First Friday of Lent
In the Ambrosian Liturgy, the Fridays of Lent are “aliturgical days”, in which the Eucharist is not celebrated
TIMETABLE OF SERVICES
- 7am Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross)
- 8am Morning Lauds and Terce
- 11am Liturgy of the Word
- 1pm Moment of fasting and Prayer for Peace with the presence of His Excellency Monsignor the Archbishop
- 4.30pm Exposition of the Relic of the Holy Cross for personal adoration
- 5.30pm Vespers and Lenten Catechesis and Blessing with the Relic of the Holy Cross
In the unique liturgical tradition of the Milanese Church, Fridays during Lent – by analogy to Good Friday – are aliturgical days, in which the Eucharist is not celebrated and Holy Communion is not given. This particularity, in which the Ambrosian Liturgy is more similar to that of Eastern ones, is a sign of a more intimate participation in the Paschal Mystery and of a more intense wait for the Sunday Eucharist.
Alongside the community celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours and the prolonged listening to the Words of God, the adoration of the Relic of the Holy Cross is also proposed and the devout act of the Via Crucis (Stations of the Cross).
The First Friday of Lent (3rd March) and Good Friday (7th April) are days of fasting, as well as days of abstinence from eating meat: all adults are required to fast until 60 years of age, while abstinence from meat is for those who have had their 14th birthdays.
On the first Friday of Lent, Archbishop Monsignor Mario Delpini invites everyone to live the experience of fasting as an occasion for invocation, penance and prayer for peace, in particular with the Moment presided over by him, at 1pm, in Cathedral.
It is possible to follow the Moment of Prayer with the presence of the Archbishop (1pm) and the celebration of Vespers with the Lenten Catechesis (5.30 pm) in streaming on this Site (www.duomomilano.it) from the Duomo Milano TV YouTube channel.