Each year, Seminary of the Southwest hosts Holy Week and the Easter Triduum services at Christ Chapel for the community. “Celebrating Holy Week and the Triduum together at Christ Chapel forms us into the community we are,” shared the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, dean and president. “It was a special blessing this year to welcome five well-prepared and excited children into the household of God at Baptism. What a celebration!”
Holy Week at Southwest includes several services including Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Holy Wednesday as well as a Tenebrae service. The Tenebrae service showcased four student singers as well as the Southwest Choir who sang “Miserere”, a setting of Psalm 51 by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri. The preachers during the first days of Holy Week included the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, Dean Scott Bader-Saye, and the Rev. Steven Tomlinson. View their sermons here. 
On Wednesday, the Latinx Concentration students built a beautiful alfombra, Spanish for carpet. This is a Central American custom of creating beautiful designs out of sawdust that has become a beloved tradition at Southwest. View the behind the scenes process of how the alfombra was made here.
The Triduum at Southwest began with the Maundy Thursday service offered in the evening in order to allow student’s families to attend and participate in the foot washing. Following the service, the community gathered for a homemade agape meal in the dining hall. Immediately following the agape meal, students participated in a night watch in Christ Chapel from 8pm to 8am Friday morning. 
Following the Good Friday service, the Southwest community was invited to the Vía Crucis or Stations of the Cross at Duval Landing. The Stations liturgy was bilingual in English and Spanish and students took turns carrying the cross. 
On Saturday, Southwest held a Holy Saturday service as well as the Great Vigil of Easter in the evening. The Vigil began outside on the Motte with the lighting of the fire and paschal candle, and then all in attendance followed the candle into the chapel. Traditionally, students who are ordained deacons participate in the Vigil. This year MDiv seniors and transitional deacons, the Rev. Anthony Suggs-Perea and the Rev. Teri Calinao, served in the Vigil. The Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge presided and preached, and baptized five children of Southwest students. There was much to celebrate at the Easter Gala following the Vigil.
