TYLER, Texas — On Good Friday many people of the Christian faith celebrate their beliefs right before Easter Sunday. According to an associate minister at First Christian Church in Tyler, Good Friday is a holy day that calls for music and worship.
"We're going to mark this day with a worship service this evening that combines music from the band U2 with a very traditional set of scripture readings and the act of communion," said associate minister reverend Ginger Brandt.
Brandt said their church celebrates holy week in a seven day period which leads to Easter Sunday.
"Like a lot of Christian traditions, this one has different events throughout the week," Brandt said. "Our big event is Easter Sunday when we have two worship services and other events. We baptize young people after Easter."
The Catholic faith also celebrates holy week but in a different way. Father Nick Nappier with the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception said they commemorate the passion and death of their lord by reading from the gospel of John. The cathedral then holds the veneration of the cross.
"It's where we take a big crucifix and come up and everyone venerates it in some way, shape or form where most people kiss it," Nappier said.
Nappier said their church mass services celebrate Easter weekend starting on Thursday. Between Friday and Sunday the cathedral plans to host up to 15 more masses.
"To be able to celebrate these is at the heart of our faith because on the cross is revealed the love that God has for us," Nappier said. "If we don't understand that love that is revealed on the cross, then we'll never understand the resurrection and just how powerful of an event that truly is."
This year Easter weekend over laps with other religious holidays like Jewish Passover and Muslim Ramadan. Both the reverend and father said it's made this weekend more special.
"I also respect our neighbors of the Islamic faith that they have a lot of good going on, and that it is at the same time seems significant to me," Brandt said.
"Religion is just a testament to the fact that all of us, regardless of our background, regardless of where we come from, we have this deep understanding with our heart that we can't quite articulate," Nappier said. "We know that we have been created by something that is much higher than ourselves and we desire to worship that thing in truth."