By Susan Stevenot Sullivan, Staff Writer

ATLANTA--The journey from life to death to resurrection, again glimpsed in delicate dogwood bracts and fragrant daffodils, is celebrated liturgically during this season of awakening.

The Catholic Church’s celebration of the life beyond death begins with Palm Sunday and continues with the Chrism Mass, one of the liturgical jewels of Holy Week, scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of Christ the King. The liturgies which follow the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday are part of the Easter triduum.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue has encouraged lay people, particularly those considering the possibility of a religious vocation, to participate in the Chrism Mass, a celebration which is attended by most of the priests of the archdiocese.

Each year the priests carry the oil of the sick, the oil of the catechumens and the Chrism blessed during this liturgy back to their parishes for anointing during the coming year, including use in the sacraments of confirmation, holy orders, baptism and anointing of the sick.

Each year during the Chrism Mass, as a community, the priests of the diocese renew their commitment to priesthood and to the leadership of the archbishop through their promise of obedience.

The celebration of the liturgy for Holy Thursday at the cathedral is scheduled for April 13 at 7 p.m. Music for the liturgy will be provided by the 15-member Modern Liturgical Group under the direction of Ken and Elyn Macek.

The liturgy, celebrated by Archbishop Donoghue, will close with the traditional stripping of the tabernacle and altar, leaving them bare of linens or flowers. The Eucharist is transferred to a temporary location.

A “Tre Ore” service will begin at the cathedral on good Friday, April 14, at noon. The service focuses on the “seven last words” of Jesus and includes reflection and meditation. The archbishop will lead the Stations of the Cross beginning about 2:30 p.m. to end the service.

The Good Friday liturgy will begin that evening at the cathedral at 7 p.m. The archbishop will be the celebrant of the liturgy, which is not a Mass. The service begins with the Liturgy of the Word followed by veneration of the cross followed by a Communion service.

During the veneration the Cathedral Choir, under the direction of Kevin Culver, will sing 16th-century composer Gregorio Allegri’s “Miserere,” a piece used exclusively for centuries by the Pontifical Chapel Choir.

The “Miserere,” like all of the pieces sung at the cathedral the evening of Good Friday, will be ‘a capella’ - no instruments will be played. The choir will debut 20th century composer Francis Poulenc’s “Agnus Dei.”

The cathedral’s Easter Vigil Mass begins Holy Saturday evening at 9 p.m. The archbishop will be the celebrant and will deliver the homily following the seven readings which comprise the Liturgy of the Word.

The archbishop will also baptize and confirm the catechumens and candidates who will enter the Catholic Church from the cathedral parish that evening.

The Cathedral Choir has prepared more than 20 pieces of music for the Easter Vigil liturgy. Choirmaster Culver characterizes the music as a “very broad spectrum” of sacred songs.

The archbishop will also celebrate the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Easter Sunday at the cathedral. Brass instruments will augment the singing of the congregational hymns at this liturgy. The Cathedral Choir will debut composer Edward Bairstow’s anthem “Sing Ye To The Lord.”

All of the Holy Week liturgies, with the exception of the Chrism Mass, are celebrated in most parishes. Members of the archdiocese are welcome to participate in one or all of the liturgies at the cathedral, which is located at 2699 Peachtree Road.