Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided over the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson for Good Friday on April 7. It followed a reenactment of the Passion of Christ that took place in the cathedral and through the streets in Paterson.
The Celebration of the Lord’s Passion consists of three parts, namely, the Liturgy of the Word, adoration of the Cross, and Holy Communion. To show reverence during the solemn service, clergy, lay ministers, and the faithful genuflect before or kiss the cross, and the clergy prostrate themselves before the altar or kneel and pray in silence.
No Masses are celebrated on Good Friday, and it is also a day of fasting and abstinence.