de lumine, Jesu redemptor saeculi, dignare clemens supplicum laudes precesque sumere. Qui carne quondam contegi dignatus es pro perditis, nos membra confer effici tui beati corporis.
O Light born of Light, Jesus, redeemer of the world, with loving-kindness deign to receive suppliant praise and prayer. Thou who once deigned to be clothed in flesh for the sake of the lost, grant us to be members of thy blessed body.
- 10th century hymn
XIII. THE BODY OF JESUS IS PLACED IN THE ARMS OF HIS MOTHER
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the Handmaid of the Lord, receiving into her arms the body of her son, our Lord, his life’s work finished, his soul released, his victory won amidst defeat.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader Her tears are on her cheeks,
People She has no one to comfort her.
Reader Let us pray.
O blessed Lord Jesus, can any grief be as great as that of your mother? By the merits of your precious death and burial, grant that all who mourn for loved ones may know the help of her prayers, whose arms received your sacred body. May the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection be to them a strong staff with which to walk the paths ahead, guided by your light; who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, world without end.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach 8 (chanted by a cantor)
Ego ante te praeivi in columna nubis : et tu me duxisti ad praetorium Pilati.
I led you before in a pillar of cloud, but you have led me to Pilate’s court.
Anthem (seated, sung by a soloist)
Pie Jesu from Requiem Maurice Duruflé
Pie Jesu, Domine, dona eis requiem.
Pie Jesu, Domine, dona eis requiem sempiternam.
Blessed Jesus, Lord, give them rest. Blessed Jesus, Lord, give them eternal rest.
- Requiem Mass
XIV. THE BODY OF JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB
Reader We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
People Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Reader Behold the body of our Lord, laid now in Joseph’s tomb and the great stone rolled in place, now awaits Resurrection and a harvest of souls for ages and ages.
Reader Holy God, holy and mighty, holy immortal one,
People Have mercy on us.
Reader You will not leave my soul in Hell,
People Nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
Reader Let us pray.
O God, your blessed Son was laid in a tomb in a garden, and rested on the Sabbath day: Grant that we who have been buried with him in the waters of baptism may find our perfect rest in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns for ever and ever.
All Amen.
Good Friday Reproach Trisagion (chanted by a cantor)
Agios o Theos, Agios ischyros, Agios athanatos eleison imas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.
Anthem (seated, sung by the Saint Michael Choir)
In paradisum from Requiem Gabriel Fauré
In paradisum deducant angeli: in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere, aeternam habeas requiem.
May the angels lead you into paradise: may the martyrs receive you as you arrive, and bring you into the holy city of Jerusalem. May the choir of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, once a beggar, may you have eternal rest.
- Latin Requiem Mass
Reader The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Reader Let us pray.
All Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reader O Blessed Lord Jesus, we can have no joy until you roll away the stone and set us free. Eternal and glorious King, grant that we who have been buried with you in the waters of baptism may find our perfect rest in you; who now lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
All Amen.
Reader Now to Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and that made us a priesthood of believers; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and e ver.
All Amen.
Crucifixus (from B minor mass) Johann Sebastian Bach
“Crucifixus” from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B Minor, BWV 232, is a deeply expressive choral movement depicting Christ’s crucifixion. Composed in a passacaglia-like structure over a descending bass line, it creates a sense of inevitability and sorrow. Chromatic harmonies and interwoven vocal lines intensify the depiction of suffering, making it one of the most poignant moments in the mass. Originally adapted from an earlier cantata, this movement exemplifies Bach’s mastery of conveying profound emotion through counterpoint and harmony.
Adoramus te, Christe Théodore Dubois
“Adoramus Te, Christe” by Théodore Dubois (1837–1924) is a brief sacred choral work frequently featured in worship and Lenten services. Dubois, a French composer and organist renowned for his church music and tenure as director of the Paris Conservatoire, offers a simple yet expressive setting of the traditional Latin prayer of adoration and supplication.
O quam tristis Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
“O quam tristis” is a movement from Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (1710–1736), one of his best-known sacred works. Composed in 1736, shortly before his death, the Stabat Mater sets a medieval hymn describing Mary’s sorrow at the Crucifixion. This movement features expressive vocal writing that highlights the text’s mournful character. Pergolesi’s delicate phrasing and harmonic tension underscore the hymn’s emotional depth, making it a prime example of his lyrical, dramatic style in sacred music.
O vos omnes Pablo Casals
“O Vos Omnes” by Pablo Casals (1876–1973) is a choral setting of a traditional Latin text from the Book of Lamentations, often associated with Holy Week. Composed as part of his sacred repertoire, the piece captures the text’s sorrow through rich harmonies and flowing vocal lines, evoking an atmosphere of lament and introspection.
Salvator mundi from Requiem Herbert Howells
“Salvator Mundi,” the opening movement of Herbert Howells’ Requiem, was composed in the 1930s and published in 1980. Written after his son’s death, it reflects personal grief and spiritual reflection. With rich harmonies and flowing vocal lines, the piece sets the Latin text as a plea for salvation. Its meditative, solemn tone creates an introspective, reverent atmosphere, marking the Requiem as a significant work in 20th-century sacred choral music.
Jesus, so lowly Harold Friedell
Harold Friedell was an American organist, composer, and educator who taught at Juilliard and the Union Theological Seminary School of Music. He served as organist and choirmaster at St. John’s Church in New Jersey and St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York. His classic motet, one of his best-known works, sets a text by poet Edith Williams that portrays Jesus as lowly, lonely, broken, and victorious.
O nata lux de lumine
Thomas Tallis
Thomas Tallis (c. 1505–1585) offers a haunting setting of “O nata lux de lumine,” the Lauds hymn for the Feast of the Transfiguration, observed on the last Sunday before Lent. The piece features pitch cross-relations that create harmonic discord—most notably on the words redemptor (redeemer), perditis (the lost), and corporis (Christ’s body). Through these dissonances, Tallis evokes a profound sense of suffering within this redemptive text.
Pie Jesu from Requiem
Maurice Duruflé
“Pie Jesu” from Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, Op. 9 (1947), is a setting of the traditional Latin prayer for eternal rest. Duruflé (1902–1986) was a French composer, organist, and teacher known for his use of Gregorian chant and modal harmonies. A student of Paul Dukas, he served as organist at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris for much of his career. His Requiem, commissioned by the French publishing house Durand, is influenced by Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem.
In paradisum from Requiem Gabriel Fauré
“In paradisum” from Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, Op. 48 (1887–1890), is the final movement, offering a serene vision of eternal rest. Fauré (1845–1924), a French composer and organist, took a gentle, lyrical approach to the work, emphasizing comfort over fear. Based on the traditional funeral antiphon, “In paradisum” features light, flowing melodies and soft harmonies that evoke peace. Its ethereal choral writing and delicate accompaniment reflect Fauré’s intent to depict a tranquil passage into paradise.
