Phil on 25 Mar 2008  •  Link

Good Friday - probably from "God's Friday", anniversary of Jesus' death on the cross, the Friday before Easter, observed as a day of mourning and penitence. In Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican churches, the celebration of Mass is suspended. (per Columbia Encyclopedia)

Terry Foreman on 30 Mar 2008  •  Link

Good Friday observance in Pepys’s day according to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good…

Michael Robinson on 30 Mar 2008  •  Link

Good Friday -- Book Of Common Prayer, 1662

The Wikipedia page cited by Terry F. above is incorrect. The 1662 Book contains three special collects for Good Friday:-

ALMIGHTY God, we beseech thee graciously to behold this thy family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death upon the cross, who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified; Receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before thee for all estates of men in thy holy Church, that every member of the same, in his vocation and ministry may truly and godly serve thee; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

O MERCIFUL God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor wouldest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live; Have mercy upon all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Hereticks, and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved among the remnant of the true Israelites, and be made one fold under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Collect from the First Day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, is to be read every day in Lent after the Collect(s) appointed for the Day.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For Good Friday the table 'Lessons Proper for Holy-Days' mandates:
Mattins, Genesis 22 vv 1-20; John 18. Psalms 22, 40, 54
Evensong, Isaiah 52 v 13 & 53; 1 Peter 2. Psalms 69, 88

"In the Prayer Book Good Friday is brought into line with all other days of the year, except that the provision of three special collects keeps a slight trace of the old solemn prayers of the day. No direction is given as to celebrating the Eucharist, consequently the old custom [no celebration, MR] must be presumed to stand, though it has not been universally maintained. ..."

Francis Proctor & W. H. Frere 'A History of the Book of Common Prayer' London: 1905, third edition, (rpr. 1949) pp. 537-8.

Australian Susan on 1 Apr 2008  •  Link

"...the celebration of Mass is suspended...."

But Priests usually use reserved sacraments from the previous day. Well, ours does, anyway. The blessed elements are processed to the altar of a a side chapel at the Holy Thursday evening service and left there with lit candles and a vigil watch of parishioners all night until used at the Good Friday early morning service. Our Church reads the Passion from John's Gospel at that service, but that is read at most churches on the previous Sunday (now more usually called Palm Sunday, but also known as Passion Sunday) All this would have been quite alien not only to Sam ith his Puritan upbringing, but also to most ongregations in the 1660s as the reforms of the nglishchurch in the 16th century had sought to do awaywith what were seen as "superstitious" "Papist" ractices such as imposition of ashes, kneeling at the oot of the cross, adoration of the sacrament and so n.If Sam had come to our Anglican Church over the aster season, he would have thought he was attending aCatholic Mass. (except for it being in English).

Australian Susan on 2 Apr 2008  •  Link

I apologise for the strange behaviour of my keyboard in the previous annotation. It develops a stammer if I type quickly.